!: Learn How Fire Water Safe: December 2011

!: Information About Construction Safety Nets

How much do you know about Construction Safety Nets? Do you work at heights? Some of us love it, and others hate it but we all need to know that the net below us will catch us if we happen to fall.

Falling from heights is one of the most common occurrences in any construction work. We often build upwards. Indeed, that's a majority of our work. That's a given, but are we always best covered when working at heights? Is safety netting always the appropriate choice?

Very often it is. Do you know anything about it though? Polypropylene is the favoured fabric for netting, in a square mesh, usually. This is because square mesh offers greatest spread of weight in the event of a fall, while polypropylene is both enormously tough, but does not absorb water.

Another major consideration of Construction Safety Nets is that they are durable. When nets fail (which they do vary rarely, thankfully) it's usually because of one of two factors. The first of these factors is a distressed net. If you are working at heights, you might not always consider what you drop. Sure, if you drop a hammer, you'll be a little worried. But what about that bit of salad from your lunchtime burger? Could it contain a mild acid? Is it possible you could have weakened the net? Of course, this is an extreme example, but it has happened. The point is that you cannot monitor what touches or damages the net, so you must perform a drop test periodically. This involves dropping a bag of sand onto the net in various areas and looking for weaknesses. The drop test recommendations can be got from your supplier or H&S officer.

The second most common reason for net failure is the tie-cord. This is often the strongest part of the net, but can sometimes, if not properly used, be the weakest. Drop-tests will help here, as well as following manufacturer's guidance when tying off.

It's also worth remembering that the higher you are, the wider your nets need to be. For up-to-date info, your supplier, again, will be the best source, and will hopefully have current Construction Safety Nets regulation at point of sale. Make sure you file the paperwork, just as you would any other.

Construction Safety Nets are not just for you. Remember that they are also to protect the ground level workers as well. For this reason, it's not simply personnel netting which needs to be used. Safety netting is a wise precaution as well. The right combination of correctly placed safety netting and ample clearance around a site will effectively negate any risk to anyone working at ground level.

Testing and inspection is also an essential part of implementing safety netting. A once weekly inspection is recommended, as well as after any incident which may have an adverse effect on the netting. This could include any scrap metal caught by the Construction Safety Nets, or a relocation of the netting; 99 times out of 100 you won't find anything on your inspection, but given the nature of the risk, namely death, it's well worth checking, wouldn't you say?