Nuclear Energy

Design Considerations

Many of the fall protection design considerations for the nuclear energy industry relate to radiation and minimizing the amount of time maintenance personnel are working in areas that contain high radiation levels. Fall protection systems must allow for quick and easy access to the various monitoring stations located throughout the reactor site, and due to potential radiation contamination concerns, special care must be taken to construct fall protection systems using materials that are appropriate for nuclear applications. Nuclear power plants also utilize large pipe rack systems that need to be spanned on foot during inspection and maintenance. Pipe rack systems tend to present elevated, uneven, asymmetrical walking surfaces and typically lack adequate supporting structure to attach a fall protection system. The top level of any pipe rack system also lacks overhead structure to anchor a fall protection system.