Pro Netting Solutions

What is the purpose of safety netting in construction? Find out more about safety nets and soft landing systems and how they can benefit your construction project. 

Guidance for safety nets

Safety nets are paramount for saving lives on-site of working at height projects and help reduce the impact of injuries through absorbing the velocity and energy of falling objects or bodies. They are typically rigged onto the underside of the structural elements, as close to the working level edge as possible, to ensure no space is left uncovered. They are predominantly used as protection. 

With safety nets, you often do not require additional fall arrest systems and supporting structures, such as harnesses, platforms, border ropes or airbags. However, if you have the extra budget to invest in such equipment, there isn't any harm in further protection. 

REQUIREMENTS FOR FALL ARREST SAFETY NETS

However, risk assessments curated before a building construction, maintenance or renovation project often state that it's best to take in and consider the following factors when using PFPE (Personal Fall Protection Equipment). FASET states:

• On projects with teams of workers operating closely with one another, fall restraint isn't practicable and often creates further hazards, such as the risk of trips and slips that could lead to serious injuries.
• Investing in or hiring cost-effective fall arrest systems is far more beneficial in these circumstances.
  
• Fall arrest lanyards are often not appropriate as they cannot be deployed effectively due to the lack of fall distance they supply. FASET say they are more likely to hinder efforts to rescue individuals caught in the safety net systems to comply with the net rescue plans agreed upon before the project began. 
  

FASET and HSE guidance confirms that safety nets such as the BS EN 1263-1, which tend to be greater than 35m2 with a minimum side length of 5m, are encouraged to perform a type-test mesh that involves a characteristic load of 100kg falling from 7m high. On a new net, the nominal acceptable fall energy is, in total, 6kJ.

Safety nets and soft landing systems

  Safety nets

Safety or drag nets are a form of fall arrest known as a complicated energy-absorbing system. These can be rigged, modified, removed/de-rigged and maintained by competent people in the industry. It's essential that these systems are installed properly, following all the manufacturer's guidelines and by someone with plenty of experience in the industry. 

If a single screw is loose, there's a tear in the knotted mesh material, or your equipment has endured UV degradation, your employees could be at risk of injury should they fall from height or your system is affected by the elements, like strong winds. 

We highly recommend rigging and installing your nets from ground level utilising devices for remote attachment, for example, rope or platform systems that allow you to inch the nets into place from a safe area. You don't want to risk needing even more fall arrest equipment to implement such systems for your actual construction work, as this will waste time, cost more money and put your workers in danger unnecessarily. 

Suppose you physically cannot install such fall protection nets from the ground. In that case, you can consider alternative methods, such as MEWP, like cherry pickers and platforms that will lift you and your employees to install the nets at specific anchor points with easier access. 

The same rules should be considered for the de-rigging or net modification process, as you should aim at all costs to complete these tasks from the ground, as this is the safest way to navigate your building or renovation project. 

That way, you also won't find you have to throw objects with sharp edges onto airbags or the floor when taking equipment down, as this could be a hazard for those below or cause punctures. 

Trained and competent individuals are the only people that are qualified to complete rigging and critical maintenance on your fall arrest system, as they are more aware of the dangers and common mechanisms that must be checked, tightened, inflated, etc. 

They are also responsible for assessing the position of your nets, as these need to be placed as close to the working level as possible to minimise the fall height and ensure there is open space that workers could fall through. 

Once all safety or debris netting is installed, they must inspect systems before and after each use by a competent person with the right qualifications for the job, which will determine the quality and overall safety. 

On longer projects, they must be checked weekly or daily, as this will ensure there aren't any existing faults or net defects that could be carried over into the following use, causing damage or injury to those on your building site. 

  Soft landing systems

You'll find that there are various types of soft landing systems on the market in the UK, many of which are considered preferred methods of safety. Many of these are airbags that can be filled with air pockets or little polystyrene pieces pre-filled by the fall-protection manufacturers, or you can purchase or hire soft landing that can be inflated on-site. 

You may utilise soft landing systems to reduce the risk of injury in situations that occur while working at height, for example, if builders or workers are installing scaffoldings, roof trusses or floors at a higher level. Airbags and other forms of soft landing must be positioned directly underneath workers to fill the void space, coat hard floors and terrain and reduce the distance of the potential fall, which decreases the severity of injuries, which is better for the worker's compensation board. 

The modification, safety net installation, removal or maintenance of all soft-landing systems are vital to on-site health and safety. 

These jobs, including their inspection, must be undertaken by competent, trained individuals. We highly recommend using the manufacturers' instructions or guidelines during each part of the process to get accurate, robust results from your system. 

After they are installed and before and after use, a trusted employee must thoroughly inspect them and provide a handover certificate that confirms all fall arrest systems have been positioned and assembled correctly and that those you have selected are suitable for the environment. 

If you're working on a project that is going to be ongoing for an extended period, it is essential that your soft landing is inspected every day of use, before and after usage. Frequent check-ups ensure that it is safe for its intended use and that, over the course of its use, they have not acquired any damage that would make them unreliable before its subsequent use. Each net must be sufficient to catch falling debris or falling workers. 

Purpose of safety nets

General guidelines cover the safety of fall protection use and all the necessary requirements to protect people like your workers and the general public from being impacted or seriously injured from a fall from height. Such information presented is catered to those, specifically employers and employees, who have a duty of care to ensure the workplace is safe. Whether they are construction sites and landmarks for one-off projects or long-term projects over an extensive period, each of the fall equipment must be inspected by a competent person. 

Guidelines and regulations best demonstrate the practices and requirements of the following:

• All Current Safety Net Design Principles
• The Types and Classifications of Safety Nets
• Each of the Safety Net Components
  
• The Proper Installing of Safety Nets
  
• The Overall Inspection, Repair and Maintenance of Safety Nets.
  

Principles of safety net design

Manufacturers have crafted safety nets over the years to stretch, absorb and deflect the energy and impact of a fall from a significant height. 

The design ensures that the person falling won't be injured, at least not in a detrimental way that could leave them paralysed or end their life. The higher the workers are on construction sites, the more significant impact the falling debris or person will bring, so the level of deflection must be immensely higher to prevent any harm. 

The safety nets and fall protection equipment you implement must have the ability to deform and stretch enough in their design to absorb the maximum fall height that a person could experience. The mesh size must exceed the minimum tensile strength to carry a person's weight or several people's weight. 

It's paramount also to ensure that there is a clear enough distance below the net to ensure the falling person does not graze the floor or hit obstacles whilst the net deflects the weight. Contact your local fall arrest installer and main contractors today for further information.