Fall protection in Australia is required for heights of at least 2 meters. Edge Protection Systems must be installed in an elevated area. An edge protection system prevents falls. It can be a railing or guardrail, or a fence.
Australian Standards For Working At Heights
Height safety compliance requirements in Australia
In Australia, height safety equipment and working at heights procedures are overseen by the Working At Height Association (WAHA), which enforces the following Australian Standards & Industry Codes:
- AS1657:2018 Permanent Platforms, Walkways, Stairways, and Ladders
- Part 1 of AS/NZS 1891.1: Safety Belts and Harnesses
- Part 2 of AS/NZS 1891.2: Horizontal Lifeline and Rail Systems
- Part 3 of AS/NZS 1891:3: Fall Arrest Devices
- AS/NZS 1981.4 Part 4: Industrial Fall Arrest System and Device Selection, Use, and Maintenance
- AS2625 Safe Confined Space Work
- Industrial Rope Access Systems AS/NZS 4488
- Manufacturers’ standards for single-point anchors, AS/NZS 5532
The sort of fall protection equipment necessary for your facilities to be compliant is determined by the applicable height safety laws as well as the equipment or places that require safe access.
Fall protection equipment is often necessary for anybody operating at heights of 2 meters or above. There are several types of fall protection systems, and the one that is most suited for your facilities will be determined by the fall dangers present and the sort of activity performed.
If your business requires secure access to roof-mounted plants and equipment, you may merely need roof pathways to avoid trip risks. If employees must walk or work near 2 meters of a roof edge or other fall danger, your workplace will require a fall prevention system such as a fall arrest system, roof guardrail, or static line system.
A complete height safety system may necessitate the installation of a variety of height safety devices.
How Is Height Safety Determined?
A height safety engineer must conduct a thorough investigation of the site to establish what fall protection equipment is necessary to meet Australian standard code compliance. They will decide how the applicable regulations apply to the specific location and its use.
The hierarchy of control is one of the criteria that determine what sort of system should be built. This is a method that provides the best practices for removing dangers in the workplace. It specifies that when addressing a danger, the highest degree of control, level 1, should always be employed and that lower order of control should only be used when a higher level is not practical.
The tiers of the control hierarchy are as follows:
1. Eliminate The Danger – The most stringent degree of control is to eliminate the risk of a fall by working on the ground or a solid structure.
2. Passive Fall Prevention – These are safety items, such as guardrails, that do not require modification after installation.
3. Work Positioning Systems – Typically, these are rope access devices such as roof anchors and static lines that require training to operate properly.
4. Fall Injury Prevention Systems – These systems are meant to minimize worker injuries in the case of a fall.
5. Ladders And Administrative Controls – In certain cases, ladders are preferable to other systems, and administrative controls or processes necessitate extensive documentation.
Installation Of Height Safety Devices
The details of the installation will be chosen when a professional height safety engineer has assessed the sort of height safety system that needs to be installed. This will be determined by elements such as the roof’s materials and pitch. Fall protection systems are installed differently for tile, metal, and concrete roofs, as well as flat and sloping roofs.
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