Fall protection

The fall protection design is indicative. It works with generic components, and before installation the system supplier must confirm it or, where needed, complete it. FredIQ does not assess the load capacity of the anchor points or the structural design, see What FredIQ does not assess.

Fall protection for people is not the anchoring of the roof cladding. Anchoring of the waterproofing is described in the Anchor plan guide.

Before you start

• The roof is drawn with a scale and each perimeter edge has a type: Free, Parapet or Wall. More in the Perimeter edge types guide.
• Openings have an Opening type in the roof editor (skylight, chimney, shaft …). It is taken over into fall protection as a suggestion to confirm.
• The slopes are calculated. The anchor heights are taken from them. Without them, the design is created only as indicative, with unverified heights.

1. Open the editor

1. In the project cockpit, open the Calculations tab.
2. On the Fall protection system card, click Open fall protection system.
3. The Steps window at the top right guides you through four steps: Hazardous edges, Roof exit, System and Evaluation. The left panel shows the open step.

Each step shows a tick (entered), a warning icon with a reason (something needs fixing), or a number (not entered yet). A tick means “entered”, not “safe”.

2. Hazardous edges

1. Click Import from RoofEditor. The editor takes over the outline, the openings and the edge types from the roof. Until then, the other steps are locked.
2. Go through the To check and confirm list. A type that nobody has set is preset to the safe side: a free edge, or a fall-through opening.
3. If your type differs from the type in the roof, choose Take from the roof or Keep mine.
4. Click Confirm edges and continue. Only this confirms the types.

• Mark an opening that is secured, for example by a fixed grille, in the opening panel with the The opening is secured switch, with a note on what secures it.
• If the roof changes later, load it again with the Re-import button.

3. Roof exit

1. Click Draw exit and then click the place of the exit in the plan. A roof without an exit: The roof has no exit.
2. In the exit panel, choose Path from the exit:
   • Protected path beyond the hazard zone (railing): no exit anchor is needed.
   • No protected path – anchor within arm’s reach: the generator places an exit anchor at the exit. The worker clips onto it while still in the exit and walks secured to the safe zone.

Draw the exit before generating. An exit added afterwards means generating again.

4. System

• System type: Point, Line, Combined (anchor points and a lifeline), or Automatic (as recommended). The recommendation is indicative. Override manually locks the type, further generation does not change it.
• Usage:
  • Restraint: the worker cannot reach the edge at all.
  • Fall arrest: a fall is expected and arrested, there must be enough clear space below the edge.
  • Mixed use: partly restraint, partly fall arrest. The check cannot assess it yet. Choose one usage for the whole roof, or divide it into several roofs.
• For fall arrest, fill in Fall clearance height and the information about an obstacle below the edge in the edge table. The Same fall clearance height everywhere (m) field with the Apply to all button fills in the edges that have no value of their own. A blank entry means “unknown”, not “safe”.
• The Edge protection intent window next to the canvas sets the intent for individual edges. The design parameters are in the collapsed Advanced section.

Click Generate and evaluate. The generator places the anchors and lifelines, runs the check and opens Evaluation. If a design already exists, it asks first, because generating replaces the anchors and lifelines.

5. Evaluation

• The list of problems has the blocking ones at the top and the warnings below them. Without blocking problems it shows No blocking errors.
• Each row has a button that takes you to the place of the fix, for example Go to Hazardous edges, Go to System, Enter fall clearance, Fix automatically or Show in plan.
• System summary shows the type, the protection method, the numbers of anchors and lifelines, the lifeline length, the coverage of the risk zone and the uncovered sections. The coverage must be complete.
• The Exports section contains Export design. It unlocks once the list contains no blocking problem.
• If the anchor heights are not verified (the slopes are missing or not up to date), the output is created with the notice Indicative – anchor heights not verified.

The check runs on its own after generating and after every change of the design. To run it manually, use the Run validation button. The status The design has not been checked yet or The design changed since the last check does not mean that the design is fine. It means that this is not known.

Manual edits

• Tools: Add anchor, Connect with line, Move anchor, Delete element, Add exit and Add obstacle.
• Connect with line: click on anchors or into the area, Enter saves the lifeline.
• In a selected lifeline section, you can use Space points evenly. Alt temporarily turns snapping off.
• After every change, the check runs again. Until it finishes, the old result does not apply.

Outputs

• Protocols tab: the Fall protection system chapter, and in the Documents for suppliers section the Fall protection system card with the Supplier document PDF – fall protection system document.
• All outputs carry an indicative design watermark with a call to consult the manufacturer or the supplier of the system.