A cautionary warning as to the dangers of misusing retractable type fall arrest equipment has been issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The warning comes, following HSE research findings from an interim report being carried out for the Health and Safety Commission's (HSC's) "Falls from Height Priority Programme".
The caution has been issued after the interim report revealed the following findings:
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Retractable type fall arresters are commonly being misused in circumstances they have not been tested for.
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The misuse is creating safety hazards and an increased risk of fatality.
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There is an indication that some manufacturers and suppliers in the UK are failing to provide adequate instructions and information to use the products safely, adding to the problem.
David Thomas, Principal Specialist Inspector and HSE's technical lead on fall protection issues, commented:
"All industry sectors are exposed to the risks presented by falls from height and these findings underline the need for employers and workers to ensure retractable type fall arresters are used in the correct way.
"They should be used only in the vertical plane with an overhead anchor unless the manufacturer's instructions clearly state otherwise.
"If this equipment is used in any other way, or combined with other components in a fall arrest system, it may be unsafe and could result in injury or fatality."
Mr. Thomas, commenting on the testing of the fall arresters, also said HSE urges caution over the following:
"The European Standard does not cover retractable type fall arresters being tested for use over edges, which is sometimes how they are used.
"In a fall over an edge the retractable lanyard may break, the braking system might be overloaded to failure, or the fall might not be arrested in the distance available.
"There is a test used by some manufacturers, known as the VG11 test, but we have concerns over its intent and adequacy and will be considering this over the next few months, once the research project is completed.
"If there is any further advice we will issue it immediately."
The BS 8437:2005, Code of practice for selection, use and maintenance for personal fall protection systems and equipment for use in the workplace provides further advice and can be accessed from the BSI-Global Website by clicking the following:
Further information on falls from height can be accessed from the HSE Webpage by clicking the following:
Article by Alexandra Johnston
