How can you equip your facilities with safety barriers and guards?

Anchoring capabilities for barriers and guardrails for the public: Safety standards and compliance Safety standards are established to ensure the well-being of workers and the general public by minimizing accidents and injuries in various settings. These standards cover a wide range of safety equipment, including anchorage connectors for fall protection systems, barriers, and guardrails. Compliance with these standards is essential to maintain a secure environment and prevent potential hazards. Guardrails must be capable of withstanding a force of at least 200 pounds (890 N) applied within 2 inches (5.1 cm) of the top edge in any outward or downward direction

Each of these safety elements are designed to significantly reduce the risk so far, a reasonably practical of a fall. Employing a Contractor will not shield Building owner or manager from responsibility. The factors to consider include. • What are you trying to achieve? o Do you need to go to this unsafe area at all? o Who will be going there? o What will they be expected to do.? o What is the level of competence required? o Is the area open to the general Public? o How can the risk be controlled?

Best practices for installing safety barriers and guards on structures with post tension cables must include the elimination of all drilling to prevent any tendon structural compromise. The solution is to pre-embed anchors engineered to couple a stanchion of matching threads, thus eliminating any and all drilling. To achieve this, a common solution is to pre-embed anchors into the concrete during the initial construction phase. This approach ensures that the post-tension cables remain undamaged, preserving the structural integrity of the concrete structure.

• Have you done a risk assessment? (remember ignorance of the risks is no excuse) • What is the design and plan flowing from the assessment? • The reputation of the contractor or consultant. (Check References Your impression is important) • The solution should include equipment built to Australian Standards nothing less. • Get a competitive quote and review, take account of any ongoing maintenance costs and ease of use of the system. (Cheaper systems sometimes are difficult to use so people don’t use them or are time consuming, so your service costs increase) • Get the work done.

In my experience I have seen buildings littered with Anchor points (AS / NZS 1891.4.2009) as a cheap solution rather than guardrail & walkways. The reality is this is a management heavy very expensive non solution the Safe Work Methods Statements (SWMS) will need to be far more complex. Skilled contractors are required, and more is more time consuming and higher risk. Over time a far more expensive solution. Don’t do it to yourself!

The advantage of complying with AS1657.2018 it is a relatively lower risk, less management intensive simple system that allows the greatest flexibility. The additional cost will soon be forgotten. Complying with this standard is generally seen by the ‘t regulators and courts and fulfilling your obligations. In summary don’t make a rod for your own back get the job done properly in the first place.

The combination of passive restraint through physical barriers and active restraint through technological solutions creates a comprehensive approach to workplace safety. While passive restraints establish physical boundaries to prevent accidents, active restraints offer dynamic monitoring and intervention capabilities to address potential hazards in real time. This dual application strategy ensures that employees are protected from both known risks, such as machinery malfunctions or human errors, as well as unforeseen dangers that may arise during operations. By integrating passive and active restraint measures effectively, companies can establish a multi-layered defense system.

In summary fall hazards carry the greatest on-site risk the Workers Compensation data makes for confronting reading on this subject. Have your site risk assessed by a professional have them use you own organisation Risk Matrix and have the work done.