Anyone who has to work at a significant height faces inherent risks. One mistake could lead to a fall, which could cause serious injuries, such as spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. Many falls are fatal.
To protect workers, different types of fall prevention systems can be used. It is important to know how these work, so here are three examples.
Passive fall prevention
First of all, there are passive systems designed to keep a fall from happening in the first place. The simplest example is a guardrail. It blocks a dangerous edge so that it is impossible for the employee to fall without engaging in deliberately dangerous activity, such as climbing the guardrail.
Travel restraint
If dangerous edges cannot be blocked, travel restraint systems will sometimes be used. For instance, a worker on a roof may be connected to a tether that is shorter than the distance to the edge of the roof. This prevents the worker from getting into a position where they could fall, as long as they are hooked up correctly.
Fall arrest systems
Finally, fall arrest systems do not prevent the fall, but they can reduce the odds of serious injury. They are designed to catch the worker after the fall occurs. A worker at height may wear a harness and be clipped into a line, for example, so that the rope catches them if they slip and fall over the edge.
When the correct safety devices are not used, the odds of worker injury go up. It is important for those who have been injured to understand what legal steps to take moving forward.