SAFETY NET LOAD DROP TEST AT CONSTRUCTION SITE

Where workers on a construction site are exposed to vertical drops of 6 feet or more, OSHA requires that employers provide fall protection in one of three ways before work begins
Safety nets must be installed with sufficient clearance to prevent contact with the surface or structures under them when subjected to an impact force equal to the drop test described below.
Safety nets and their installations must be capable of absorbing an impact force equal to the drop test described below.
Safety nets and safety net installations must be drop-tested at the jobsite:
After initial installation and before being used.
Whenever relocated.
After major repair.
At 6-month intervals if left in one place.
The drop test consists of a 400 pound bag of sand 28-32 inches in diameter dropped into the net from the highest surface at which employees are exposed to fall hazards, but not from less than than 42 inches above that level.
When the employer can demonstrate that it is unreasonable to perform the drop-test described above, the employer or a designated competent person shall certify that the net and net installation have sufficient clearance and impact absorption by preparing a certification record prior to the net being used as a fall protection system.