P-FPS – Personal Fall Protection System

A P-FPS (personal fall protection system) is a protective device that provides protection against fatal risks or permanent personal injury. It must be marked with the CE sign and the number of the test and certification centre (e.g. CE 0123).

Furthermore, the legal requirements state that the user must be trained in the safe and correct use of the P-FPS and must practice this regularly, as with all PPE (Personal Protective Equipment in general). In this regard, the company must provide special instructions with exercises in accordance with the accident prevention directive governing “the principles of prevention” (BGV A1) paragraph 31.

Employer’s prevention obligations

The employer’s prevention obligations are clearly regulated in Europe and apply almost everywhere around the world. Taking Germany as an example, the minimum prevention requirements are regulated in accordance with paragraph 12 of the labour protection law and paragraph 3 of the PPE user ordinance and the principles of prevention.

They demand that the employer possess sufficient theoretical knowledge regarding the relevant regulations, the sequence of work procedures and the correct use of the PPE. Furthermore, exercises must be carried out under comparable working and application conditions. This requires a suitable and independent second backup.

The company must initially conduct a risk assessment (in accordance with paragraph 10 of the German labour protection law). The results of this are documented accordingly. The correct PPE is specified on this basis, as are the associated instructions and exercises.

Once the correct PPE is selected, the company must generate an operating instruction. It must contain specifications regarding the correct use of the PPE and the requisite exercises.

Instructions with exercises for category III PPE, under which P-FPS is categorised, must be provided prior to first use and subsequently in accordance with requirements and no less than once every six months. (In the case of Germany, BGI 515 can be recommended as a reference work.)
 

SKYLOTEC – The right partner for you.

As an ISO 9001 certified training company, SKYLOTEC is able to carry out these tasks on your behalf in order to fulfil the regulations governing prevention. Our speciality is training in a real working environment. We carry this out in a technically and professionally appropriate format in coordination with you. Furthermore, SKYLOTEC offers a range of training and instruction modules and is thus able to cater to your specific individual needs.