At Q Scaffolding, we always say safety is the core. Therefore, we do our best to ensure the safety for our scaffolders. For this purpose, we use reliable fall arrest and personal protective equipment. To clarify, we use it during scaffold construction and dismantling. We use it while altering or repairing the structures. And, at last, we use it even when we carry out inspection tasks.
Fall arrest equipment
Fall arrest equipment is used to prevent falls in scaffolding operations. According to NASC Safety Guidance 4: 2015, fall arrest equipment includes collective and personal fall prevention systems. At O Scaffolding, we use both types of fall prevention equipment when scaffolding in London or any other area.
A collective fall prevention system is passive protection against falls. It refers to arranging a safe zone for scaffolding operations and preventing severe injuries if falls occur. A collective fall prevention equipment includes:
• Single guardrails when just starting to assemble a working platform and double guardrails for finished ones, including stop ends
• Safety netting or safety decking where it is reasonable and applicable to catch scaffolders when falling
A personal fall prevention system is active protection against falls and related injuries. It refers to the equipment that scaffolder operatives wear on themselves. Typically, a personal fall prevention system includes at least the following:
• Safety harnesses with rear dorsal rings to prevent falls by providing an additional point of contact with the structure
• Lanyards with energy absorbers to take in some of the fall force and make it less destructive for the backbone
Personal protective equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is an outfit that helps to mitigate negative impacts of falling items, bad weather, poor visibility, etc. At Q Scaffolding, we pay close attention to the quality of PPE our scaffolders wear and renew it regularly to keep them well protected.
Here is a list of typical PPE we use when working at construction sites:
• Safety helmets, hard hats to protect the heads of our scaffolders from blows falling items may cause
• High-visibility jackets to make our site operatives perfectly visible even in poor visibility (darkness, twilight, snowing and raining, etc.)
• Safety footwear, non-slip steel toe capped boots to prevent our scaffolders from slipping (especially important when moving on wet and icy boards) and to protect their toes from any blows falling items may cause
• Protective gloves to keep the hands of our site operatives safe from such hazards as cuts, calluses, and splinters
Using both fall arrest systems and personal protective equipment, along with appropriate training, enables us to avoid accidents and injuries in scaffolding operations.
