Best Practices in Fall Protection Systems

Best practices in fall protection systems involves designing barriers that can be customised to meet the safety requirements of particular projects. While safety is the key concern, projects may have a range of other requirements to address as well.

Safety considerations include load inputs, climb mitigation, anti-throw capacity, robustness, material strength and longevity.

Other requirements may include aesthetics, flexibility, sightlines, views, costs, ease of installation, maintenance needs, sustainability and more.

At Tensile, we use Jakob stainless steel Webnet mesh and vertical cables for fall protection systems. Barriers made from these products are extremely robust and durable, while having a light, almost transparent appearance. They have very low maintenance needs and are usually very quick to install, which means lower costs.

The materials are also made from 70% recycled content in facilities run on renewable energy – making them well-suited to projects with sustainability or low-carbon goals.

Here are some examples of the use of these materials in customised fall protection systems that meet specific safety requirements.

Public footbridges and walkways

The safety requirements for these structures are quite tough, given that they have high public usage. The barriers must address climb mitigation and the most extreme forms of loads, such as forces from water, wind, earthquakes and crowd panic. Many footbridges also have sculptural forms and require a barrier that will complement their design features.

Webnet is able to meet all these requirements. Here are some project examples:

• The striking Christopher Cassaniti Bridge (formerly Lachlan’s Line) in Sydney, with its Webnet anti-throw screen that conforms to its curves, twists and turns.
• Hobart’s award-winning Bridge of Remembrance where we installed a Webnet non-climbable safety balustrade that aligns perfectly with the structure’s unique twisting plane.

Multi-level carparks

Webnet offers an excellent solution for carpark fall protection barriers. Its span and flexibility allow it to be ‘wrapped’ around the structure, providing a quick-to-install yet permanent alternative to expensive structural modifications.

Project examples:

• Webnet barrier on the Thomas Street Dandenong carpark in Melbourne, which was installed in only three weeks while the facility remained open.
• Liverpool Hospital carpark with its Webnet barrier that supports a mosaic artwork, helping to transform a rather dull structure into something surprisingly uplifting.

Children’s playgrounds

Children’s climbing equipment is often full of quirky geometric shapes. Webnet makes an ideal safety barrier material in terms of adaptability, non-climbability, views and more.

Here are some examples:

• Ian Potter Wild Play Garden, which has a Webnet barrier that wraps around its central ‘climbing eel’ structure. The barrier meets safety needs while allowing children free play in clear view of parents.
• The Ribbon Playground in Darling Harbour. This playground has a nautical theme, which the Webnet mesh ‘rigging’ barriers were easily able to accommodate.

Sports grounds

The benefits of Webnet for sports courts include the material’s large span capacity, allowing for fuller use of the space, and its ability to absorb noise and the hard impact of fast-moving balls.

These projects demonstrate the benefits:

• Rooftop sports court at Adelaide Botanic High School, which has a Webnet enclosure that required minimal supporting posts while providing maximum views!
• Webnet screen at Dee Why PCYC, which absorbs ball impact and protects spectators and equipment.

These same materials can also be used for best practice fall protection in vertical school’s residential apartment buildings, health and medical facilities, office buildings and more. Get in touch to find out more.