In January, the WSH Council released our first WSH Insights on electrocution safety during solar panel installations. In addition to electrocution hazards, solar panel installers and maintenance personnel also face fall from height risks, and we had shared a subsequent WSH Insights on preventing falls from open sides.

In the upcoming months, the Ministry of Manpower will be conducting inspections targeting work-at-height hazards, including at solar panel installation sites. 

To help the industry, the WSH Council has compiled a list of good practices commonly adopted by companies when deploying a travel-restraint system to mitigate work-at-height risks. The WSH Council urges companies who have yet to adopt these good practices to do so, to be well prepared for MOM’s upcoming inspections.

Travel-Restraint System vs Personal Fall-Arrest System

Travel-restraint systems can be effective in preventing falls from height. Companies should always consider implementing travel-restraint systems before personal fall-arrest systems. Personal fall-arrest systems should only be used when other control measures cannot be implemented. See Table 1 for the differences between a travel-restraint system and a personal fall-arrest system.

Table 1: Differences between a travel-restraint system and a personal fall-arrest system.