Rank: Forum user 
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Please could someone advise if tempoary (chapter 8) barriers are suitable for protection of employees from falling from height (e.g open lift shaft or window panel missing on 3rd floor) or do you require some kind of fixed edge protection?
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Rank: Forum user
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A chapter 8 barrier will not provide “protection” from a
fall. It might be used further back as an exclusion barrier but even then you
would expect open shafts etc to be fully protected against a person falling. I
have seen these used on the edge of mezzanine floors during the floor installation!
Imagine falling onto the barrier, it would simply go straight over the edge
with the person / equipment / material. Fixed edge protection would be needed
to prevent a fall.
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 1 user thanked andy.f for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Healthy
Somewhere on the HSE website or elsewhere on the internet you should be able to find a standard for the force that the dynamic force that the protection should be able to resist. Off the top of my head it was worked out in the UK as 0.7kN point load (based on hitting a guard-rail at about two thirds of the height of someone falling) for an adult some decades ago, but that number might have increased as the population gets heavier and you would have to consider what percentile of the population (weight wise) to make decisions on.
A typical Chapter 8 barrier would not withstand even a fraction of such loading. There's a BS EN standard that sets out the loadings that temporary road signage should withstand with variance according to the wind speeds that should be designed for. But that's aimed primarily at stopping signage being blown out of position and then posing a hazard for moving vehicles, pedestrians etc, i.e. not the sort of loading applied by someone falling against the protection.
Edited by user 02 June 2019 11:21:49(UTC)
| Reason: Fixed typo
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Rank: Super forum user
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Most contractors working on a roof are aware of the risks (dangers) of working at height and fix into place scaffold type fences as edge protection (until a propriety system is put into place) and cover lift shafts and rooflights with covers made of thick marine plywood and often painted yellow. This prevents anybody from falling into the building - including tresspassers. Prior to this work, everybody needs to wear a harness affixed to whatever is available to prevent a fall.
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Rank: Forum user
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Temporary barriers or demarcation should not be used to protect persons from falling from height as they are not suitable. As good practice you should be following the requirements of the British Standards, which states:
"When the height of a possible fall exceeds 500mm a guard rail shall be installed. A guard-rail shall be provided when the gap between a platform and the structure of a machine or wall is greater than 180 mm or if the protection of the structure is not equivalent to a guard-rail. The minimum height of the guard rail shall be 1100mm and include one intermediate knee rail and the clear space between each rail no greater then 500mm".
Any guard rails installed should be capable of withstanding external forces exerted onto it e.g. the load of a person falling. I hope that helps.
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1 user thanked Woolf13 for this useful post.
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Rank: Forum user
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Brilliant, thanks for you help.
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