Construction Fall Safety Nets: 5 Best Practices for Installing and Maintaining Them

Every year, approximately 300 workers face fatal falls at construction sites. This is one of the reasons why business owners view personnel fall safety nets as a life-saving asset in the construction industry. Installed under elevated construction work zones, these specialized safety nets catch workers in case of a fall while protecting them from severe injuries.

Designed with precision, construction fall safety nets are made from high-strength polypropylene and other durable materials. If a worker falls onto such a net, the net lowers the impact of the fall by stretching itself while distributing the pressure of the worker’s weight. It further helps prevent major injuries.

Businesses can easily meet OSHA’s safety regulations by providing construction fall safety nets and other workplace safety kits to their workers. However, the challenge is to ensure that personnel fall safety nets live up to the mark for a longer time period (to save business costs by avoiding frequent replacements). The good news is that you can make the most of your investment by ensuring appropriate installation, usage, maintenance, and storage of these delicate nets.

The following best practices will help increase the longevity of personnel fall safety nets:

1. Selecting the right net type before installation

Focus on the quality of the netting before moving forward. You can do it easily by considering these factors:

Material

The safety net’s material should offer high flexibility and tensile strength. Nylon or polypropylene is one such high-strength material. It should also withstand rain, UV rays, and even extreme temperatures. If welding or other high-risk tasks are carried out in a construction work zone, it’s wise to choose the netting material that also comes with fire-retardant coating.

Load capacity

Personnel fall safety nets should be sturdy enough to withstand a specific load capacity. Therefore, it’s important to check the load capacity of the net before installing it. This requires conducting a drop test. To perform this pre-installation test, OSHA’s regulations require employers to drop a sand bag (weighing 180 kg) from the highest floor of a construction site.

Regulatory compliance

Workers falling through construction fall safety nets can be at risk for serious injuries or even death. It might happen if the size of the mesh openings is too large. That’s why OSHA has strict regulations in terms of selecting the right mesh size for construction fall safety nets. The appropriate size ensures that the net would catch a worker while saving him from a fall injury. So, make sure that the opening of the mesh doesn’t exceed 6 inches. Ideally, the mesh size should be 6 inches as it will ensure that a worker’s limbs or torso will not slip through.

2.  Rechecking if all construction fall safety nets meet the optimum placement standards

Positioning construction fall safety nets correctly affects their overall performance. If the net is secure and taut, it will effectively absorb the impact of a worker’s fall. The best practice to make it possible is to identify and select strong anchor points. Instead of using light scaffolding, wooden planks, or other temporary structures, it’s wise to install fall safety nets on structurally strong building structures (such as concrete columns or steel beams). These anchor points can easily bear significant loads in case of a worker’s fall (without affecting the capacity of a personnel fall safety net).

Rust can reduce the effectiveness of even a high-quality safety net. To avoid a net’s attachment from weakening due to accumulated rust, you should choose the net with corrosion-resistant connectors and fasteners. Ideally, they should be made of galvanized steel or stainless steel.

Attachment points and ropes also play significant roles in achieving placement standards. Durable ropes ensure that the net doesn’t move from its place while catching a worker if he falls. So, check the ropes and knots and confirm if they have properly secured the net. Also, double-check the tightness of the net because a tight net will prevent workers from falling off the ground.

3. Training workers to use personnel fall safety nets responsibly

Placing the fall safety nets away from any obstacles (such as machinery or even workers) can help achieve workers’ safety. However, workers might unintentionally place equipment near the personnel fall safety nets. This could interfere with the main purpose of the safety net. Even if a safety net catches a worker during a fall, there’s a high chance that he might get hit by the nearby machinery – thus, leading to an even more serious injury. That’s why all workers (including existing employees as well as new hires) need extensive training about keeping objects at a distance from construction fall safety nets.

Conduct monthly training sessions explaining the importance of safety nets while educating them about continuously monitoring the efficacy, usage, and limitations of these nets. During the training sessions, you can guide them about the following points:

Responsible usage: not to put any object nearby or onto the personnel safety net and inform the supervisors immediately if debris begins to accumulate on it.

Emergency response: stop their work immediately in case someone falls onto the safety net, inform the concerned authorities, and follow a rescue procedure.

Besides educating workers via training sessions, you can conduct rescue scenarios regularly so they can gain sufficient practice. That way, trained workers can immediately help a co-worker in case he experiences a fall.

4. Ensuring routine inspections of personnel fall safety nets

A neglected safety net can underperform and might even lead to severe injuries at the workplace. Therefore, inspecting the safety nets regularly will ensure long-term usage. But the question is, how often should we conduct routine inspections? The best practice is to inspect all personnel fall safety nets before each work shift. It means that employers must allocate this task to a team of workers who can look for signs of wear and tear daily.

During the pre-shift daily inspection, visually check if there are broken strands, frays, or tears in the net. Also, check if any hooks or fasteners are missing. Rusted or loose hooks and fasteners can be another point of concern. A minor damage is a sign that the safety net needs repair. However, even slightly damaged safety nets can be dangerous to use. They can only be used after they are fixed.    

You can hire certified safety professionals for conducting detailed monthly inspections. During such inspections, professionals conduct drop testing after every six months. They also check the border reinforcements and edge ropes. Plus, they make sure that the attachment points can bear specific loads. If the mesh is broken or the sagging begins to occur, it’s time to replace the damaged net immediately. You can discard the damaged net so others cannot make unauthorized use of it.    

5. Maintaining and storing construction fall safety nets correctly

It’s natural for construction fall safety nets to gather dust and debris after just a few days. However, it can affect the performance of these nets. That’s why employers should be extra careful about keeping fall safety nets as clean as possible. You can hire another team of workers who can remove dirt, debris, and dust regularly from the nets. Also, educate them not to use harsh cleaning chemicals as those can weaken the fibers of the netting.

Store the construction fall safety nets indoors when a construction project is completed. To prevent any environmental damage to these delicate nets, it’s wise to store them in a cool and dry place. Doing this will also prevent the nets from getting exposed to mold and mildew.  

The Takeaway

Installing personnel fall safety nets that are manufactured with high-quality material reduces the likelihood of dangerous workplace falls. It also provides much-needed confidence to workers that they can perform the assigned tasks without having the fear of experiencing any serious fall injury. Besides, the optimum safety of workers directly affects the productivity of construction businesses.   

Now that you know the right techniques to handle construction safety nets, you’ll be able to expand their lifespan while saving repair and replacement costs. The trick is to practice consistency while following these five best practices to install and maintain this type of safety netting.