WORKING AT HEIGHT SAFELY

Introduction

Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries. Common causes are falls from ladders and through fragile roofs. The purpose of Working at Height rule is to prevent death and injury from a fall from height.

Work at height means work in any place where, if there were no precautions in place, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury.

For example you are working at height if you:

■ are working on a ladder or a flat roof;

■ could fall through a fragile surface;

■ could fall into an opening in a floor or a hole in the ground.

Working at Height Risk Control Measures

Take a sensible approach when considering precautions for work at height. There may be some low-risk situations where common sense tells you no particular precautions are necessary and the law recognises this. There is a common misconception that ladders and stepladders are banned, but this is not the case. There are many situations where a ladder is the most suitable equipment for working at height.

Before working at height you must work through these simple steps:

• Avoid work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do so;
• Where work at height cannot be avoided, prevent falls using either an existing place of work that is already safe or the right type of equipment;
• Minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, by using the right type of equipment where the risk cannot be eliminated.
• You should:
  • Do as much work as possible from the ground;
  • Ensure workers can get safely to and from where they work at height;
  • Ensure equipment is suitable, stable and strong enough for the job, maintained and checked regularly;
  • Make sure you don’t overload or overreach when working at height;
  • Take precautions when working on or near fragile surfaces;
  • Provide protection from falling objects;
  • consider your emergency evacuation and rescue procedures.

What are the most common causes of accidents when working at height?

Roof work is high risk and falls from roofs, through fragile roofs and fragile roof lights are one of the most common causes of workplace death and serious injury. As well as in construction, these accidents can also occur on roofs of factories, warehouses and farm buildings when roof repair work or cleaning is being carried out.

The following are likely to be fragile:

• Roof Lights;
• Liner Panels on Built-Up Sheeted Roofs;
• Non-Reinforced Fibre Cement Sheets;
• Corroded Metal Sheets;
• Glass (Including Wired Glass);
• Rotted Chipboard;
• Slates And Tiles.

What do you need to consider when planning work at height?

The following are all requirements in law that you need to consider when planning and undertaking work at height.

You must:

• Take account of weather conditions that could compromise worker safety;
• Check that the place (eg a roof) where work at height is to be undertaken is safe. Each place where people will work at height needs to be checked every time, before use;
• Stop materials or objects from falling or, if it is not reasonably practicable to prevent objects falling,
• Store materials and objects safely so they won’t cause injury if they are disturbed or collapse;
• Plan for emergencies and rescue, eg agree a set procedure for evacuation. Think about foreseeable situations and make sure employees know the emergency procedures. Don’t just rely entirely on the emergency services for rescue in your plan.

What must employees do?

Employees have general legal duties to take reasonable care of themselves and others who may be affected by their actions, and to co-operate with their employer to enable their health and safety duties and requirements to be complied with.

For an employee, or those working under someone else’s control, the law says they must:

• Report any safety hazard they identify to their employer;
• Use the equipment and safety devices supplied or given to them properly, in accordance with any training and instructions (unless they think that would be unsafe, in which case they should seek further instructions before continuing). You must consult your employees (either directly or via safety representatives), in good time, on health and safety matters. Issues you must consult employees on include:
• Risks arising from their work;
• Proposals to manage and/or control these risks;
• The best ways of providing information and training. Employers can ask employees and their representatives what they think the hazards are, as they may notice things that are not obvious and may have some good, practical ideas on how to control the risks.

What should employers do?

They should make sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people with the skills, knowledge and experience to do the job. They must use the right type of equipment for working at height.

They should take a sensible approach when considering precautions. Low-risk, relatively straightforward tasks will require less effort when it comes to planning and there may be some low-risk situations where common sense tells them no particular precautions are necessary.

Further information

 

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