Working at height: collective vs personal protection

Collective protection devices ensure the safety of everyone, without requiring them to take specific measures themselves. Personal or individual protection only protects the user of the protection solution. The condition is then also that he or she uses the protective device correctly.

Collective protection

Collective protective devices do not necessarily require consideration of a specific product. It can also be a design measure that eliminates the fall hazard. An overview of the possibilities:

• ‍Increasedparapet: directly extending the facade to a sufficient height. In this way, all works on the roof can be immediately secured both during the construction phase and during maintenance. This is by far the best solution because all works can be done safely without additional handling by the workers.‍

• Permanent parapet: installing an additional parapet, such as a balustrade on top of the roof curb. The balustrade offers the advantage that maintenance can be done safely, without additional handling. Specific safety measures do remain necessary during the construction phase until after the balustrade is installed. It is recommended that the balustrade be installed as soon as possible so that some of the construction work can also be done with this collective safety. This will limit the cost of additional safety measures during the construction phase.‍

• Collapsible parapet: This is a parapet that is folded down and raised before the start of maintenance work. This solution is still preferable on personal security, but has the disadvantage of requiring an additional operation before safe work can be done. Additional security must also be provided during the site phase.‍

• Safety nets: Placing nets between the building structure. This is especially applicable during the construction phase to prevent falls from height while working on or on the unfinished roof.

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For small and low roofs, maintenance can be done from a roller rack or aerial work platform. This requires attention during the design phase. After all, the building must be accessible and placement must be possible without creating dangerous situations. In addition, the scaffold and aerial work platform must be inspected and the users must have received the necessary training. In an aerial work platform, wearing a fall harness and lifeline is required.

Personal security

Individual protection is never as safe as a collective solution. So all of these solutions are one level down on the prevention ladder. The most well-known personal fall protection devices are:

• ‍Life lineall around: The guideline is a placement 2 meters from the edge - or more in case of an obstacle - with all techniques, passages and entrances within the life line. This solution offers the advantage that maintenance of the techniques can still be done without entering an unsafe zone. However, the designer must take into account an accessibility zone of 80 cm. When maintenance has to be done on an eaves side, the lifeline is best located more than 2.8 meters from the eaves.

• ‍Centrallifeline: Again, placement at least 2 meters from the edge with all techniques, passages and entrances within the lifeline applies. Again, the accessibility zone of 80 cm applies when the techniques are to be serviced on the side of the roof edge.‍‍

• ‍Anchor pointsaround: A series of points at least 4 to 5.5 meters from the edge, with all techniques, passages and accesses within the anchor point zone and sufficiently far from the roof edge. Again, the reach zone of 80 cm should be considered in the design. In addition, an additional anchor point 2 meters from the corners of the roof is required. This is to prevent swinging danger together with fall.‍

• Central anchor points: Placed at least 2 meters from the edge, with all techniques, passages and entrances within the anchor point zone and sufficiently far from the roof edge (attention to the accessibility zone and anchor points at 2 meters from the roof corners).‍

• One anchor point: only for a small roof, centrally located and without techniques or maintenance on the roof.

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The protective equipment described is inadvisable when techniques, passages or entrances are not safely accessible without a fall harness.

In addition, it is not recommended to place anchor points in the middle of techniques if the techniques cannot be safely reached or maintained without a fall harness. The connection between fall harness and anchor point will hinder during maintenance and there is a chance of damaging the connection or techniques. The worker must also constantly disconnect and reattach to reach everything. This is where unsafe situations are most likely to occur.

Annual maintenance

Also keep in mind that personal protective equipment requires annual review and inspection and users must have the necessary training to use it correctly. In addition, each person involved must have the necessary accessories to use the equipment correctly. More importantly, he or she must be motivated to continually use the harness correctly. With frequent hooking and unhooking, the temptation lurks to quickly do without. A mistake can also lead to the user thinking he or she is safe and can take risks when in fact they are not.

From all these considerations, we at Tectum Group are convinced that collective fall protection is the best choice: it is always safe and requires no specific training or annual inspection.

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Collective protection devices ensure the safety of everyone, without requiring them to take specific measures themselves. Personal or individual protection only protects the user of the protection solution. The condition is then also that he or she uses the protective device correctly.

Collective protection

Collective protective devices do not necessarily require consideration of a specific product. It can also be a design measure that eliminates the fall hazard. An overview of the possibilities:

• ‍Increasedparapet: directly extending the facade to a sufficient height. In this way, all works on the roof can be immediately secured both during the construction phase and during maintenance. This is by far the best solution because all works can be done safely without additional handling by the workers.‍

• Permanent parapet: installing an additional parapet, such as a balustrade on top of the roof curb. The balustrade offers the advantage that maintenance can be done safely, without additional handling. Specific safety measures do remain necessary during the construction phase until after the balustrade is installed. It is recommended that the balustrade be installed as soon as possible so that some of the construction work can also be done with this collective safety. This will limit the cost of additional safety measures during the construction phase.‍

• Collapsible parapet: This is a parapet that is folded down and raised before the start of maintenance work. This solution is still preferable on personal security, but has the disadvantage of requiring an additional operation before safe work can be done. Additional security must also be provided during the site phase.‍

• Safety nets: Placing nets between the building structure. This is especially applicable during the construction phase to prevent falls from height while working on or on the unfinished roof.

‍

For small and low roofs, maintenance can be done from a roller rack or aerial work platform. This requires attention during the design phase. After all, the building must be accessible and placement must be possible without creating dangerous situations. In addition, the scaffold and aerial work platform must be inspected and the users must have received the necessary training. In an aerial work platform, wearing a fall harness and lifeline is required.