Efficient Fall Protection Equipment Management: 3 Solutions for Your Company

An essential element of a successful health and safety strategy for working at heights is selecting and using safety harnesses. However, the purchase cost, maintenance, and certification of this equipment can at times be complex and costly.

Therefore, it is important to consider these 3 processes to optimize the management of your fall protection equipment.

1. Identification system for fall arrest equipment

At times, a company may implement an identification system for fall arrest equipment as part of a loss prevention program, and each harness, lifeline, and lanyard can be labelled with a unique number. This type of system minimizes the risk of equipment potentially being stolen while optimizing replacement costs. According to the manufacturer’s instructions, a worker using a safety harness must perform equipment checks before each use. This inspection should include the visual verification of each part, in order to identify all weaknesses, cracks, or damage to the harnesses, anchorage straps, lifelines, ropes, rings, and carabiners that are part of the worker’s fall arrest protection system. Any sign of degradation on the fabric and metallic parts, such as broken seams, signs of mould or any other fungi, must be reported to the supervisor and the equipment removed from use until a qualified person confirms it is in good working condition.

Our experts in technical services can support you in the maintenance and inspection of your fall protection equipment!

Equipment identification allows you to retrieve all records for a specific item and, in certain circumstances, to repair it for a fraction of the cost of new equipment. It is a tremendous added value. In some situations, a company can replace the worn or damaged parts rather than changing the entire equipment.

2. Inspection and certification traceability

In addition to the daily visual inspections, the manufacturer requires a yearly inspection and certification by a qualified person or a specialist to guarantee the compliance of the fall protection equipment.

Companies that adopt a proactive maintenance strategy can see a reduction of 25% in maintenance costs and an improvement in equipment availability of about 20%!

Equipment certification ensures compliance with CSA standards and regulations as well as manufacturers’ instruction manuals. The serial number assigned by the identification system helps keep track of the inspection and certification of each piece of equipment while optimizing the performance of the body harness and the safety of the worker using it. This traceability helps the team locate the equipment by username, department, project site, etc.

 

3. Equipment standardization

To facilitate the selection of material that meets the principal needs of your company, the implementation of a system for the standardization of equipment is key. The equipment standardization across all business divisions allows significant cost reductions while ensuring the highest safety levels for workers.

Learn about the solutions and the actions you can put in place in your company to optimize your costs, and more importantly, to ensure the compliance and proper functioning of your equipment.

Have more questions? Contact us!