Fall Protection For Ladders & Towers
In Janurary of 2017, OSHA issued a long awaited update to the 1910 general industry standard for fall protection. One of the major changes to the standard was directly aimed at the unsafe use of cages on ladders as a mean of fall protection. All new fixed ladders that extend over 24’ above a lower level must be equipped with a personal fall arrest system. Over time all existing ladder over 24’ must also be retrofitted with a vertical fall arrest system.
Vertical Fall Safety Systems
The two most common solutions for ladder fall arrest systems are cable based vertical lifelines and ladder davits with self-retracting lifelines. These systems are easily installed on new or existing ladders.
One of the challenges with ladder fall arresting systems is determining if the ladder is capable of supporting the loads of a personal fall arrest system. Many ladders were never designed with the intention of being able to take the loads and forces that occur during a fall.
FLS engineers can analyze your ladder to ensure it is structurally capable of support a personal fall arrest or engineer a solution to allow for one.
A Complete Solution for Fall Safety
It is also important to ensure that your vertical fall arrest system does not create any additional hazards to your workers. Your FLS fall protection specialist will not only evaluate the dimensional aspects of your ladder but also the means of entry and exit from the system to provide a solution that protects your workers not only during the climb but also during access.
Installation, certification, inspection and authorized user training are all additional services available with any FLS vertical fall arrest system.
