If you are like most people, you are probably thinking, "why would i wear a Personal Fall Arrest System at a height of only 4'?".
If you’ve ever thought or said this you’re probably:
a) Not alone, and
b) Working on a site with a 4’ tie off rule.
Even OH&S regulations in Saskatchewan only call for fall protection once working heights exceed 3 metres/ 10 feet at any non-permanent work areas. So why the 4' tie off rule?
When a human being falls they are usually not hopping into their harness like you would imagine hopping down from a flatbed trailer or of the side of your front steps at home. When a person falls they are actually tipping over, and to make matter worse, we’re top heavy. This means that our upper body is going to pass our lower body during a fall which makes it so that our head is going to be leading the fall.
Current research indicates that if we fall from heights of 4 feet or more, we’re basically guaranteed to hit the ground with our head, and the chances of serious or otherwise life-altering injury goes up drastically when impacts to the head come into play.
Northern Strands Fall Arrest training is designed to not only teach trainees what the rules are but we also inform them of why the rules were written. Contact us to learn more about our fall arrest training program.
Phone 306-242-7073
Email training@northernstrands.com
Or visit our fall arrest webpage http://northernstrands.com/fall-arrest.aspx
Northern Strands is proudly Saskatoon, Saskatchewan owned and operated.
