Fall protection

General

Fall protection is the most common method of personal protection when working at height unless the work area is secured with fences or has natural physical barriers that prevent the possibility of a fall. The purpose is to always have an equipment barrier that prevents falls or intercepts a fall to avoid hitting the ground or structures that could cause injury. When working at great heights, the need for protection is obvious. At lower heights, the need may not be as pressing, but it is from lower heights that most fall accidents occur - even the serious ones. Most, if not all, could have been avoided by using the right fall protection.

Risk assessment

Any work at height starts with a risk assessment of the site and the work to be carried out. What can happen and what are the consequences if a fall is possible? Is access to the work site possible using other methods such as scaffolding or access techniques, or is fall protection sufficient? Is rescue preparedness adequate and in place?

Protection level

The Norwegian Working Environment Authority's Regulation 703 on the performance of work states that collective barriers (fences, scaffolding, etc.) must be the first choice among the methods of fall protection when working at height.

If these cannot be used, consideration should be given to whether fall-preventing or fall-catching fall protection should be used.

Fall prevention is achieved by, for example, access techniques or when fall protection equipment is used in a way that restricts freedom of movement so that it is not physically possible to fall, for example over an edge.

Fall arrest is the last choice as the fall protection equipment catches a fall that occurs. The risk of injury is reduced as the fall is limited, but avoiding falls is always preferable.