Safety Line Training: What You Need to Know
It’s not enough to protect your workers with safety lines. They also need to be trained in how to use the lines correctly. Sending someone onto a roof without adequate instruction and testing can result in unnecessary falls and injuries.
Inspecting Your Fall Protection Equipment
Check your fall protection equipment before each use. It should be inspected by a professional at least once a year, but every worker should take responsibility for looking at their gear before using it.
Watch for:
● Fraying
● Rips or tears
● Loose buckles
● Stitching coming apart
● Improper knots
● Wear on any part
These can all be signs that your gear needs to be replaced and no equipment should be used if it could be faulty. It’s there to protect you, but if someone falls and a frayed rope snaps due to the weight, the end result could be fatal. Every worker must learn what to look for and how to check their equipment.
How to Put the Harness On
The harness must not only be put on correctly, but properly attached to the safety line. Again, each worker is responsible for checking their own harness and securing it. However, it’s also good practice to have a secondary person double check the harness and attachment. This helps reduce the margin for error and a second set of eyes may spot something the person wearing the harness cannot see.
Be sure to avoid any twisted bits on the harness. The straps should lay flat and be snug, but in the right position so that if you fall, the force is properly distributed.
Securely Attaching and Using the Safety Line
Workers must understand how to use their safety line once they’re in place on the roof or scaffolding. They should understand the importance of never being without a security method in place and will need to be trained in how to move their harness clip from one area to another without compromising their safety.
Learn Special Features
Depending on the fall safety equipment, there may be different features that must be learned. The workers should have a full understanding of what each feature does and how to use it. You may even wish to practice falling a short distance so they can feel the impact and practice getting out of the situation.
Falling from a height can be devastating, so it’s important to use safety equipment. Unfortunately, improper use is nearly as bad as not using it, so be sure everyone working at a height is fully trained in how to properly engage their protective gear.
Are you looking for PPE for your workers? If you need fall protection gear,
A1 Height Safety has what you need.
