Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00425:body:0:p18
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00425
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 45199–47939

mesh should comply with AS/NZS 4389 Safety mesh, which specifies the minimum requirements for the design, construction, testing and installation of safety mesh for use in domestic, commercial and industrial building applications.
The mesh should be formed from 2 mm diameter wire of not less than 450 MPa tensile strength, welded into a mesh with the longitudinal wires not more than 150 mm apart and the cross wires
not more than 300 mm apart.
Safety mesh should be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions by competent persons, who should be protected against the risk of falling by using appropriate control measures such as scaffolding, elevating work platforms or fall-arrest systems.
Particular care is required to ensure that the mesh is securely connected to the structure and the overlap between adjacent sections of mesh is sufficient to generate the necessary strength to resist the force of a person falling onto it. The safety mesh should be covered by the roof cladding as soon as reasonably practicable after it has been installed.

5. WORK POSITIONING SYSTEMS
A work positioning system involves the use of equipment that enables a person to work supported in a harness in tension in such a way that a fall is prevented.
Work positioning systems require a high level of competency on the part of the user and supervisors to ensure safe use. Users, including supervisors, should undertake a competency based course of training.

5.1 Industrial rope access systems
Industrial rope access systems are used for gaining access to and working at a workface, usually by means of vertically suspended ropes. Although fall-arrest components are used in the industrial rope access system, the main purpose of the system is to gain access to a work area rather than to provide backup fall protection (see Figure 18).
Other methods of accessing a workface should be considered (for example, EWPs or building maintenance units) before rope access systems, as a high level of skill is needed for their safe use.
You should ensure that, where it is necessary for industrial rope access systems to be used:

    * operators are competent in the technique
    * operators do not work alone, in case they require assistance in an emergency
    * industrial rope access systems are installed only in a location where it is possible to provide prompt assistance or rescue if required (refer to Chapter 9 of this Code)
    * all equipment is checked regularly by a competent person
    * prior to use, all fixed anchorage points are checked by a competent person before attaching the rope access lines
    * a back up system is used to protect the operator
    * two independently anchored ropes are used for each person
    *