Fall protection training

Fall protection training should consist of a theoretical and a practical part. The theoretical part should help course participants gain a general understanding of the equipment and how it is intended to be used – and not used. Participants should receive information about laws and regulations that cover the use of fall protection in work situations. The training also provides knowledge of important topics; fall theory, which tells a lot about the forces that one is exposed to when falling, hanging trauma that can occur when hanging from a harness after a fall and, in the worst case, can be fatal, self-rescue and buddy rescue, which are required by regulations, and best practices. But theory is one thing, practice is another. In reality, you have to make a number of assessments and avoid common pitfalls that are often not so easy to predict. The practical part of a good course addresses these situations and allows participants to experience them firsthand and be guided to good solutions. Most forms of rescue require practice to master, and a minimum of practice is necessary to be able to carry out rescues satisfactorily. However, practice among course providers with regard to the scope and content of the course varies greatly. Among other things, fall protection courses are currently offered that are conducted exclusively digitally in approximately 2 – 3 hours. 

 Certified training 

The requirement for training in fall protection is so-called documented training. Documented training does not set clear requirements for the instructors' competence or course content. Different players in the market therefore have different offerings and quality. 

 This makes it difficult for customers or users of fall protection to navigate the market. For companies that use external personnel, it is often difficult to determine what training the staff has received, beyond being able to determine that they have received a course certificate. 

 Soft Sertifisering AS approves course companies according to the requirements of NS 9610 through a certification process that includes administration of the course activities, instructors, training facilities, equipment and teaching. The result is that course participants are assured of relevant fall protection competence for their work area, and employers or clients can be confident that performing personnel have the right competence for the job and satisfy regulatory requirements. 

To learn more about training and certification, we recommend visiting Soft Sertifisering AS. 

Details of the standard can be obtained by purchasing NS 9610 from Standard Norway (owner of the standard).