BS EN 1263-1 Safety Nets (greater than 35m2 and 5m minimum side length) are subjected to a type test involving a 100kg mass falling 7m (6m plus an allowance for the height of the centre of gravity of a human). The nominal acceptable total fall energy is therefore 6kJ on a new net.

Within the UK, safety nets are utilised as a primary means of fall protection by those working at height, such as roof workers & Metal decking / flooring installers. Therefore, they must be rigged as close as is reasonably practicable to the underside of the working platform (i.e. roof / floor / deck) and never more than 2 meters.

The number of workers protected by an individual Safety Net that complies with BS EN 1263-1 & 2, must be contained within the capacity of the net. Therefore, for a 2m maximum fall height, and allowing 100kg per worker including tools, this would set the recommended maximum number of 2 workers over any section of Safety Net.

If more than 2 workers are required to work above a section of Safety Net, a specific risk assessment should be completed to assess the risk of more than 2 workers falling into the Safety Net simultaneously. If the risk is deemed to be low, then more than 2 workers may be able to work above the Safety Net.

For an increase of safety factor, the use of B-specification BS EN 1263-1 Safety Nets should be considered.