Employees on a boatswains' chair shall be protected by?

When using a boatswains' chair, which is a suspended seat used for working at elevation, it is critical for employees to be protected by a personal fall arrest system. This system is designed to safely catch a worker in the event of a fall, minimizing the risk of injury while working at heights.

The personal fall arrest system usually consists of a harness worn by the worker, which is attached to a secure anchor point via a lanyard. This type of safety equipment is specifically designed to provide the necessary protection when individuals are engaged in activities that involve significant vertical exposure, such as maintenance, repair, or installation tasks where scaffold or guardrail systems may not be feasible.

A guardrail system offers a perimeter barrier to prevent falls but is not applicable to all situations, especially in narrower or more confined workspaces where a boatswains' chair is utilized. Therefore, while guardrails may be effective in some cases, they are not a substitute for a personal fall arrest system when working from a boatswains' chair, thus reinforcing the requirement for the latter to ensure worker safety.