Working at Heights
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Working at heights can be a bit nerve racking for some, but it’s also a very necessary part of any trade, so you won’t be getting out of it too easily. Here are a few tips to take the nerves out of the equation.
- Always give all of your fall pro gear an inspection. Every time! Even if you just used it before lunch and now you’re heading back up. You never know what happened to it while it was hanging in the boot room. If something does go wrong, you want to be confident that everything is in good working order.
- Do you know how much clearance you need, from that tie-off point you’re using, to keep you from bottoming out? How about what you might whack into as you swing back-and-forth? And….what about your free fall? How much will it hurt as your equipment stops your fall? Here are some simple light-hearted animations that show an easy way to figure it all out. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3CPfxshoDL_OayJkOenIRA?view_as=subscriber
- Make a plan! What if you do fall? Are you just going to hang there till someone notices? I’d hope not. This equipment is made to save you in case of a fall, but you don’t want to be dangling there for too long. After a short period of time you can start to lose consciousness, lose limbs and even die. So make a rescue plan. Work closely with your partner, foreman and the emergency crew on site.
I like that you pointed out that the gear you are using for your safety would have to be inspected regularly to give you confidence every time you are doing your task. I can imagine how important that would be because it would definitely save you in case you got out of balance or a part of the platform collapsed. With that in mind, I believe there should be working at the heights training program that one should take every now and then to know what to look for when they inspect their tools, gears, and other related stuffs.