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Many disciplines should work together

Many disciplines should work together!

People working at heights conserve themselves while working in risky areas and precautions are taken against possible falls with the systems we call lifelines, built with certified products with up-to-date standards, even if collective protection structures established against falls in their environment are not present.

Lifelines can come in horizontal, vertical and inclined structures, as well as steel rope and rail systems. One of the main issues to consider is that all components of lifelines must be certified products with the most up-to-date safety standards. This also applies to the anchor components used to create the anchor point.

It is impossible to limit the places where lifelines will be used; lifelines can be installed wherever there is a risk of falling. Even if there is no suitable connection, suitable connections are created for assembly.

The main purpose of all life lines is to keep the person in a safe range by limiting it before the fall occurs. If the instance of falling is to occur, it will hold the person or persons who fall due to its structure and purpose. The main logic in all fall arrest systems is to stop the fall in the shortest distance and time, and project calculations should be made accordingly.

In order to work safely at heights, the systems required for horizontal lifelines – vertical lifelines and anchorage solutions, which are the simplest solutions depending on the required working environment and the work to be done – must be built by people who have knowledge on working safely at heights, know the working environment where the lifeline will be installed, are competent to determine the strength of the points to be installed, and have all the technical equipment and knowledge to come up with accurate project design.

All lifeline projects should be explored on-site, communicated to the employees and managers in the field, working conditions should be determined, and the project should be designed according to the need and the work to be done. It should be in a structure that will not create any extra danger in the working conditions of the personnel working in that field nor prevent them from doing their work. Lifelines, anchors or safe working at height solutions, should be selected according to the type of structure to be analyzed, the location where the installation takes place, the condition and height of the structures under the work area or the placement of the machines.

The effects of possible oscillation should also be considered in all lifelines and anchorage projects

In addition to being fall arresters, lifelines are also restraint systems. Therefore, the project and installation must be done in a way to reduce the fall in the risky area and block the fall.

The environmental conditions where the analysis will be conducted should also be taken into account when making the analysis. Non-sparking horizontal and vertical lifelines and systems (including PPE) for explosive (exproff) environments must be suitable for work in these environments. The amount of stretching and shrinkage caused by the chemical structure of the working environment, the temperature in the working environment, and the temperature differences between day and night or summer and winter should also be taken into consideration. Different types of connection equipment should be used according to environmental conditions.

Since they are error-free systems, all components of lifelines must have test reports from approved and independent testing organizations. It is also mandatory to have a production system approval certificate for standardization of the production quality of lifeline components. Improper production of a product can have fatal consequences.

Since lifelines are made of metal, they must be calculated and installed to take precautions against situations such as lightning and electrical leakage.

Projects should be prepared in detail according to the person or people who will use the systems, the PPE to be used, and the extent of the gap. The shock force that will occur in possible falls should be minimized by the entire system, according to the environmental conditions in the working area where the installation will take place and when calculating the oscillation that will occur in the lifeline in the event of a possible accident, the structures under the lifeline should be taken into consideration when calculating the free fall distance, the maximum oscillation distance of the lifeline at the time of fall. It should be calculated and taken into account at the project stage, according to the number of people who will use the line, and the projects should be prepared and installed accordingly.

Lifelines must not create excess danger for the working environment (in a way that prevents the vehicle or its parts from getting stuck during walkways or vehicle passages).

Lifelines must be certified as a whole system. Certificates obtained in pieces or lifelines assembled with parts from different manufacturers are not suitable as a system.

Apart from the standard equipment in the lifeline system, the strength of the auxiliary assembly elements used to connect the lifeline to the structure to be installed cannot be less than the strength requirement of the lifeline system.A very detailed analysis of the places where the lifeline will be installed must be compatible with standard materials and technical competence.

The grippers that provide movement in all lifelines (steel rope gripping trolleys in steel rope systems or trolleys in rail systems) must be standard equipment suitable for the lifeline system. Carriages that are not suitable for the system may not hold the vehicle during a fall

because it will not have the required strength at the instance of a possible fall. That is why the lifeline system has to be considered as a whole.

An identification plate containing information, such as when the lifeline was installed, how many people are allowed to use it simultaneously, standards, safe working height distance, and when the next check will be conducted, must be placed on the beginning of the lifeline.

Training on the correct use of lifelines must be conducted by the installation company and training certification must be provided. Lifelines installed in accordance with standards, if used correctly, serve as limitation and fall arrest, thus preventing people from falling down.

If there is a fall in the system, the lifeline should not be used. The installation company should be informed immediately, the necessary checks should be conducted, and can be used after the necessary repairs take place. Moreover, the lifeline system should also not be used if there are adverse events occurring in damaged or poor condition structural components where the line is installed, or in the presence of any loss of unity, breakage or rupture in the entire system, the steel rope or all components, damaged surfaces due to environmental conditions (due to factors such as chemical environment or heat), color change, if a systemic change has been made outside of authorized persons (such as a change of location).

All lifeline systems should be checked at least once a year and necessary maintenance should be performed. This period may be shortened depending on environmental conditions.

An emergency plan should be determined which allows the fallen person to be reached within 15 minutes in case of a possible fall on all life lines. Furthermore, drilsl should be carried out accordingly.

To be understood, it is impossible to analyze safe working at heights with a single discipline. Projects are prepared with many different disciplines and experiences. Many disciplines such as engineering calculations, human relations, knowledge of safe working at height, technical and applied knowledge in industrial structures, rope access expertise and OHS expertise must be in conjunction.

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