Reaching beyond compliance

WHAT CAN you do to make workplaces safer? When it comes to fall protection PPE (personal protective equipment) complying with legal standards is a good start – but consider looking further. As some PPE innovations and improvements move faster than regulatory updates, why wait for the law to change?

Data from the Health and Safety Executive showed that forty workers lost their lives falling from height last year – that’s eleven more than 2022. Statistics are also showing that there is an increase of five on the past five-year average (35 deaths). Proving that falls remain the most common cause of workplace death.

Thankfully, there are ways to improve this situation, as PPE manufacturers continue to develop enhanced products. To benefit fully from these advances, managers should become more aware of the risks and of how PPE can help reduce them. A deeper understanding will enable you to choose the appropriate PPE for your requirements – and not just the minimum legally acceptable. Such product choices will also encourage your workers to make full use of PPE. We should all see high-quality PPE as an investment that not only enhances safety but makes economic sense.

Considerations beyond standards

One limitation of some of the PPE standards is that each typically remains in place, unchanged, for ten years or more. Meanwhile, PPE advances and capabilities continue to develop. 

Regardless of how well a PPE product performs against standards, it won’t protect a worker who can choose not to use it. The importance of advances in PPE’s look and feel should not be underestimated. Harness design, for instance, can give comfort, ease of use and a professional appearance, as well as high safety performance so that the user will want to wear it.

How high-quality PPE saves money

Time – and hence productivity – can be lost or gained through PPE product and system design. It’s advisable to take the PPE’s total cost of ownership into account. Over the product’s lifespan, time and labour savings can soon outweigh purchase price differences.

High-quality PPE will usually have benefited from rigorous testing, advanced engineering, and strong materials which resist wear and degradation. In harnesses, the textiles may have a special coating to protect against abrasion, dirt and contaminants. Extra protection for the obligatory product information label could also avoid the need for premature withdrawal from use.

Consider how much time and expense will be consumed by the necessary inspections, servicing, maintenance and repairs. Compare this between competing products. Some have designs which allow them to be easily inspected, serviced, maintained and repaired on site. Others need to be periodically returned to the manufacturer or an approved service agent.

The cost of accidents

The price you might pay for providing fall protection is very low compared to the costs potentially arising from lost time injury (LTI) accidents. Investing in high-quality PPE shows that employee safety is one of your top priorities and is economically sensible too. 

For more information, visit https://gb.msasafety.com/Fall-Protection/c/101?isLanding=true