What is the purpose of a safety net in construction? This article looks at the uses of safety nets and how they protect workers and passers by from falls during a construction project.
Safety Net Uses During Construction & Demolition
A mesh net is used in safety netting to catch falling things like bricks, cinder blocks, equipment that has been dropped, and other debris. This debris has the potential to damage or kill persons on the ground, especially when it falls from mid- to high-rise structures.
Additionally, parked cars or other equipment may sustain significant damage, these technologies are used by demolition and construction crews to keep on-site spectators and other crew members safe. The risk of tool damage exists in addition to the risk to construction personnel; a safety net can spare the expense of replacement by shielding equipment from crash damage.
Preventing Falls
There is a tragic chance that construction workers who are given duty at a hazardous height would trip and fall; this is the main reason for mortality among construction workers.
Installing certain safety measures and receiving adequate instruction in their use can help prevent it, by catching employees who lose their balance and fall, absorbing their energy, and slowing down their descent, a safety net can save lives - this is another reason why it's crucial to consider how far the safety net is from the ground.
The net might not be able to halt the fall in time if it is too near to the ground, however, the usage of a lifeline or another fall-protection system may be required if a perimeter safety net is not classified as a personal fall arrest system.
Vertical & Horizontal Netting Systems
Vertical net debris containment systems are the first kind of netting to be discussed; they improve safety by keeping debris from falling on nearby properties and the public below.
If it complies with certain OSHA requirements, vertical netting can protect workers close to leading edges by acting as a guardrail system, obviating the need for a mid-rail and toe board. If the netting is purchased in a bright colour, it creates a visible safety barrier that is easily seen from ground level.
Vertical netting can be utilised around perimeters, in holes, and along vulnerable sides and edges as a temporary barrier for crowd control or destruction. This kind of netting requires less time to prepare and results in higher worker productivity since it is simple to instal, remove, reposition, and store. One of the most comprehensive and economical alternatives for debris control is a vertical net system.
A horizontal or perimeter net can catch workers and falling objects. In order to safeguard employees and onlookers on the ground, perimeter netting's major function is to guarantee that everything that could fall, from hand tools to errant bricks to concrete debris, is captured. This is especially crucial if the construction site is close to a busy roadway or parking lot.
Guardrail Systems
Guardrails are another safe choice for your workplace, and depending on the purpose, they come in a variety of forms. Guardrails can also be used in place of or in addition to safety netting.
When a guardrail is set in place, it improves safety in locations where people work over extended periods of time. If you want a guardrail that is permanently attached, you can pick a fixed variation that you can bolt, weld, or clamp to a surface. There are also free-standing alternatives available if portability is more important to you.
These guardrails should be lightweight and relatively easy to instal without the use of any special tools. This variation lets your personnel operate securely in space for as long as they need to, carrying their safety equipment with them as they move on to other duties. You may find that this form of system is more cost-effective since you can keep your equipment expenditures to a minimum.
Fall Protection Equipment
Safety netting is not a replacement for strict adherence to safety regulations on the part of you and your staff. Fall protection gear should also be used in conjunction with safety netting systems.
A lifeline is a flexible line that you tie to an appropriate anchor point as an illustration of this. This rope stops your vertical descent if you fall from a great height; there are also horizontal lifelines.
A fall arrest system is connected to a horizontal lifeline, which is a rope or cable that attaches to two anchor points. In hazardous work environments, it is imperative to always wear personal protection equipment (PPE), such as hard helmets, face shields, and safety goggles.
Staff members must also wear reflective vests or clothes with reflective stripes to ensure that they are always visible.
Anchors
An anchorage connector, which enables construction workers to attach a lanyard, deceleration device, or lifeline to a crucial anchor point to prevent a potentially fatal fall, is another crucial component of a fall-arrest system. An anchor is a permanent or temporary point to which a fall-arrest system can be attached.
Alternatively, if a worker falls, an anchor slows their descent, minimising the chance of injury or death; anchor points, like guardrails, can be temporary or permanent; a permanently fixed anchor point should be built of robust, heavy-duty material for locations that workers frequent.
A temporary anchor point allows for portability - mobile anchor points increase freedom of movement and flexibility without compromising safety; this improved manoeuvrability ensures that your employees can perform a variety of work-related tasks, maintaining productivity; there's no reason you can't be both safe and efficient - these principles work hand in hand.
Safety Nets & Soft Landing Systems:
Safety Nets
Nets are complicated energy-absorbing devices that must only be installed (known in the industry as 'rigged'), maintained, adjusted, and removed (referred to as 'de-rigged') by qualified and competent personnel.
Always consider rigging the net from ground level using remote attachment devices; only if this is not practicable should an alternate option, such as employing a MEWP to obtain access at height to net attachment points, be explored; the same should be thought of while changing and de-rigging the net.
The manner a safety net system is constructed and maintained is crucial, and it should only be done by qualified and professional persons. To reduce the height of a fall, nets should be placed as close as practical to the working level.
After being installed, safety net systems must be examined by a qualified individual, and a handover certificate must be made to attest to their safety. Thereafter, they must be checked regularly to ensure they are still securely attached and will prevent falls.
Significant headroom under the net is required to allow for deformation when a person falls into a net because the material stretches as it absorbs the stress, which prevents the person from collapsing or crashing into the ground or another object.
If a net stops a fall, the net installer should be notified right away since it very probably has to be replaced. Work above a net that has experienced a fall should halt until the net has been inspected.
The net inspection should be performed by a qualified person, often the manufacturer, to confirm that it is safe for use going forward. Your risk assessment must detail your processes for pulling someone from a rigged net and giving them first aid while they are still within.
Soft Landing Systems
To reduce the danger of harm in the event of a fall while doing tasks like installing flooring or roof trusses, soft landing technologies can be employed.
These solutions include bags that are pre-filled by the manufacturer, packed with air pockets, or loaded with tiny bits of polystyrene and inflated on-site. They are positioned directly beneath the workers, filling up any gaps and reducing the distance of the fall, which may minimise accidents or lower their severity of them.
Any soft-landing system's installation, upkeep, modification, and removal must only be handled by skilled professionals following the manufacturer's instructions.
After installation, soft landing systems must be examined by a qualified individual, and a handover certificate must be created to attest that they have been correctly assembled and positioned. Thereafter, they must be inspected weekly to make sure they are still suitable for use as fall arrest systems.
Safe Use of Safety Nets
The risk of serious harm from a fall from a great height can be lowered by installing safety nets beneath high-level work locations. Safety nets set beneath a high-level work area shorten the distance a worker can fall; they absorb the impact of the fall and give a "soft landing" to decrease the probability of injury.
The danger of falling is considered regardless of how much time is spent on a roof, and any fall is likely to result in a catastrophic injury. In that they offer passive fall protection while enabling people to work at heights without restricting their movement, safety nets are collective fall arrest systems rather than fall restraint systems.
According to the Health and Safety in Employment Act (HSE Act) of 1992, all reasonable steps must be taken to avoid injury to a person while at work.
Employers are among those who must comply with the law, they must offer a safe working environment, and health and safety facilities, and ensure that any equipment used by employees is made, organised, and maintained safely.
This means that if someone may fall from a height while working, all reasonable precautions must be taken to keep them safe, whether they are working at height for a short or long amount of time. Safety nets are designed to deflect (stretch) and absorb the energy of a fall, decreasing the risk of injury for a falling person.
The greater the fall height, the greater the impact, and hence, the greater the net deflection. Safety nets are designed to deflect (stretch) and absorb the energy of a fall, decreasing the risk of injury for a falling person.
The safety net must be able to bend or deflect sufficiently to absorb all of the energy from the fall's impact up to the design's maximum fall height since the greater the fall height, the greater the impact.
The amount that the safety net will deform when someone falls upon it depends on the height of the fall and the span of the net, thus there must be adequate space below it to accommodate this deformation.
To have adequate initial sag, the safety net has to be at least 10% bigger (along both sides) than the area it will cover. Net sag, also known as initial sag, is the amount of deformation caused by the net's weight. Net sag should be between 5% and 10% of the net's shortest side.
In order to distribute the weight uniformly and reduce the stress on the individual meshes, extra netting should be under-rolled into the tie rope or attachment mechanism. Safety nets must be able to deflect and absorb energy from the force of a fall; if they are overtightened or have too many fastening points, they may not be able to deflect sufficiently.
In either scenario, the effect of the individual falling onto the net and the weight placed on the net and structure both increase. A falling person might collide with an object or the ground if a net is not properly tensioned and deflects too much.
Fall Arrest Safety Equipment & Training
The British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA), which represents contractors, and FASET (Fall Arrest Safety Equipment & Training), the trade group representing the fall arrest and safety net rigging sector, have teamed up to provide joint advice.
Safety nets are meant to be rigged to the underside of the structure and are typically used as the primary means of protection due to their proximity to the working level; as a result, the use of an additional fall arrest system is not necessary, according to the guidance.
Safety nets are used to save lives and reduce injuries on-site by absorbing energy from a falling body. Unfortunately, one of the most frequent occupational injuries recorded each year is falls, and learning about fall safety is crucial for a number of apparent reasons. However, given that falls from heights can occur at any given moment, you should be aware of the benefits of following good fall safety procedures by your employer.
Safety Nets
Scaffolding / Anchor Points
Edmonton Scaffolding Services provides safety netting supply in and around London. Our company provides a range of safety nets services for working at height in London.