With 24 fatal injuries and over 12,500 major or over 3-day injuries as a result of being hit by a moving, flying or falling object reported last year (2010/11)[i], it is more important than ever that those working at height are equipped with the correct tools to work safely.
The Working at Height Regulations (2005) state every employer has a duty to take sufficient steps to prevent the fall of any material or object where necessary to prevent injury or harm to any person. The Tool@rrest range, designed as a simple, flexible solution for tethering and securing tools for contractors and operators who work at height, is now available through Arco, the UK’s leading supplier of safety equipment and workwear. Each product has been designed to enable the end user to work safely and confidently at height using reliable tethered tools which help prevent the risk of falling objects striking and injuring a person below or damaging valuable machinery.
With the introduction of 130 products the Tool@rrest range includes hand tools, lanyards, tool belts and pouches, tie hooks and lifting buckets and offers a flexible approach to addressing working at height regulations. The items can be bought individually and each tether in the range has been reliably tested on UKAS accredited machinery a total of 5,250 times using the industry recognised Weibull Analysis system. The products are suitable for those in a wide range of environments, including the construction, manufacturing and utilities industries and are widely used by engineers and maintenance contractors to prevent tools from falling into valuable equipment such as engines and production lines.
The items in the range have been specially designed to be quick and easy to use. Each of the hand tools features an integral tether, which when connected to a lanyard enable the tools to be secured to a fixed point or person. The tethers are designed to provide the user freedom and mobility and not to hinder the functionality of the tool when it’s in use. Lanyards are designed and manufactured to be attached to the operator’s wrist, belt, bag or any other suitable location. Arco is also able to offer a bespoke retrofit service to attach a tether to existing equipment if they meet industry standards. Once fitted the tethers are tested for compliance and warranted with certification by Tool@rrest.
For further information Arco has developed a dedicated catalogue on tethered tools for working at height. Visit www.arco.co.uk/toolarrest to download, visit your local trade counter to collect or contact your local sales office for further advice.
