Components of a Personal Fall Arrest System PFAS
PFAS is mainly used where a worker works above 6 ft or 1.8 m. It is the responsibility of the management of a company to make provisions for the personal fall arrest system PFAS. It is not the duty of the workers to make this provision for themselves; under the law, the employer provides the necessary PPE that the workers can use at work, including the PFAS.
Under the personal fall arrest system, we have components such as a Lifeline, a full-body harness, a lanyard, an anchor point, etc. This equipment prevents a worker from having a fall while doing work at Height, and it can even reduce the impact of an accident when it happens. The use of a personal fall arrest system is one of the safety measures provided by companies to ensure safe work at Height.
Component of a personal fall arrest system (PFAS)
The components of a personal fall arrest system are
1. Full body harness (Bodywear).
A full-body harness is always used in a personal fall arrest system. It is one major component of PFAS that is used in conjunction with other components. When a worker is using a full body harness, it gives a force of 816kg for the worker. The full body harness should be in good condition at all times and should not have any evidence of tear or cut in its body. The full-body harness should have a d ring at the back for attaching a lifeline or a lanyard. It serves to keep the wearer upright in the harness and reduces the strain on the body during and after a fall. There could be additional D rings in some full-body harnesses on the shoulders, hips, or chest that allow them to be used for ladder climbing, positioning, and raising and lowering of workers in confined spaces.
2. Lanyard (Connecting device).
The lanyard is the connecting device that connects all components. It connects the full-body harness to the Anchor point. It also connects with the full-body harness that the worker is wearing.
3. Lifeline.
Instead of connecting to a stationary anchor point, a full-body harness can be connected to a lifeline. The lifeline is a vertical or horizontal rope that connects to a proper anchor point and should be strong enough and devoid of wear and tear or frayed. It is often installed with the supervision of a competent person. The minimum breaking capacity of the harness line yard and vertical lifeline should be approximately 2268 kg or 5000 pounds. When a vertical lifeline is in use, each of the workers must use a separate lifeline. Lifelines should always be made of natural fiber rope or polypropylene rope.
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4. Anchor point.
The lanyard connects with the anchorage point. The anchor point is the point where the lanyard attaches itself to the wall or fixed structure that supports the load from the worker in case of an emergency fall. The anchorage point should be strong enough to carry a weight of 816 kg per worker. We have various types of Anchorage points such as masonry or wood members, steel members or Beams, large eye bolts made of appropriate grade steel, guardrails or railings if they have been designed for so.
Train workers on the use of the Personal Fall Arrest System PFAS.
- The management has to train the workers on the various components of the PFAS so that they know when to deploy them effectively. It is always good not to assume that the employees are aware of PFAS use. Topics on FPAS can be incorporated during work-at-height training. The training has to be by a competent person and not just by any person.
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