The four-day Specialist Rigger Safety Net Course has been developed by FASET in collaboration with the National Access & Rescue Centre (NARC), a division of the Heightec Group, and with the cooperation of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
A practical course that reflects the specific hazards associated with this fast growing type of work, it allows qualified CSCS carded riggers who successfully complete the course to add the endorsement ‘FASET Specialist Rigger’ to their existing CSCS Safety Net Rigger Card. Such is the importance that FASET attaches to the qualification, delegates cannot be enrolled on the new course before a representative of the company has satisfactorily completed the accompanying one-day ‘Specialist Rigger Manager’s Course’.
Comments company secretary, Tony Seddon: "It’s vital that managers and supervisors understand the limitations and techniques associated with this method of working and, most importantly, how to decide whether it’s the right method for the task in hand. This course gives them the knowledge and expertise they need to make that decision, and delegates end the day with a written test to confirm that they have fully understood everything they have seen and heard. Additionally, any company putting the riggers to work must have a named and trained FASET Specialist Rigger Manager.”
Combining both classroom and practical sessions, and including a final assessment to test understanding, the four days of the Specialist Rigger Safety Net Course cover, amongst other things:
Day 1: The Work at Height Regulations, plus the equipment and its characteristics;
Day 2: Elementary rigging techniques and how to move safely along beams;
Day 3: Caring for and maintaining the equipment, including certification;
Day 4: Rescue methods.
A complete course syllabus is available on the FASET website: www.faset.org.uk
Guidance on tensioned access platforms
In the absence of a European or British standard for tensioned access platforms - often referred to as WP nets, walk on nets and tensioned netting - FASET has recently published its own guidance which is free to download from the association’s website. Tensioned access platforms are increasingly used to provide a collective and passive working platform for light duty access.
The four-page document sets out the minimum technical information, which, says FASET, suppliers and installers of these systems should be asked to provide - on a project specific basis - in advance of any work commencing. According to FASET, failing to do so could potentially put operatives’ lives at risk.
The free guidance covers, amongst other things, material and component specifications, environmental loadings, durability and resistance to UV, chemical attack, abrasion and hotworks, alongside such things as installation, handover, access to the platform, inspection and the maintenance of system components.
Says Tony Seddon: "Increasingly, users have been approaching FASET for guidance on the specification and use of these systems. This document is in direct response to that growing need and has been produced by a specialist committee of the association with expert knowledge. "
Lone worker policy
FASET has also confirmed its lone worker policy when using fall arrest safety nets. Defined as those workers who work by themselves out of eye and/or earshot of a work colleague who can undertake a rescue, it takes a ‘zero tolerance’ approach and has decreed that lone working is unacceptable whilst erecting or dismantling equipment.
