NS 9610 - New Norwegian Standard for fall arrest

In 2020, NS 9610 “Fall Arrest - Work at Height - Training and Execution ”published. This is the first time that fall arrest is published in a Norwegian Standard, and will give the industry a great opportunity to ensure the quality of both training and execution of the subject fall arrest. In connection with the publication, Soft Certification (SSE) has also worked to establish a certification scheme for training companies. This is now in place, and with an approval from SSE, companies that deliver courses in fall arrest can get a third-party verification that the courses offered are in accordance with NS 9610. By having an approval from SSE, it will be easier to document to customers that the competence of the instructors and the content of the courses are of the right quality and content, and in accordance with NS 9610. SSE are currently the only ones that offer approval of course companies according to NS 9610.

Countless hours are worked in fall arrest every year, but unfortunately fall accidents are the most common type of accident in working life .The new Norwegian standard will make it easier for serious companies to navigate requirements and guidelines that apply to both training and execution. The most important thing is that the quality of the training can be verified and confirmed by those who book courses, but do not have competence in the field. The idea with such a standard is that the training companies now have the same guidelines to comply with, and the requirements for content and time use have been clarified. In the long run, this will lead to a higher quality of training, and thus increase the competence among the performing companies that have participants in courses. 

Competence and attitudes are the most important factors in avoiding fall accidents.