FAQ: Essential Information for Height Safety

Yes, under Australian Standard if you are work at a height where you are at risk of falling you are required to wear a harness and to complete an accredited Working at Heights course.

The Australian Standard for Harnesses is AS 1891.1.

Under Australian Standards when you are working at a height of 2 meters or more and there is a risk of a fall.

When welding, the use of a harness and lanyard manufactured out of heat resistance webbing is required as general purpose harness are manufactured out of polyester and will burn if in contact with weld splatter.

Fall restraint means we can work at height with no risk of falling but all this equipment must still be rated for fall arrest. Fall arrest means we are working where there is a risk of falling and all equipment used should rated to reduce the load on a person and limit the amount of fall where possible.

Wherever possible you should try to work in fall restraint meaning take out the possibility of a fall.

The only way you can work at heights without a harness is when any chance of a fall is completely eliminated. This can be done with scaffolding, handrails etc.

Under Australian Standards AS1891 all equipment should be inspected prior to use and every six months by a competent person.

A system that is installed permanently on a roof or a structure that has been engineered to allow people to walk along the roof or structure freely. The system could be wire rope or a rail system. The system generally works in tandem with anchor points being installed for access.

Ranger are accredited installers for a range of permanent height safety systems. Please contact your nearest Ranger branch to discuss your needs with one of our technical specialists.

Most systems are required to be inspected yearly and, depending on the environment that they are installed in, more frequent inspections may be required.

An anchor point, or anchorage, is one component of a personal fall arrest system, which is designed to prevent injury to workers should they fall from their worksite. This refers specifically to the point at which an anchoring device is affixed, fastened, tied, or otherwise connected to a support location.