| All too often our trainers visit work sites only to find | | | | workers being issued with inappropriate safety |
| people working at height making the same mistake | | | | equipment which is not suitable for its intended use. |
| again and again. Is it a minor mistake? No! It is one | | | | For example the scaffold hooks are often used |
| that would be catastrophic if the worker should fall. | | | | where a sling would be a much safer option. |
| Some people think that the number one mistake as a | | | | To conclude this section on misuse of connectors, |
| worker operating without safety equipment. Not so! | | | | which can have devastating and even fatal |
| The number one mistake I see is where companies | | | | consequences; it is important for a site management, |
| have incurred the cost of providing safety | | | | Foreman and stores personnel to be competent to |
| equipment, however through lack of the required | | | | issue the appropriate equipment for the job. |
| knowledge the worker is using it incorrectly. The | | | | Site workers, generally through lack of training are |
| worker feels safe but doesn't know that if he falls | | | | not aware of what they can do with the simplest of |
| his protective equipment will fail. | | | | equipment such as connectors. It is therefore |
| It would be a tragedy, worse it would be | | | | essential that both site workers and those managers |
| unnecessary. | | | | responsible for height safety are adequately trained |
| The number 1 mistake is connector misuse by the | | | | to be competent to carry out their duties safely. |
| site worker. | | | | Connector misuse is just one of 25 or more total |
| What does misuse mean? | | | | equipment misuse areas commonly seen on site. |
| 1. Choking - tying off incorrectly | | | | Death to the number 1 mistake - not the site worker |
| 2. Connecting to an unsuitable anchor point | | | | How to choose and use connectors. Years of |
| 3. Incorrect directional loading | | | | experience on site has convinced me that the |
| 1. Choking | | | | answer lies in the following: |
| This is where a site worker is supplied a lanyard, | | | | 1. Sufficient strength and load-bearing capabilities |
| often with a small karabiner at the end. The site | | | | 2. Correct size |
| worker instinctively passes the lanyard around an | | | | 3. Easy to use |
| anchor point e.g. a column or a beam, using the | | | | 4. Lightweight to carry |
| karabiner to choke i.e. tighten the lanyard around the | | | | 5. Commercially acceptable |
| anchor point. | | | | 6. Being properly trained to use connectors and |
| The problem arises should the worker fall, further | | | | associated equipment |
| tightening the choked lanyard and subsequently | | | | Inevitably this often leads back to specifying slings, |
| applying a shock load inappropriately to the karabiner | | | | be they webbing or cable. |
| gate most likely causing the barrel of the karabiner to | | | | These proprietary products have to be PPE items |
| fail. Karabiners are designed to accommodate tensile | | | | which are CE approved, designed to be an integral |
| (pull) forces along their length and are at their | | | | component in any fall arrest system and not just a |
| weakest when the load forces are across the minor | | | | bit of wire which somebody has terminated. |
| axis (width) or against the gate. | | | | Slings fall into two categories |
| It is generally accepted that to engineer a connector | | | | Wire -cable sling to EN795 - Usually a 1m (but can |
| to withstand the directional loading across the gate | | | | reasonably be any length) galvanised steel cable, |
| of the Karabiner which has been choked during a fall | | | | inside a hard but flexible resin jacket, making it more |
| would require a gate strength of 5,000 lbs. | | | | durable from abrasion and corrosion, also protecting |
| Note that this dynamic loading failure across the gate | | | | the anchorage point from cable abrasion. This type of |
| of the connector applies to all styles of connector i.e. | | | | configuration is commonly used in conjunction with |
| scaffold hook, snap hook, and karabiner. | | | | inertia reels. |
| 2. Connecting to an unsuitable anchor point | | | | Webbing slings to EN795 - This is a product which is |
| For example, a roof worker may instinctively connect | | | | lightweight and easy to carry around, which adds to |
| to an handrail believing this to be a suitable fixing | | | | its attraction and is relatively inexpensive. It is often |
| point. | | | | used when anchoring to a scaffold pole. |
| Note! All temporary anchorage points must be able to | | | | Correct use of scaffold hooks and karabiners |
| withstand a 12 kN Load. If in doubt the anchor point | | | | Scaffold Hook |
| should be approved by a structural engineer. | | | | It may be the case that it is easier to tie off with a |
| 3. Scaffold Hooks | | | | scaffold hook than a sling and standard karabiner, but |
| Scaffold hooks are often placed around scaffolding | | | | a scaffold hook is designed to be suspended off |
| resting on a horizontal member, i.e. the gate of the | | | | horizontal Anchorage e.g. of a horizontal scaffold |
| scaffold hook will be forced open subject to the | | | | tube, ensuring correct directional loading (vertical |
| loading that would be imposed by the horizontal | | | | downward load). |
| member in the event of a fall. This occurs because | | | | Karabiners |
| the downward direction or loading imposed by the | | | | As mentioned earlier karabiners are weakest when |
| cross-member is across the axis of the gate on the | | | | they are loaded across or against their gate. This |
| scaffold hook and will result in complete hook failure | | | | means that it is vitally important that the karabiner is |
| as the hook gate will subsequently bend open, or in | | | | always loaded along its length and never across its |
| worst-case scenario, will explode. | | | | width, which would pull against its gate or caused the |
| Summary of connector misuse | | | | karabiner to take a force against the gate. So please |
| Often a lack of understanding of equipment | | | | take care. |
| performance and its limitations can result in site | | | | |