[Hayley Head]

Industrial Fall Arrest Systems Standard – Review
EEA received 18 submissions on our recent consultation on proposed changes to AS/NZS 1891.4.2009 Industrial fall Arrests Systems Part 4. Your submissions raised significant safety concerns on the proposed wording for a mandating of secondary fall arrest system to be used whenever a pole strap is used. The EEA submissions were tabled and considered at the recent AS/NZS committee meeting – along with a wide range of others views from across the full range of ‘working at heights’ businesses!

While the original proposal mandated the use of a fall arrest system, the updated draft requirements do not. The proposed wording changes are as follows…

Back-up (redundant) fall protection systems shall be used in combination with fall protection systems that are intended to support a user’s weight during use, because there is a risk of a fall in the event of that system’s failure.

This word change means a secondary pole strap could be used as the back-up system and not just a lanyard (although that remains as an option).

The Standard will shortly be sent out for ‘public consultation’, so you will have a further opportunity to comment and we will advise when the public consultation draft is available from Standards Australia.