The new height of safety

Featuring three harnesses and a range of lanyards and accessories, BOVA combined the research and in-depth understanding of the category gained from its position on the SABS Working From Heights Technical Committee, with realtime industry insights and best practice knowledge gained through its membership with the Institute for Working at Heights. The result is a range of products that caters to all non-fire/heat-related working at heights requirements.

In designing the new harnesses, Ruaan Breedt, technical specialist: Working at Heights at BBF Safety Group, states, “There are a large number of harness options in the working at heights category, and this can be confusing to end-users, with the multiple variations in hardware and padding. We wanted to focus on designing harnesses that meet the requirements of rope access and rescue, multipurpose use, and undergrounding mining – thereby covering all the functionalities of non-fire/heat-related working at heights harnesses with just three styles.” There are three harnesses in the range: • Excavo – an underground mining harness compatible with all functionalities for underground mining: fall from heights, rescue and equipment. • Agilis – a multipurpose rescue harness engineered to perform in a range of different environments: fall arrest, working positioning and basic rescue. • Gordian – a rope access and advanced rescue harness design to perform the functions of rope access and rescue, while still providing solutions to fall-arrest and work-positioning requirements. With careful consideration of both the requirements and challenges of individuals working from heights in these environments, BOVA paid attention to the placement of padding, as well as the types of hardware fitted on each harness, to ensure the perfect balance between functionality and safety, which is key in the company’s fit-for-purpose philosophy.

“There is often a misconception that the more padding featured on a harness, the better. This is not necessarily the case. Padding, if not serving a purpose to displace pressure over a wider area – thereby improving comfort in a highly dangerous position – can lead to a heat build-up in the area that results in damp and uncomfortable equipment for the wearer,” adds Breedt.

Vanessa Roland, senior brand manager, says, “We are proud of the consideration that was put into the work-positioning lanyard and the endless round sling. September 2020 saw the launch of BOVA’s new range of locally manufactured fall-arrest equipment, which has extended the brand from an entry-level category player into the mid-tier working at heights category.

Our work-positioning lanyard features a PVC protector that protects the webbing against abrasive edges and liquids that could be found on the element that it is being wound around.

“Our endless round slings are manufactured from seat belt webbing that is then encased in tubular webbing to enhance the performance and improve the safety of the product. Not only is our endless round sling manufactured in accordance with SANS 50797 but, unlike many products on the market, it has also been tested and certified according to those standards,” explains Roland.

Every item in the new range is packaged in a reusable drawstring bag that provides a protective storage solution. As multiple size options and product types can be available on a site at any time, each bag features a full colour tag with product graphic and colour coded sizes for easy stock identification.

Further included in the drawstring bags are a comprehensive, full-colour user manual and inspection sheet.

“We put a great deal of thought into the design and layout of our user manual. We wanted to create something that would easily communicate the legal requirements as well as best practice principles to encourage users to revisit the manual and keep the information top of mind. We also trust that the professionally laid out inspection sheets will further encourage individuals to perform their checks when required, which will ultimately create a safer working environment for all,” adds Roland.

Proudly manufactured in South Africa, in its ISO 9001 accredited facility in Johannesburg, the new Artisan range by BOVA Safety Wear is available to order now through your local distributor from a fully stocked warehouse.