With the world slowly getting back to some sort of normality, businesses up and down the country are starting to open their doors back to the public, which means operations can begin to resume. To make the transition back into normal working life a little easier, SafetyLiftinGear are excited to announce amazing special offers on two of our material handling products! 

LoadSurfer 200kg Pipe Tube Trolley 

UK businesses are beginning to come out of lockdown and get back to normal, but COVID-19 (coronavirus) is still a massive concern across virtually all sectors. Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we offer a variety of protective products to help companies keep their workers safe and stop the virus from spreading.

One such product is the Life Gear FS002 Comfy-Fit Adjustable Face Shield. These protective visors cover the whole face, minimising the wearer's risk of getting infected or infecting others via microscopic respiratory droplets.

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Despite these uncertain times, the team here at SafetyLiftinGear have been working extremely hard behind the scenes and are proud to announce that we now supply a range of Kratos Safety fall protection to help keep you safe when working at height! 

Based in France, Kratos Safety utilise a range of certified laboratories, designers and technicians to not only ensure that their range of safety equipment meets European safety standards but exceeds expectations when it comes to comfort, innovation and quality. Offering products from a variety of categories such as harnesses & belts, fall arresters, tool lanyards and rope access, Kratos is experienced in creating effective equipment that ensures your safety.

Here is a selection of the Kratos equipment available to buy from SLG today: 

Kratos 2-point Full Body Harness

Product Features: 

- Full body harness with 1 dorsal D-Ring and 1 sternal D-Ring on the sternal strap

- Adjustable shoulder & thigh straps

- Ideally positioned sit strap for extended comfort 

- Max User Weight: 140kg

- Conformity: EN361:2002

View Product >

Kratos Twin Retractable Webbing Fall Arrest Block

Product Features: 

- Retractable fall arrester with double aluminium casing and 2 webbing lanyards (2m)

- Includes 2x scaffold hooks at the anchorage end

- Webbing: 25mm

- Max Weight: 100kg

- Conforms to EN360:2002

View Product >

Kratos 300kg Load Arrestor

Product Features: 

- Load Arrestor with galvanised steel wire rope designed to stop the fall of a 300kg weight load

- Casing made of high impact strength polymer to prevent breakage

- Length: 10mtr

- Conforms to 2006/42/CE

View Product >

You can find our full range of Kratos Safety equipment right here.

For more information on our collection of Kratos Safety fall protection, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of the SLG team today, we'd love to hear from you! 

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Our G-Force safety products are incredibly durable, but it's still important to take good care of them.

The maximum lifespan of G-Force safety harnesses (and other G-Force textile products) is 10 years. However, the actual lifespan of your harness will depend on how and where you use it - try to avoid exposing your harness to sharp edges, corrosive substances, extreme temperatures and other harsh environments.

Here are some more care and maintenance tips to help you maximise the lifespan of your G-Force safety harness:

• Read the instruction booklet that came with your harness and follow its recommendations.
  
  
• Store your gear properly in a well-ventilated area. Do not leave your harness in direct sunlight or lying around on the floor. Keep it away from damp places where mould may develop.
  
  
• If you wish to mark your harness for identification purposes, make sure you only mark the labels and/or the comfort parts of the harness. Do not mark the product in a way that might reduce its integrity or interfere with the functionality of the harness.
  
  
• We recommend wearing disposable coveralls to protect your harness if there is a chance that it will be splattered with paint, oil, etc. Use scissors to cut a hole in the coveralls and pass the lanyard through this hole.

How to clean your safety harness

Keeping your G-Force harness clean will make it easier to inspect and help to ensure that any markings on the product (e.g. identification, standards) remain legible.

To clean your safety harness, follow these steps:

• Wash the harness in lukewarm soapy water (30 °C maximum, pH neutral).
  
  
• Next, rinse the harness thoroughly with fresh tap water.
  
  
• Stubborn stains can be cleaned with a small brush.
  
  
• Alternatively, you can clean your harness in the washing machine (30 °C delicate synthetic setting, no detergent, no spin cycle). We recommend placing your harness inside a thick cloth bag to protect the machine from the metal parts of the harness.
  
  
• Do not wash your harness with a high-pressure water sprayer. Avoid using any cleaning products besides household face/body soap - stronger products may damage the nylon harness.
  
  
• Once your harness is clean, hang it on a line to dry. Keep it away from direct sunlight, radiators, flames, etc.

If you have any further questions about your safety harness and how to look after it, please feel free to contact SafetyLiftinGear's customer service team.

Buy G-Force Safety Equipment >>

A construction firm has been fined after a 17-year-old worker fell through a skylight opening and suffered life-changing injuries. On 20 August 2018, the young worker fell through an insulation sheet covering a skylight while walking across an unmarked area on the construction site in Gloucester. He suffered multiple broken bones, which needed two operations to treat. His doctors advised him that it was unlikely he would be able to work in construction ever again. A potential career in construction was cut short by the neglect of another reckless employer.

HSE Findings

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that the employee was not supervised properly and was not warned about the risks on site. According to reports, there were no warnings in place about the hole in the roof, and no workers on site had been told about it. No further physical barriers were in place, either - any of these measures could have prevented this tragic accident.

The company failed to take the necessary precautions for working at height, and further investigation showed continued failures to properly and adequately plan constructions at that height (even after the incident in question). The Mark Holland Group pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations and were fined £55,620.

HSE inspectors highlighted how this accident could have been avoided with simple safety precautions, such as the correct height safety equipment.

Working at Height

It's essential for employers to take adequate fall protection measures and follow the health and safety regulations at all times. These safety guidelines are there to help employers comply with the law and prevent death and serious injury.

Employers should aim to carry out work on the ground where possible, or utilise scaffolding or mobile platforms that allow easy and safe access. Failing that, use fall protection equipment to restrain workers in the event of a fall and minimise the distance the individual falls to minimise the potential injury.

Read our blog about choosing the best fall protection equipment for your job.

We hope that employers see stories like this one and make more of an effort to prioritise health and safety to prevent further accidents.

Buy & Hire Height Safety Equipment   Our Bespoke Fall Protection Systems

No matter how experienced you think you are when it comes to working at height or how many times you may have used a safety harness, you should always check their suitability before using one. There have been many instances all over the world of experienced workers falling to their deaths or becoming severely injured as a result of faulty safety equipment.

As with all personal protective equipment, safety harnesses must be examined at least every 12-months and should also be subject to pre-use checks, detailed periodic inspections and interim inspections. To make things a little easier for you, below we outline the steps on how to carry out a pre-use check to ensure your harness is safe to use, along with a number of often-missed checkpoints.

Safety Harness Inspection - Visual and Tactile Inspections

• Label – Ensure the label of your safety harness includes the serial number, date of manufacturing and relevant standards.
  
  
• Webbing – Check webbing for any signs of damage such as warn or badly pulled webbing, cracks or fraying as well as loose stitching or fading which may indicate the structure of the fibres has been compromised.
  
  
• D-Rings – Inspect for signs of distortion, rust or fatigue and make sure the ring pivots freely.
  
  
• Buckles – Ensure all rivets are tight and buckles aren’t bent, chipped or have sharp edges sticking out and that all stitching is intact.
  
  
• Straps and rope – Check straps for signs of fraying or broken fibres. Inspect clips on straps and check for loose stitching.
  
  
• Plastic loops – Look out for cracked, damaged or broken loops.

Once all of these safety harness inspections are completed and you are satisfied with the condition of each part, your safety harness should be good to go. However, as we mentioned above, there are several checks that are often missed which may lead to potential accidents. We outline these below:

Additional Safety Harness Checks

1. Ultraviolet damage – One of the factors that impact the effectiveness of a safety harness is its exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Visually identifying degradation caused by UV rays can be difficult, but signs of flaking on the surface of the harness or any colour discolouration may be an easy sign to look out for. Other signs of chemical damage such as bur and fibred with a glazed appearance also have the ability to weaken the strength of the webbing.
   
   

2. Contamination – The level of dirt generated by the work area determined how contaminated a safety harness can be, resulting in excessive internal or external abrasion. Debris, sand or grit underneath the dorsal D-ring can lead to severe problems that workers at height often cannot see. Ensure that the harness, lanyards and other parts of a fall arrest system are properly cleaned and stored safety to easily maintain equipment integrity.
   
   

3. Worker competency – The competency of the individual carrying out work at height is one of the most important factors of any task, but is often one of the most neglected. No matter how good the condition of a safety harness is in if the person wearing it isn’t competent enough in the job, the chances of an accident occurring are always going to be high. Workers at height should develop the habit of applying their training when inspecting and using their safety harness and lanyard to ensure they are in the best position to conduct work.

By following the safety harness inspection steps above, you will no doubt reduce the likelihood of accidents occurring when working at height.

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Here at SLG, we strive to make working conditions as safe as possible by providing the highest quality safety equipment available. Our range of safety harnesses includes a variety of specialist types, suitable for a selection of tasks performed at height. These include rescue harnesses, fall arrest harnesses and multipurpose harnesses. All of which offer select features and abilities that aim to increase your safety and the safety of people around you. Regardless of the type of harness you choose to use for your specific task, you should still conduct a thorough check to ensure your safety and the safety of the people around you is not put into jeopardy.

If you work at height often and require new, quality equipment that will ensure your safety, then why not take a look at our collection of safety harnesses? We have a harness to suit every task and any budget, available for hire as well as full purchase. So, whether you need a harness for a one-off job or are looking to update your arsenal, SafetyLiftinGear is the place for you.

Browse Our Safety Harnesses >

If you would like more information on our range of safety harnesses, any individual product or how to check a safety harness before use, then please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team today!

Different types of work require different safety measures. Therefore, it is vital that when working at height, you are properly equipped to complete the specific task-at-hand. However, with so many different working environments, operations and equipment, it can be a challenge to know exactly what type of equipment is needed for what task. Here, we break down the features of working at height, what is required when doing so and the several different working conditions, providing the necessary equipment needed to carry out work in the safest possible way.

Working at Height

Managing work at height follows a hierarchy of controls – avoid, prevent, restrain, arrest, which begins with the question “can the work be done safely from the ground?” Fall arrest equipment should only be considered as a last resort if other safety equipment cannot be used. For situations where work cannot be completed from the ground collective protection equipment such as nets and railings must be considered first.

A common solution is utilising scaffolding or mobile platform (MEWP) that provide easy and safe access at height. If none of the above methods can be implemented, individual fall protection equipment safeguarding from falls must be used. i.e. restraint equipment.

The basic features of individual fall protection equipment protecting against a fall from height are:

RESTRAINT:

1. Using fixed length equipment to position the user ensuring it isn't possible to reach a position from which he/she may fall from a height.

FALL ARREST:

2. If a fall occurs, the equipment must minimise the distance and consequences of a fall.

Components of Fall Protection Equipment

All fall protection systems must comprise three basic components:

• An anchor point – Anchor points are the first and most important element of an individual fall protection system. They connect to the workplace and work to fasten the connecting safeguarding component to a support structure. Anchor points may be permanent such as horizontal safety line systems with a steel rope or mobile such as safety tripods. All anchor points must conform to the requirements of EN795:2012 and be installed and tested in accordance with BS7883.

• Energy-absorbing components – This part of the fall protection system connects the safety harness to the anchor point. In the case of a fall, the energy-absorbing component must arrest the fall and absorb the energy generated. The component absorbs kinetic energy and limits the impact force to 6kN or less, which reduces the risk of further injury by suddenly stopping the fall. Typical equipment used with this function are energy-absorbing lanyards or a fall arrest blocks.

• Full body harness – The main purpose of a full-body harness is to keep an individual’s body supported while falling and ensure secure distribution of dynamic forces produced while arresting the fall.

Types of Work

As mentioned, different work conditions consist of different height safety requirements and procedures as a result of the environment they occur in and the dangers involved. Here we take a look and break down the safety requirements for working on a roof, fragile surfaces, ladders and scaffolds and the correct equipment that is needed to carry out work safely.

Roof Work

All work on roofs is highly dangerous, even a job that can take only minutes to complete consist of potentially fatal risks. Therefore, proper precautions are needed to control all the risks that are involved. The individuals managing and conducting the work need to be properly trained, competent and must fully plan the work to be completed in relation to the main risks, causes of accidents and equipment required.

Falls from roofs, either through fragile surfaces and openings or from roof edges can occur on both commercial and domestic projects as well as new build and refurbishment jobs. Many deaths happen every year involving smaller buildings working on the roof of domestic dwellings, which tend to fall under two types:

• Slopings roofs – These roofs require scaffolding to prevent workers and materials from falling from the edge. You must also fit edge protection to the eaves of any roof and on terraced properties to the rear as well as the front. Where work is of short duration, properly secured ladders to access the roof, such as roof ladders, may be used.

• Flat roofs – Falls from flat roof edges can be prevented by simple edge protection arrangments – a secure double guardrail and toeboard around the edge.

Work on a fragile surface roof requires a combination of stagings, guard rails, fall arrest and safety nets slung beneath and close to the roof. All roofs should be treated as fragile until they have been confirmed as not. Fragile rooflights are also a hazard as some may be difficult to spot in certain light conditions or maybe hidden by paint. These areas must be protected by using either barriers or covers that are secured and labelled with a warning. Here at SLG, we provide a number of products that ensure when working on sloping and flat roofs, you are completely protected against falls. You can view our best products for working on flat roofs below.

Fall Arrest Harness >      Fall Arrest Block >

Ladders

Every time a ladder is used to carry out work at height, a pre-use check needs to be conducted to ensure that it is safe for use. This should be carried out by:

• The user
• Before using the ladder
• After the ladder has been dropped or moved from a dirty area to a clean area (conditions of feet need to be looked over)

The benefit of carrying out pre-use checks is to identify any immediate or serious defects that can cause an accident. The areas of most concern are the ladder’s stiles, feet and rungs. Once this has been completed and you are satisfied that the ladder is in good working condition, you must then ensure that all of the required safety precautions to carry out work whilst on the ladder are in place, including wearing the right equipment. At SafetyLiftinGear, we provide a range of secure ladder safety equipment that ensures your safety whilst working at height, including quality fall protection kits.

Ladder Safety Kit Level 1 >           Ladder Safety Kit Level 2 >

Scaffolds

Tower scaffolds are one method used to prevent a fall when working at height on a sloped roof. The type of scaffold selected needs to be suitable for the work and erected and dismantled by people who have been trained and are competent to do so. However, despite scaffolds existing to prevent a fall, dangers still exist once the scaffold has been set up, with many people injured each year as a result of falling from them. Incidents with scaffolds often occur as a result of dangerous methods of erection or dismantling, defects in the erected scaffold or the scaffold being misused. To ensure maximum safety whilst working on a scaffold, it is recommended that all workers wear appropriate protective equipment, such as specialist scaffold harnesses. You can view ours below!

Scaffold Harness Kit >

Mobile Elevated Working Platforms (MEWPS)

When using mobile elevated work platforms such as cherry pickers and access platforms, there are a number of safety precautions that need to be implemented in order to avoid and prevent falls from occurring. Such as:

• Wearing a suitable harness
• Only using the platform on level, firm ground
• Working with a trained operator at ground level
• Only using equipment with outriggers and stabilisers
• Keeping the platform within safe working limits and radius, taking account of wind speeds, beams, hanging obstructions and power cables

If all of these things are adhered to, then the likelihood of a fall or serious consequences as a result of a fall occurring is dramatically decreased. You can find our best-selling access platform harness below!

Safety Harness Kit For Access Platform >

In order to avoid potentially fatal falls when working at height, it’s vitally important that you understand the specific requirements of every task you carry out. The working environment needs to be assessed by competent and qualified people, who can identify dangers and hazards before they cause a real accident. When the work is actually being carried out, the importance of wearing the correct equipment as well as setting up the necessary safety precautions cannot be understated. As well as the above products, we supply a whole range of height safety equipment, perfect for a variety of operations at height. You can browse our extensive collection below.

Browse Height Safety Equipment >

If you have any questions regarding our range of height safety equipment or any of the listed products, please do not hesitate to contact us today.