Fall Protection in the Tank Fabrication Industry
In the tank fabrication industry, there are several difficulties with adequate fall protection. It’s like solving a puzzle, trying to find what fall protection solution fits within the other pieces of your shop.
Your other pieces may be the overhead cranes, building configuration, changing tank sizes and employee applicability.
Things to Consider
Prior to purchasing a fall protection unit there are several things that should be considered. Every fabrication shop is different in configuration, equipment and tanks being built so there will not be a cookie-cutter solution for every shop. With this said, your company needs to ask themselves the following questions to narrow down the search for a fall protection solution that fits your fabrication shop.
Unit Height
- Fixed or changeable?
- Can overhead cranes clear it without contact?
Counterweight
- Floor space?
- Weight of the unit?
Mobility
- Is the unit able to be moved easily?
- Crane and/or forklift?
Storage
- Floor space?
- Weight of the unit?
Cost
- Where will it be stored?
- Indoors or outdoors?
- Is there room for the unit?
Our Journey, Our Solution
It was evident that our shop needed a solution to our fall protection needs that would fit our ever-changing tank size, be mobile, not interfere with overhead cranes and had a reasonably sized counterweight to fit on our fab floor.
We purchased our first anchor system in 2020. This was our missing puzzle piece to our fall protection problems that fit perfectly within our workings of our fabrication shop.
Summary
After purchasing and incorporating Unit #1 into daily operations on the fabrication floor, it was evident that this was a necessity for the safety of our employees. It also has proven to be useful in unlocking new locations to work from heights on tanks around the shop that were never used before due to fall protection accessibility. It has reduced the cost of subcontractors by eliminating the need of renting an aerial lift when insulating tanks.
In 2021 our company purchased a second fall protection unit, Unit #2. This unit is identical to Unit #1, with the exception of the mast height range. We needed a second unit that was smaller to accommodate the height of the cranes in the other buildings.
Overall, fall protection in the tank fabrication industry can prove difficult. This was the solution to our fall protection needs and has proven useful for our company.
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Padungsilpa Engineering Co., Ltd.