YOUR STAFF SAFETY IS OUR PRIMARY CONCERN
Safety Nets NZ has been at the forefront of promoting the compliant use of safety nets as a means of providing soft fall protection on construction sites.
We have continued to work closely with WorkSafe NZ to promote the use of safety nets as a preferred means of fall protection, particularly with regard to the drafting of protocols and guidelines to ensure the safe and consistent use of safety nets.
With the enactment of the Health and Safety at Work Act (2015) (The Act) it became apparent to us that to comply with the requirements of the Act we needed to have our system independently analysed, engineered and ultimately certified . This meant that not only did the individual components of the safety net fall arrest system have to be tested, the performance of the safety fall arrest system as a whole also needed to be studied.
In late 2016, we engaged the services of the of the team at the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology at Massey University in Albany with the aim of rigorously, independently testing all elements of our system.
The team at Massey carried out a multitude of tests, under varying conditions and assessed different installation parameters i.e. varying load drop heights and weights, varying bracket centres, varying net sizes, varying points where the load strikes the net, testing nets of different ages, testing repaired nets etc... with the results being collated and analysed to effectively confirm that our safety fall arrest system works.
As the engineers at Massey conclude...
“The testing and research carried out... confirms that... Safety Nets NZ Limited has tested it’s systems in accordance with the requirements of the Act”
We are one of only two companies in the country that can categorically state that our system has been independently tested and verified as being fit for purpose, enabling PCBU’s to discharge their responsibilities in regard to the requirements of the Act in the use of a system that is without risk to the health and safety of it’s workforce.
Specific Site Safety Procedures
Prior to commencing any works on site a detailed site investigation is carried out to assess all potential risks and hazards.
A site specific works method statement is then produced which outlines in detail:
- the procedures involved in establishing and removing the nets
- guidance notes for the client to familiarise themselves with, which include:-
- general recommendations for the installation and use of safety nets
- the role of the roofing contractor, or main contractor
- the role of our company in establishing and removing the net system
- agents likely to damage the nets
- site inspection i.e.: checking that nets are rigged correctly
A project specific Health and Safety Manual is also prepared prior to rigging of nets. The manual includes the following:
- Company Health and Safety Policy, to view click here
- Company Structure and Personnel
- Identification of Specific Work Areas in which the Nets are installed
- Hazard Register / Analysis of Specific Work Areas
- Personal Safety Equipment Registers
- Serious Harm Flow Chart identifying Procedures to be Followed in the Event of Serious Harm Accident
- Investigation Flow Chart
- Site Specific Induction Form
When the nets have been installed and inspected by our team and a handover certificate completed by our certified rigger, the client can then commence works above the safe area of the net.
All of our safety documentation has been produced in such a format as to ensure that it complements the overall site safety policy and manual that the Principal Contractor is required to establish on all projects.
