| How much do you know about Construction | | | | be got from your supplier or H&S officer. |
| Safety Nets? Do you work at heights? Some of | | | | The second most common reason for net failure |
| us love it, and others hate it but we all need to | | | | is the tie-cord. This is often the strongest part of |
| know that the net below us will catch us if we | | | | the net, but can sometimes, if not properly used, |
| happen to fall. | | | | be the weakest. Drop-tests will help here, as well |
| Falling from heights is one of the most common | | | | as following manufacturer's guidance when tying |
| occurrences in any construction work. We often | | | | off. |
| build upwards. Indeed, that's a majority of our | | | | It's also worth remembering that the higher you |
| work. That's a given, but are we always best | | | | are, the wider your nets need to be. For |
| covered when working at heights? Is safety | | | | up-to-date info, your supplier, again, will be the |
| netting always the appropriate choice? | | | | best source, and will hopefully have current |
| Very often it is. Do you know anything about it | | | | Construction Safety Nets regulation at point of |
| though? Polypropylene is the favoured fabric for | | | | sale. Make sure you file the paperwork, just as |
| netting, in a square mesh, usually. This is because | | | | you would any other. |
| square mesh offers greatest spread of weight in | | | | Construction Safety Nets are not just for you. |
| the event of a fall, while polypropylene is both | | | | Remember that they are also to protect the |
| enormously tough, but does not absorb water. | | | | ground level workers as well. For this reason, it's |
| Another major consideration of Construction | | | | not simply personnel netting which needs to be |
| Safety Nets is that they are durable. When nets | | | | used. Safety netting is a wise precaution as well. |
| fail (which they do vary rarely, thankfully) it's | | | | The right combination of correctly placed safety |
| usually because of one of two factors. The first | | | | netting and ample clearance around a site will |
| of these factors is a distressed net. If you are | | | | effectively negate any risk to anyone working at |
| working at heights, you might not always consider | | | | ground level. |
| what you drop. Sure, if you drop a hammer, you'll | | | | Testing and inspection is also an essential part of |
| be a little worried. But what about that bit of | | | | implementing safety netting. A once weekly |
| salad from your lunchtime burger? Could it contain | | | | inspection is recommended, as well as after any |
| a mild acid? Is it possible you could have | | | | incident which may have an adverse effect on |
| weakened the net? Of course, this is an extreme | | | | the netting. This could include any scrap metal |
| example, but it has happened. The point is that | | | | caught by the Construction Safety Nets, or a |
| you cannot monitor what touches or damages | | | | relocation of the netting; 99 times out of 100 you |
| the net, so you must perform a drop test | | | | won't find anything on your inspection, but given |
| periodically. This involves dropping a bag of sand | | | | the nature of the risk, namely death, it's well |
| onto the net in various areas and looking for | | | | worth checking, wouldn't you say? |
| weaknesses. The drop test recommendations can | | | | |