Training for height safety

Wendy Cramer speaks with Capital Safety's resident height safety guru, Emmett McGregor, about the current technology in fall arrest systems and the importance of training in ensuring safety above the ground.

Where does a fall arrest system sit in the height safety Hierachy of Control?

When dealing with a hazard, the three levels to go through are: eliminate, prevent and reduce the hazard.

For example, a major challenge for a factory is to change a light globe. To eliminate the hazard, you can buy a light globe changer. You stay on the ground to change the globe and eliminate the need to go to height. Thus the hazard has been eliminated.

Prevention includes barriers such as guard rails. But the hazard is still there. This is a passive solution. An active solution is something that needs to be interacted with - for example, you are tethered and cannot go over the edge.

Fall arrest is always the last resort as it doesn't eliminate the risk, it just reduces it. You can still get hurt using a fall arrest system, as there is a significant amount of force involved in a fall.

Do today's workers at height take this risk more seriously?

Training is more than teaching people how to put on a harness. The challenge is getting people to want to wear that harness.

Height-related accidents are the highest killer in construction worldwide and in general industry they are second only to traffic accidents.

A fall arrest system, when properly connected, is designed that the wearer ends up upright, so their feet hit the ground. They are designed this way as it is better for the feet or ankles to hit the ground rather than the head - this is mitigating the risk.

The danger is when workers connect to the harnesses they are given, think they are safe and forget about the risk. But the risk is still there, the fall arrest systems work to minimise that risk.

'Perception of risk' is important. Attitudes between safety at work and at home can even be different. For example, a worker that insists on wearing their safety gear at work whenever at height will happily climb up a ladder onto the roof at home without it.

Does current height safety legislation go far enough?

Legislation provides a minimum for safety - that's compliance. I advocate safety for safety's sake, not safety for compliance sake.

People need to ask "Am I doing this because the law requires me to or because I feel I am at risk?".

Which industries are most in need of fall arrest systems?

The question should be which industry doesn't need fall arrest systems? In every industry there will be some environment in which someone has the potential to fall. For example, even in agriculture someone has to climb up to fix a tarp to a high stack of hay bales.

If you ask which industries are challenged more than others I would say construction, because height-related incidents are the number one killer here.

Construction also faces extra challenges, such as a transient workforce. This makes investment in individuals difficult, so there is a tendency to go for compliance products. Compliance level technology doesn't guarantee it will be comfortable, can be adjusted properly or will work well.

Is the current technology in fall arrest advanced enough to ensure safety?

To a degree, we as an industry have now solved almost every issue there is. There are two basic harness styles that have been consistent for the past 15-20 years: the standard vest and the crossover. Worldwide we have close to 2000 variations on those two designs. This could be just different buckles or colours, but the basic design is consistent.

We are now looking for products that are easier to use, safer and more attractive to the end user.

To work properly, every individual needs a harness adjusted specifically for them. A harness will only be effective if it's on the body properly.

Many people would like a universal harness that could be used for everyone, but with a compliance harness what you usually sacrifice is comfort and adjustment. Users need to ask the question "what's it going to do when I fall?". How a harness is worn and how it fits is important from a safety aspect too.

We do see it more often now though - when users understand what the harness is for and what will happen when they fall, then they care about what harness they are using and fitting it properly. If they don't understand, they'll pick up anything and put it on.

Most people that wear a harness on a daily basis probably have about 30 minutes of training and are just given a harness in a 'medium' size. And how many people are a medium?

The challenge is to get them to try them on before purchase and choose the one that suits them best. We encourage people to put on a harness before they make that decision.

How important is training?

It all comes down to training. The current legislation requires training, but doesn't specify the extent of the training. And there is a wide range of training available.

Training has to be more than just a product demonstration and more than just "how do I put on a harness?". Our core training courses can run anything from four to 40 hours, and we take the view of training for education, not just compliance.

Too often, manufacturers' courses are about selling products and are not based on education - getting workers to want to wear the gear.

Due diligence is an issue because of the risk of legislation. Complying with the legislation and standards won't protect an employer in a court of law. Therefore, training becomes critical, as it can be documented that it was undertaken for education and competence.

No one harness can protect everyone and no one training program can equip every individual. It's important for a client to truly evaluate what they are getting out of the training. And am I doing this for the certificate or for the education?

Standards are a good starting point, but we have to go beyond the standards. There are more and more workers out there wearing non-adjustable harnesses that are standards compliant. But will it still be compliant six months later, and is a worker comfortable and safe in it?