Getting fall arrest equipment right

What happened

A crew person was changing the lamp bulbs on the vessel mast, working at a height of around 4m above the deck. The person was wearing a full set of PPE including a certified safety harness with a lanyard equipped with a shock absorber. There was a Permit to Work in place.

However, the  total length of all this safety equipment had not been properly taken into account.

• 1.75m: the safety lanyard shock absorber;
• 2m: the lanyard itself;
• 1.9m: the approximate height of the person being protected.

This added up to 5.65m, whereas the person was working 4m above the deck. In the case of a fall from height, the fall arrest equipment would have been of no use and the person could have fallen to deck unprotected. He did not fall – no-one was injured.

What went right and wrong?

• Right: the crew person was wearing fall arrest equipment and there was a Permit to Work in place – some incomplete assessment of risk had at least taken place;
• Wrong:
  • The risk assessment was not adequate; no-one thought to check that the proposed work height relative to the length of the fall arrest equipment;
  • No-one noticed or considered that the fall arrest safety lanyard was clearly marked “Minimum 6m clearance distance” (see image);

Lessons

Correctly calculate your fall arrest!

Members may wish to refer to

• Near-miss: improper use of fall-arrest equipment leads to fall
• Fall from Height Leading to Injury