Fall arresters

Fall arresters: safety harnesses, fall protection and similar products

If the worst comes to the worst, falling is not an option: as soon as you lose your footing at work and cannot rely on railings or other protective measures, a fall arrester becomes an essential item of personal protective equipment, No ifs and buts about it.

What is considered a fall arrester?

There’s a good reason why we call them fall arresters: they are designed to stop people from falling from a certain height and injuring themselves in the process. This can happen from two directions:

• In addition to safety harnesses and fall protection sets, primary fall arresters include railings or covers.


• Secondary fall arresters include all equipment that prevents personal injury in the event of a fall. This not only includes safety nets or rope systems, but to a certain extent also includes colleagues on the ground who help keep others safe.

Areas of use and heights: when do I need a fall arrester?

Fall arresters as items of personal protective equipment are mandatory whenever an employee works on or above water, as well as around retracting floors. In addition, certain height limits apply above which this type of protection becomes necessary.

Irrespective of this, personal fall arresters such as harnesses and fall protection equipment are always useful if, for example, you wish to increase the safety level for anxious employees working on high ladders and scaffolding or need to keep them ''on a leash'' if you have any doubts about safety (and for their own protection).

Safety regulations state that whether a fall arrester is required depends on the distance between the floor and the workplace, whereby a distinction is made between the following three cases:

1. Fall height greater than 1 metre at wall openings and stairs without guards


2. Fall height greater than 2 metres at all other work sites


3. Fall height greater than 3 metres when working on roofs

However, these figures don’t cancel out your individual risk assessment. As in other areas of occupational safety – from safety shoes to ear protection – forewarned is forearmed.

That is why we also address the issue of safety for employees and professionals in detail in our information portal and have good tips and many recommendations:

• Tips for a safe construction site


• Accidents at work: Causes and what you can do about these

For specific questions relating to your selection, or more detailed input on our range of protective equipment, such as fall arresters, fall protection or harnesses, please feel free to contact us.