Working at height is not just a complex task, it’s a potentially life-threatening one. It demands our utmost attention, stringent safety precautions, and the right equipment. Whether you’re on a construction site or performing maintenance in an industrial setting, having the proper tools for the job is not just essential, it’s a matter of life and death. 

In this blog, we’ll explore five of the most critical pieces of fall protection equipment that are essential when working at heights. These include harnesses, lanyards, and vertical and horizontal lifelines. With these items in your toolkit, you can be sure to work safely while taking on any project that involves working above ground level. Avoid cheap safety harness kits and invest in the proper fall protection.

Safety Harnesses
Safety harnesses protect workers from falling while working at height. These harnesses, typically full-body harnesses, are designed to distribute the force of a fall across the entire body, minimising the risk of injury. When properly fitted and adjusted, harnesses provide comfortable personal protection when secured to a lanyard and subsequent anchor point or safety lifeline system. Different types of harnesses are available for various job requirements, including those with specialised features such as positioning rings, tool belts, or trauma straps. 

Lanyards
Lanyards connect the worker’s harness to an anchor point or lifeline. Depending on the work environment and application, they come in various materials, lengths, and styles. They can be used in fall restraint, which prevents workers from reaching the edge of a roof, thus preventing a fall altogether, or in arrest, where shock-absorbing lanyards are particularly important, as they help to reduce the impact forces generated during a fall, should the anchor system not provide a shock-absorbing element. 

Horizontal Lifelines
Horizontal lifelines provide continuous fall protection for workers moving along a horizontal plane, such as rooftops, bridges, or beams. These systems typically consist of a cable connected to multiple anchor points, allowing workers to safely traverse a large area without disconnecting and reconnecting their lanyards. Horizontal lifelines can be temporary or permanent, depending on the specific requirements of the job site. Kee Line is hands-free, has undergone testing and received approval for use on various roof styles such as standing seam, membrane, and metal profile. Using a support post, it can be mounted on steel cladding panels, beam/column structures, solid parapet walls, and flat roofs. 

Anchor Points 
Anchor points, like Kee Anchor, are secure attachment points for the worker’s lanyard, providing a stable base for the fall arrest system. Anchor points should be strong enough to withstand the forces generated during a fall and should be positioned to minimise the potential for a swing fall. Permanent anchor points can be installed on structures, while temporary anchor points are available for situations where permanent installation is not feasible. 

Fall Arrest Devices 
Fall arrest devices, such as self-retracting lifelines (SRLs) or rope grabs, are designed to stop a worker’s fall within a short distance automatically. SRLs are equipped with a retractable cable that extends and retracts as the worker moves, while a rope grab moves along a fixed lifeline and locks into place in the event of a fall. These devices help reduce the forces experienced during a fall and prevent workers from hitting the ground or other obstacles below them. Having the right working at height equipment is crucial for ensuring the safety of workers in elevated environments. Employers should invest in high-quality equipment and provide training to their workforce on the proper use and maintenance of these essential safety tools. 

The Perfect Partnership: Horizontal Lifeline Systems and Safety Harnesses Horizontal lifeline systems and safety harnesses form a powerful safety solution for those working at height. While the horizontal lifeline system is designed to accommodate lateral movement along a horizontal plane, while the safety harnesses provide a comfortable and secure means of anchoring them to the system. The Kee Line horizontal lifeline system provides a continuous connection point, allowing workers to move freely across the work area while remaining securely attached to the lifeline. Kee Line is appropriate for use on rooftops, building exteriors, and overhead installations. The system can be directly connected to the roof using a fixed Kee anchor or secured to the building structure using a ‘through fix’ Kee Anchor.

Kee Line Benefits from: 

• Continuous, hands-free fall protection system 
• Tested for diverse roof types such as membrane and metal profile 
• Ideal for rooftops, building exteriors, and overhead installations Progressive Absorbing System reduces shock loadings during falls Supports spans up to 12m and accommodates 3 users 
• Traveller enables detaching and re-attaching at any point in the system 
• This working-at-height solution supports up to three users with its Progressive Absorbing System (PAS) technology, offering personal and collective fall protection.

For more information on our services and supplying and installing critical fall protection equipment call 020 8558 5688 or email [email protected]