4 Top Reasons Why Individuals Do Not Use Effective Fall Protection

Working at Heights Victoria
3 min readSep 25, 2019

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The authorities in most countries including Australia, require that workers must use fall protection such as roof anchor points when working at any height of up to four feet or more for the general industry.

The authorities in most countries including Australia, require that workers must use fall protection such as roof anchor points when working at any height of up to four feet or more for the general industry. The requirement is aimed at safeguarding workers should a fall occur, but several individuals will seek reasons for avoiding the utilisation of fall protection.

Regrettably, the reasons frequently appear valid but they can bring about severe consequences. This article brings some common reasons people give for not using fall protection, and why they are insufficient for the risks.

1. It is uncomfortable

This is one simple reason that individuals commonly take to be a legitimate excuse for deciding not to use fall protection. Equipment that’s uncomfortable can interfere with work and be distracting, and the harnesses of fall protection are not necessarily designed to be comfortable. Nevertheless, these protections save workers’ lives in the event of falls, and they should be worn at all times, even if they aren’t perfectly comfortable. In addition, several top-quality harnesses are meant to decrease discomfort as much as they can. Utilising excellent equipment could be an easy means of addressing the concern about comfort.

2. It hinders the job

This is another way in which workers view fall protection equipment as inconveniences. Some workers see harnesses as limitations to their mobility or SRL as something that interferes with the work. Frequently, this problem boils down to just a matter of training. Virtually all firms that use roof anchor points in the Australian construction industry train their employees on how to fix them, for instance. With the right training, workers can know-how equipment can be adjusted to fit properly and prevent it from interfering. Utilising the right fall protection equipment makes minimising equipment interference much easier.

3. It is just a quick job

This reason happens to be one among the easiest means that workers use to put themselves at potential risk to get seriously injured. How frequently do you hear workers say ‘this will take only one second’ before going on to undertake a hazardous task without using any form of protection? The issue with someone thinking in this way is that it takes just a second for any kind of accident to occur. For workers that do not have fall protection, debilitating, serious injuries could occur before they even understand that they are in any danger.

4. It adds more time to the task

This one reason where workers might really feel as if, they are doing the correct thing by deciding not to utilise fall protection. They can begin sooner, meaning they could finish and go on to the next task sooner. By overlooking fall protection, they save time, which saves them money, right?

The issue with such thought is that fall injuries can really be expensive in both money and time, and they cost firms billions in money annually. Overlooking protection might save a couple of dollars, but it is just not worth the taken risk.

The basic fact remains that there aren’t any excellent reasons why workers in Australia should not utilise fall protection equipment such as roof anchor points when working at heights. There’s always a risk if you fail to use fall protection. Read more: Rissafety.com

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Working at Heights Victoria
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When working at heights in Victoria, it is crucial to do a risk assessment. Read more: https://rissafety.com/working-at-heights-victoria/