MSA’s V-TEC scaffold solution combines comfort and advanced safety
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August 16, 2018
For the specific working conditions that scaffolders face every day, MSA offers a personal fall protection solution that is said to combine practicality with peace of mind. The V-TEC Personal Fall Limiter with aluminium scaff hook reportedly delivers durable protection that is both quick and easy to use, and comfortable to wear all day thanks to its lightweight construction.
The scaffolding industry remains in the top three of the Occupational Safety and Health Admin’s (OSHA) most cited violations with the most frequent transgression relating to “each employee on a scaffold more than 10 feet above a lower level shall be protected from falling to that lower level.”
The very nature of their work means scaffolders, when erecting, altering or dismantling scaffolding, are regularly exposed to the risk of a fall. In addition, scaffolders often work in adverse weather conditions. Rain, high winds and ice can all significantly increase the risk of a fall.
Tim Bissett is MSA’s technical manager for fall protection and acknowledges the challenges facing the scaffolding sector: “In the hierarchy of fall protection the first step is to avoid the risk, which we realise is not practicable for scaffolders much of the time. What the V-TEC scaff hook solution provides is a fall protection system that enables a scaffolder to carry out their work while secured to either horizontal, vertical, or tube connections between joints.”
In the UK, the National Access and Scaffolding Safety Confederation has produced its recommendations and guidance SG4:15 Preventing Falls in Scaffolding Operations which includes: “Karabiners that are designed especially for attaching to scaffold standards make an effective and efficient anchor device.”
Also suited for ladder work, with a single-handed operation, the aluminium scaff hook has an easy-on, easy-off hook with an automatic closing feature. It is compliant with EN, ANSI and CSA requirements.
The V-TEC PFL is described as a ‘compact and durable’ self-retracting lanyard incorporating energy absorbing technology with an ultra-tough polycarbonate transparent outer casing that facilitates inspection.
