Kosto: Safety Lanyards You Can Rely On

When working at heights, it's important to leave nothing to chance and Kosto makes sure that you always have state-of-the-art equipment.

Did you know that almost one-third of all workplace accidents are caused by falls from heights every year? Whether it is from the top of a ladder, a platform, or a machine, working at height always involves a range of risks that you must be prepared for.

The daily life of a worker exposes him to multiple dangerous situations regarding falls from height:

• Roofs, buildings, terraces, ...
• Access equipment to elevated areas such as ladders, walkways, or stairs
• General work equipment such as vehicles, scaffolding, or platforms
• etc.

It would be possible to list risks at length, but the important thing is to prevent them.

How can we reduce the risk of falls from height at work? Asking this question is already a good step in achieving effective prevention.

Among the many elements that can be put in place, it is possible to base oneself on three main ideas:

• Environmental scanning
• Ongoing training
• Choosing the right fall protective equipment

Environmental analysis

The first step is always to try to eliminate the risks at the source. For example, this would be to ask questions like:

• What is a fall hazard in the work environment?
• Can these risks be avoided?
• What are some ways to make workers safer from falls?

Asking the right questions is the first step of a good analysis because no environment is perfect and we can always improve workers' safety.

Ongoing training

Of course, there's no better way to reduce the risk of falls on the job than to have a safe and secure workforce.

When a worker is working at heights, shouting "Be careful" is simply not enough. Anyone working at heights needs to know how to recognize the hazards that their tasks can bring and there is no better way to ensure this than through ongoing training.

At SPI, in-depth knowledge on the subject is always available to you through virtual courses, in our office, or at your place of work.

Ask about our fall protection training courses today!

Schedule your class!

Choosing the right fall protective equipment

After assessing your environment, choosing the right protective equipment is a key aspect of workers’ safety at heights. Whether it's personal protective equipment or structures that comply with current legislation, you need to know how to equip yourself properly.

Our Kosto brand offers you a wide range of top-quality products and good recommendations to ensure that your workers return home safe and sound every night.

About Kosto

When you need protective equipment that is built tough and guarantees strict compliance with all applicable standards, there's Kosto. As a long-time leader in OHS protection, Kosto offers a range of innovative products to help you achieve your OHS goals.

Kosto's focus is on getting all workers home every night, without exception. There is no room for mistakes or shortcuts and excellence is mandatory when developing a new product.

The Kosto advantage

KOSTO products reduce your operating costs without compromising the safety of your workers.

• Quality and performance that meet or exceed safety requirements
• An unlimited lifetime warranty against breakage due to manufacturing defects*.
• Top-notch consulting expertise

KOSTO products are developed by our health and safety specialists in collaboration with renowned manufacturers. They comply with the highest standards and requirements without compromising worker safety while lowering the cost of protection in the workplace.

* Except for electrical equipment, which has a one-year limited warranty

When you buy a Kosto product, you can be sure that you have made the right choice for your workers!

How can Kosto support workers at height?

If we believe the old saying that a worker's safety hangs only by a thread, we might as well tell you that the thread that holds them up when they are at height must be particularly strong.

A safety lanyard is an essential element of protection for workers at height, as it can save the life of a person who would otherwise fall several meters.

So what are safety lanyards for and why are they so important?

With the changes in the CSA Z259.11-17 standard for energy absorbers and lanyards, Kosto has taken the opportunity to update its line of lanyards by making the necessary adjustments to comply with the new edition of the standard.

A fall protection system (FPS) is used when a fall hazard is present and is primarily used to distribute stopping forces to minimize injury and limit the impact on the worker's body.

To select the right fall protection system for a worker's safety, there are four essential components to consider for a complete protection system.

• An anchor connector
• A body support device (safety harness style)
• A connecting element (safety lanyard type)
• A compliant anchor point

Safety lanyards are used to connect a worker's safety harness to the anchor connector and the compliant anchor point.

When selecting a lanyard, consider the fall distance, the work environment, the worker's weight with their equipment, and the tasks to be performed.

Shock-absorbing lanyards

The energy absorber allows, by its deployment, to limit the maximum stopping forces during the fall arrest and to dissipate the kinetic energy generated by the fall.

Several classes have been defined according to the material of the straps, classified from A to F and Class Y. For example, Class B is the Class for lanyards made of synthetic materials like polyester, and Class E is a chain lanyard. For Class Y, it is a double lanyard that allows for a continuous connection when the user is moving.

It is very important to read the labels carefully to make sure you are using the right product for your weight and equipment.

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