Evidence review of the effectiveness of soft landing systems

Soft landing systems (SLS), sometimes referred to as fall arrest mats or bags, are generally either air-filled mats or soft-filled mats. They are fall arrest systems designed to mitigate the risk of injury to workers from falls from height through distances of up to about 2.5 metres. They began to be widely used in industry in the early 2000s. In use, they are laid on the ground or suspended beneath the working area. HSE inspectors have raised concerns about the effectiveness of SLS following observations that some duty holders were implementing these systems as the first choice of control against injury of workers in falls when working at height.