The use of lifting work platforms and lanyards requires short but extensive training that allows engineers to become aware of the risks they might face when working at heights – and that`s why it`s important that anyone who may work on lifting work platforms is registered as soon as possible or refreshed with special training. For more information on how MEWP training can help restore trust in your team, call UK Industries Training today on 0115 880 0188 or contact us via the web form – and we`ll be more than happy to organise simple, affordable and effective training modules for your all-you-can-eat team. To help engineers better understand the safety principles of working at heights on an aerial work platform, UK Industries Training recommends taking a full half-day MEWP training course. This short, easy-to-follow course will allow your team to safely equip and use belts while using aerial work platforms and working at heights at all times – and they will know how to use different tools and products that may be required when wearing such straps. Therefore, executive or supervisory authorities should ensure that employees using mobile elevated work platforms are competent and equipped with the full body belt before starting the activity. If you work at height above a boom lift, you must wear a special belt that allows you to carry out your maintenance safely. These belts are provided and installed to protect you in the event of an accident and prevent you from suffering injury or worse. The proper use of your aerial work platform harness largely depends on what it does, why it does it, and how you can use it effectively to protect yourself while working at height at all times. It`s essentially your first line of defense when working in heaven, and you`ll be grateful if the worst were to happen! No matter how often you use a harness, you need to make sure it is fully checked every 6 months and whenever it has been exposed to harsh conditions. As part of a standard risk assessment, they are fully checked to ensure your operator is always safe when wearing high straps. If you need assistance, you can contact us to arrange harness inspections and ensure your fall protection equipment meets standards. Therefore, it is important to stay informed about when, where and how you wear seat belts as part of a restraint system to ensure that your operation and operators are in good hands.
To help you get started, our IPAF training experts are here to advise you. Although your site regulations may or may not require it, IPAF`s training experts recommend that harnesses be used for aerial work platforms when a workplace specific risk assessment deems it necessary and should be regularly reviewed under the Work Equipment Supply and Use Regulations 1998 (PUWER and PPE Regulations 1992). 13 If belts must be worn for other reasons (e.g., travel/work elsewhere or to assist with rescue/recovery), this is acceptable, but the occupant must not be connected to the aerial work platform while activities are taking place near or over water. As soon as the lifting work platform moves away from these areas, the occupant must connect to the attachment point. In these circumstances, the standard of instruction and supervision should be such that it avoids inappropriate work activities that could knock a person out of the basket or tip the lifting work platform. Alternatively, if you are using a boom lift above the water, your risk assessment may recommend replacing each harness with a life jacket so that the operator is protected from immediate danger in the event of a fall. Fall protection systems prevent the occupant of a boom lift from falling. If the person is protected by a restraint system, a seat belt or a complete belt may be used.
If a restraint system is used as a fall protection system in a Group B aerial work platform, the employer/user/operator must ensure that the lanyard and anchor are located in such a way that the operator is not exposed to a fall outside the platform. 19 Seat belts shall not be used for fall protection, in these circumstances a seat belt shall be supplemented by an additional chest belt and both shall be joined. The wiring harness manufacturer should be contacted to determine whether this is possible in practice with the equipment used. For me, fall protection on elevated platforms is a must. It is a matter of common sense, and I believe it should always be mandatory. It is not difficult to put on a harness and it is not difficult to put in the basket. So why not do it? Although aerial work platforms provide a safe platform for working at heights, accidents can and do occur. All it takes is a light knock from another vehicle, a collision with a building, or a bump in the road to shake or swing a platform unexpectedly and run over an operator. The consequences can be life-changing or even fatal, although they are greatly reduced by wearing the right seat belt correctly. Better yet, book our safety harness course to learn about legal regulations, adjust and maintain your harness, and conduct your own inspections.