High Access Solutions

HASL  management have been involved in the supply of Safety Net  and Debris containment systems since their first introduction in the UK in the late 1990's. Their experience and expertise has allowed HASL to work on many major projects such as Wembley Stadium, City of Manchester Stadium, Leavesden Studios, Chill Factor, Boots Manufacturing to name a few projects, not to mention  many distribution Warehouses working directly with many MCG's.

HASL have overcome every challenge presented by developing bespoke systems with manufacturer's and HSE approval for the most challenging environments and constraints presented. Our multi-task workforce are able to utilise many complex Rope Access Systems  for the installation and dismantling of our safety systems,  and we have set new standards in procedures and methods with a zero accident Rope Access Statistic.

HASL was commissioned by GSE  Group to design and produce a Report in the Guidance and Recommendations on the safe use, erection, and effective maintenance of Safety Nets. This document is now incorporated into the GSE health and safety  management scheme and is used on all their projects worldwide to ensure the UK high standards  are replicated throughout.

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Safety Nets

The Health and Safety Executive in the UK would use Safety Nets as their "preferred method" of Fall Arrest when Working at Height. Safety Nets have been designed with the intention of 'protection of the workforce'; and therefore are now installed to prevent injury or fatalities; whilst working at height.

All Safety Nets used in the European Community must comply with the BSEN 1263-1 standard. Safety Nets must be manufactured to meet this standard, and should have been tested to confirm their compliance, with a Pass Certificate.

 Safety Nets are used for primary protection on construction sites within the UK and should be erected as close as possible to the working area, ensuring a maximum fall height of 2m. Nets are initially installed to protect persons working above the working area and are to arrest the fall. Safety Nets can be installed also to catch falling debris or act as a containment system of debris.

The main aim of Safety Nets is to ‘Reduce Injury’; as they absorb a large percentage of the energy from a falling body. When impacted, the net will take on some form of deformation, which dissipates the energy with minimum rebound. The idea of the Net is to act as a ‘Collective Protection’ system that is always available for those people working above it, and should require no input from these working people.

In most cases it should be possible to erect safety nets in such a way that no gaps larger than the mesh size of the net (normally 100mm) are present in the netted area, and therefore this should always be the intention when safety nets are installed.

Safety nets are manufactured from synthetic materials and should be treated as materials which are subject to wear and tear, degradation, damages, excessive heat (i.e. hot conditions, welding, etc). These problems lead to some strength loss and should be regularly inspected and tested periodically by a competent person.

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Testing & Maintenance Facility

Being a FASET member company  HASL follow a strict testing and maintenance regime which is set out in the new British Standard BS 8411:2007 'Code of practice for safety nets on construction sites and other works' section 7 'Care and maintenance of safety nets'.  HASL have superseded others with the addition of a M350-5 CX Universal Tester testing  Equipment, allowing for the first time Measurement of both Energy  and Force.  This new method has shown manufacturing defects in new batches of safety nets from a leading supplier , and these have been returned for further testing by the manufacturer.  HASL can offer a complete package for testing, inspection and repair of your safety nets to meet current legislation.

All testing at HASL is carried out using the 'WinTest' software analysis.  This is universal testing software that is fully customisable and supports all industry standards including ISO, ASTM and BS EN specifications. Each test carried out is accompanied by a Certificate to verify the validity of the test.

HASL are also trained and approved safety net repairers for the majority of manufactures in the UK and the Spanish market.  New FASET guidelines state that all new safety nets purchased after Jan 2008 must carry a repair tag on all repairs. HASL ensure that all repairs are 'tagged' with a Repair Tag showing who and when the repair was carried out and logged into our Database.

All Safety Nets are logged from date of purchase to disposal on our specific designed  Net logging software to ensure our clients have full traceability for safety nets used on their projects.  Information on specific safety nets used on every contract is supplied at the time of hand over to give our clients reassurance that HASL  only use fully audited and certified safety equipment.

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FASET - Fall Arrest Safety Equipment Training

FASET 'Fall Arrest Safety Equipment Training' is the trade association and training body for the UK and Irish safety net rigging and fall arrest industry.

FASET has been growing in membership as companies have recognised the benefits of being associated with the high standards represented by the association.

New Membership is attained through a rigorous audit processs to ensure that the correct management systems are in place.

In associiation with CITB, FASET now have a CSCS Safety Net Rigger card. This Card is evidence that an operative has undergone extensive training and assessment in the proficiency of fall arrest safety equipment training and has achieved the required industry standard.

Ask yourselves 'Is the installation company a FASET member?' - A vast majority of MCG sites are now only using FASET accredited companies.

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Important: Always Stop and Ask The Three Pillars of a Safety Net System

HASL can offer a selection of collective fall arrest systems and debris containment systems for your specific project.

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