Why is it used? Firstly it cannot be stressed strongly enough that Work Restraint is very low down the hierarchy when considering working at height preventative/protective measures. With this point stated and understood we can now establish that it comes in at the top of the Personal Fall protection Equipment hierarchy.
There are many ways in which to divide the Personal fall protection Solutions one of the best, being to break the hierarchy into four easy categories:
Work restraint, is at the top of the Hierarchy due to the undisputed fact that, when used in the correct manner it is the only method of PFPE which prevents the user/ wearer of the PFPE entering the hazard. (Prevents the user falling.)
Work restraint can be achieved in many ways using a variety of Fall Protection/Prevention equipment.
Examples of which are:
Anchorages:
It is generally stated that there are three types of anchorage.
Tested anchor: An anchor which has been installed and tested in accordance with the correct standard for PPE (en795) (bs7883) and is capable of withstanding up-to 10 Kn.
Certified Anchor: A component such as a webbing strop or wire strop that has been manufactured to the sub standard within En 795 and is certified as such. This type of anchorage can be used in conjunction with tested anchors or can be used with the next category.
Structural anchor: This type of anchor is the most controversial and is the one most often used. This is, as the name suggests an anchor, which is selected by the user/ wearer as having the structural capabilities of withstanding the anticipated loads.
Harnesses:
Work Position Belt (en358). Due to the nature of Work Restraint you are permitted to wear as little as a work position belt as the harness.
Full Body Fall arrest Harness (en361) Although you can wear a work position belt for restraint a great deal of tasks where restraint are used, involve moving through a fall arrest situation to get to the place of work. An example of which could be: CLIMBING A VERTICAL FIXED LADDER WITH A FALL ARREST SYSTEM FITTED TO GET TO THE WORKPLACE. For this reason most manufacturers recommend that you wear a full body fall arrest harness for work Restraint.
Lanyards: Lanyards used for Work Restraint generally conform to EN 354. Although this is often the case, Fall Arrest lanyards (en355) can be used for this method of protection, providing they are used in a manner that prevents a fall occurring.
Other methods of attachment to the anchorage are also used such as Work position systems conforming to en358 and rope systems conforming to en353/2 basically consisting of a rope, connector and a rope adjustment device.
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