Taking care of your height safety products
Most people like to carry out their jobs at ground level. Whatever you need to do, it is generally easier to do it with your feet firmly on the ground. However, many tasks can only be done at height. Maybe you need to paint a ceiling, conduct maintenance on the outside of a tower block or carry out building work at the top of a new structure. Whatever your reason for working at height, you should never think about working high up before you have checked and thoroughly tested your height safety products.
Taking day-to-day care of your height safety products
When working at height, you are trusting your life to your height safety products, so they must be in full working order. While carrying out checks before you use the equipment is vital, care for your equipment must start before that. Height safety is something that matters every day, and you are likely to be using one or more of your height safety products most days, so the day-to-day care of your equipment is critical. It is far less likely that problems will develop with your harness and other safety kits if they are stored away carefully after use rather than being thrown in the corner of your truck after a day's work.
Taking proper care of your lifting chain equipment, harnesses and other height safety products must involve keeping them dry and away from sharp surfaces that could be harmful to webbing or harness material and making sure that nothing becomes worn or knotted. If you have protective clothing that becomes wet, you must permit it to dry naturally but avoid any exposure to harmful UV rays.
Inspecting your height safety products
Your ropes, harnesses, chains and other height safety products must be carefully checked every day before use, but you will also need to schedule regular thorough inspections with a qualified individual to examine the gear for any less obvious signs of deterioration. While it can sometimes feel like a hassle to be constantly checking and rechecking your height safety products, never forget that your life is at stake and that it is this equipment which will be protecting your life. If you would like to know more about how you should be caring for your height safety products, refer to the instructions provided by the manufacturer or talk to your local supplier — they will be happy to answer your questions.