Advances In And Use Of Body Fall Arrest Anchors And Roof Anchors For Window Washing Equipment

There are old photographs which show how men would work on tall buildings without anchoring themselves safely to an adequate anchor. This was before Health and Safety laws came into affect in most countries. Now, it is the employers duty to provide an adequate safety system to prevent falls from height. It was for this purpose that fall arrest anchors were developed. These systems are put in place as a final measure to prevent injury should a person fall from their working platform.

It is always better to have a barrier or hand rail between the worker and the edge of the working platform. Preventing the fall in the first place is essential. However, should the barrier fail, or if a barrier is impossible under the circumstances, a roof anchor can be used in addition to the barrier.

These anchors consist of a body harness which is attached by wire, strap or rope to an anchor on the roof of the building or structure being worked on. If the worker falls from their working platform, they will not fall far, but will be stopped by the strap and hang above ground.

In this way, these systems prevent injury which would be incurred if the person was allowed to drop to the ground. This is especially important when the worker is high up where a fall from such a distance would possibly result in serious injury or even death.

In fields such as the construction industry, or maintenance of tall buildings, these safety harnesses are used in abundance. For men working at height, whether this is to install an air conditioning unit into a window, or to wash the windows of sky scrapers on the outside, these safety harnesses could mean that they can go home safely after doing their work for the day.

Further development of these systems has made them even more easy and safe to use in industries requiring work at heights. Where before the harnesses were heavy and cumbersome, they are now made of lightweight but strong fabric and can be worn over the workers normal clothing. It was also noticed that if rescue services could not reach the worker quickly, the harness would cause pain after prolonged periods of hanging. A strap was then incorporated that could be released from the system by the wearer. It loops down and under the feet and can be stood on to relieve pressure on the groin where the harness could cause discomfort.

To further increase the safety of these harnesses, the strap which connects the harness to the roof anchor can contain what is known as an inertia reel. Instead of the person coming to an abrupt halt which could cause whiplash and bruising, the wearer is, instead, slowed down during his drop so that the stop is more comfortable and less damage is done.

Because of these systems, the number of injuries relating to occupations that carry out work at height has significantly. The fall arrest anchor should form an essential part of any occupational safety procedures for these industries.


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