The situation involves top road loading where operators are required to refuel tankers. A risk assessment and local work practice for the site is available but the operators are still not happy with arrangements. The road loading involves a moveable platform resting in the top of the truck. Netting is provided at the end to avoid anyone falling. Both the truck driver and operator uses harnesses which are attached to one (total two on structure of the top surface as a metal pole rail 1.5 cm diameter) on the top half of the movable platform. Standing beside the metal pole/rail the attachment rests at waist height. Area between the top of the tanker and the loading / control structure is about 4/5 meters above the ground. The operators are concerned that the attachment/anchor point for the harness is not above head height and are concerned that if they fell the attaching connection may not hold their weight or the combined weight of two people. Besides ensuring the arrangement for the layout and load bearing weights of the structure the operators feel they need some external / professional training in use of harnesses, attachments, assessing harness and so on. I agreed with their concerns as a H&S trainer on site but wanted to ask outside opinion on the situation/issue I have at hand.

I'm having difficulty visualising the arrangement you describe. But you can get a portable gantry which is essentially an adjustable ladder on wheels with a cage at the top, giving good barriers against falling, but without a floor to the cage (so you stand on the tanker surrounded by bottom, mid and top handrails). Would that work in this situation?

My company www.mcssafetysystems.co.uk designs and installs overhead fall arrest rolling gantry systems for this purpose do the operators carry out this work on site? or at your yard? is it a fixed anchor point rolling trolley or a horizontal lifeline? BS EN 795:1997 states an Anchorage should not fail when it arrests the fall of a mass of 100kg from a distance of 2.5 metres.