The article deals with the issue of injury risks arising from fall arrest in a harness when working at heights. It analyses the forces impacting on the human’s body when a fall is arrested in a full-body harness and the acceleration of the head. It points out that rather than relying on fall arrest system, it is more advantageous to prevent a fall altogether, for example by using a work positioning system.
The article deals with the issue of falls from a height. It defines basic terms such as fall, fall distance, fall from a height and into depth and fall clearance. It provides basic information on the mechanics and consequences of a fall. It explains the sorting of falls according to biomechanics, to the OSRI (VÚBP), to the consequences of a fall and to the OHS risk prevention. These are sorted into completed falls, incomplete (arrested) falls and pendulum falls, including subgroups.
The article deals with 185 diving fatalities involving Czech and Slovak divers that have occurred in the last 60 years in their countries and abroad. It provides a basic overview of accidents and groups them according to the most common causes, which are buddy team separation or solo diving, health conditions, overhead environment, inappropriate equipment and freediving.
The presented paper describes a forensic biomechanical reconstruction of a human fall from a hotel balcony, with special emphasis on the effect of railing height. The reconstruction integrates methods from forensic engineering, criminal science, biomechanics, numerical simulation, and 3D documentation. By using a multibody simulation in PC-Crash combined with a metrically accurate 3D model of the scene derived from a point cloud, the study enables an objective, quantitative evaluation of the incident dynamics. The paper compares the reconstructed fall trajectory with legislative standards for railing height, highlighting potential safety deficiencies. The findings demonstrate how scientifically based numerical reconstruction can support expert opinions in legal proceedings and contribute to the design of preventive measures in construction, thereby reducing the risk of human falls from height due to insufficient structural design of building elements.
It is my honor to officially announce that the first issue of the scientific journal SWARM – Safety, Work And Rescue Magazine has just seen the light of day. The journal focuses not only on the theory and research of activities at heights and depths but, above all, on their practical application. While there are undoubtedly many similar periodicals, SWARM is inherently unique.
The first annual 0H5 (307P) conference on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) took place on October 2–3, 2024, next to Buchlov. The aim was to connect professionals, share practical experiences, and present modern approaches in the field. The program combined lectures with workshops, providing participants with practical skills applicable in their daily practice. The main topics included working at heights, ergonomics, fire protection, and the use of modern technologies, including artificial intelligence. The conference received positive feedback and confirmed the interest in similar professional events within the Czech occupational health and safety community.
Although the Polish knot is often used for anchoring in rope access, rope rescue and caving due to its advantages, there is a lack of information about its strength. The article deals with the strength and efficiency of the Polish knot, both when loading the front and rear strands of the rope coming out of the knot. It shows that the difference between the individual strands is insignificant. And although the Polish knot shows lower strength than the figure-eight loop, it offers other advantages.
The article deals with the causes of a diving accident that occurred in 2014 in Svobodné Heřmanice quarry. One of the divers began to surface for unknown reasons in the 12th minute of a recreational dive and then sank to the bottom. As a result of the lack of breath, he lost consciousness. The second diver pulled him to the surface, where he successfully resuscitated him. Later, in the hospital, a foreign object was found in the injured diver's lungs.
After an accident on a leisure zip line in 2007, a criminal court sentenced an instructor from the starting platform to a suspended sentence. The court justified the decision by breaching unspecified obligations and failing to comply with the requirements of labour law, which the court itself stated did not apply to leisure activities such as zip line. The article draws attention to the fact that when dealing with accidents in sport/leisure activities, seemingly unrelated labour law regulations may be followed.
It is my honor to officially announce that the first issue of the scientific journal SWARM – Safety, Work And Rescue Magazine has just seen the light of day. The journal focuses not only on the theory and research of activities at heights and depths but, above all, on their practical application. While there are undoubtedly many similar periodicals, SWARM is inherently unique.
