A safety net that has caught a falling person has done its job. It has prevented an injury that would, in the absence of the net, have ranged from serious to fatal. But the net itself has now been subjected to a dynamic load that may have damaged its components, deformed its geometry, or compromised its anchorages. A net that has caught a fall is not a net that can simply be left in place for the next operation. The post-incident process determines what happens next, and getting it right protects both the workforce and the principal contractor’s compliance position.
Why post-incident inspection cannot be informal
The instinct on a busy site after a fall has been arrested by a net is often to be relieved that the system worked, get the operative checked over, and get back to work. The net looks intact. There is no obvious damage. Why not just continue?
The reason is that nets that have absorbed a fall have absorbed energy through their fibres, their connections, and their anchorages. The damage may not be visible to a casual inspection but may have reduced the net’s capacity to perform if a second fall occurs. Continuing to use a net that has caught a fall, without proper inspection and assessment, is a risk that no responsible contractor or principal contractor should accept.
The required response
Following a fall into a safety net, the immediate response requires the area to be secured so that no further work occurs on or above the affected installation. The operative who fell needs to be assessed and supported as required, with first aid provided immediately and medical attention arranged where appropriate. The incident needs to be recorded as a near miss or, depending on the consequences, an accident requiring formal reporting under RIDDOR if applicable.
The net itself has to be inspected by a competent person — typically a FASET-trained operative or supervisor — before any decision about continued use can be made. The inspection covers visible damage to the net mesh, the perimeter rope, the connections, and the anchorage points. Where the inspection identifies any damage, the net is taken out of service and replaced. Where the inspection finds no visible damage, the contractor needs to consider whether the net is still fit for use — and in many cases, the answer is replacement regardless, because the cost of replacement is small compared to the consequence of a second fall onto a compromised net.
Documentation and reporting
Post-incident documentation captures what happened, what response occurred, what the inspection found, and what action was taken. This documentation is essential for the principal contractor’s compliance position, for the contractor’s quality management records, and for any subsequent investigation by the HSE if the incident is reportable.
Under the Globe Group’s ISO 9001 framework, Red Safety Netting’s post-incident process is structured around documented procedures that capture the required information consistently. The documentation produced is auditable and provides a complete record of the response. For principal contractors, this is what protects their CDM 2015 and HSWA position if the incident is investigated.
Lessons learned and the wider project
A fall arrested by a safety net is a near miss. The fall protection system worked, but the underlying conditions that caused the fall need to be examined. Was the operative adequately briefed? Was the work environment safe? Was there a failure of edge protection, scaffold provision, or supervision that contributed to the fall? These questions need to be addressed not just to manage the immediate incident but to prevent the conditions from recurring elsewhere on the site.
Red Safety Netting contributes to this review where the incident involves the fall protection installation, providing detailed technical information about the system, the inspection findings, and any lessons learned. This information feeds into the principal contractor’s incident review and supports the wider project’s safety management.
Replacement net specification
Where a net is replaced after an incident, the replacement specification has to match or exceed the original. This means the replacement net needs to be classified appropriately under BS EN 1263-1 and 2, anchored to the same standard, and installed with the same clearance geometry. The replacement is documented in the same way as the original installation, with the post-incident context recorded.
This is straightforward where the contractor maintains stock of compliant nets and the operatives required to install them. For Red Safety Netting, this capability is part of the standard operating model. Replacement can typically be carried out within timescales that avoid significant programme disruption, which matters because the alternative is the affected work area being out of use until the replacement is complete.
Why this matters at procurement stage
For a principal contractor evaluating fall protection tenders, the question of post-incident response is one of the more useful procurement questions. A contractor with a documented procedure, FASET-trained operatives, stock availability for replacement, and ISO 9001 documentation discipline is a contractor whose response will protect the project if a fall occurs. A contractor without these things will respond to the incident, but the response will be ad hoc, the documentation will be patchy, and the principal contractor’s compliance position will be weaker as a result.
Talk to Red Safety Netting
To discuss fall protection installation, inspection, and post-incident response for your project, contact Red Safety Netting on 01223 890727 or email enquiries@theglobegroup.co.uk.
