Working at Height
It is expected that new regulations governing working at height will be introduced early in 2005 to increase safety and promote best practice. An extract adapted from an article.
The statistics are well known and stark. In 2003/4, 235 people were killed at work, a third of which resulted from falls from height. In addition, 4,000 people were seriously injured in falls making a significant contribution to the overall accident statistics.
The UK is due to introduce new Work at Height Regulations (WAHR) in response to a European directive covering equipment for temporary work at height. Currently, these are in draft form and are expected in early 2005.
The new regulations will apply to all industries and all work at any height. Previously legislation only covered work at over two metres. New legislation will cover use of kick stools or stepladders in the same way as well as work from scaffolding.
The guiding principle for the WAHR is the so-called 'Hierarchy for Safe Work at Height&'. Employers must consider four steps:
Step 1: Avoid the risk - All possibilities must be considered to avoid working at height.
Step 2: Prevent falls - Where work at height is unavoidable, a risk assessment must be undertaken to identify the safety measures to prevent people or objects falling.
Step 3: Mitigate the consequences of a fall - If a risk of falling remains, steps must be taken to reduce the distances and consequences of a fall.
Step 4: Collective protection - At all stages it is important to consider collective protection measures over personal protection. Guardrails and nets are more important in the scheme of things than safety harnesses.
The emphasis on collective protection makes good sense. An employer can provide safety harnesses and train workers to use them. However, without constant supervision, it is impossible to ensure that the equipment is being used properly. If a guardrail or a net is in place, it protects all workers, regardless of their personal conduct.
The legislation also makes reference to an employer's responsibilities for work at height, which must take the following points into consideration. Work at height must:
be properly planned;
be appropriately supervised;
be carried out in a safe manner
include planning for emergencies and rescue; and
take weather conditions into account.
Good training for best practice
Good training is a vital element in the implementation of any legislation. All staff, including supervisors, managers and the self-employed will have to understand the implications of the legislation and how it affects their work. It is imperative that no one should have to undertake any organisation, planning, supervision or use of work equipment unless their employer can prove competence and training.
One of the key functions of safety training is the preparation of the staff that will assess the risk. Although this focuses on the construction industry, it will apply to any company or organisation that expects its employees or contractors to work at height, including offices, hospitals, factories or schools, as well as towers, gantries or antennas.
Ladders and steps
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has identified the use of ladders - permanent, portable or step, as a concern. They alone, account for ten fatalities and over a quarter of all serious fall-related injuries each year. The HSE expects ladders to be designed out of any job where possible. The Work at Height Regulations require that ladders be used only when a risk assessment demonstrates that use of alternative work equipment is unjustified and use of ladder represents a low risk.
Protection of others
Back in the 1970s, the government ran a public health film campaign to encourage construction workers to wear hard hats, with the rhyme:
"Sir Isaac Newton told us why,
An apple falls down from the sky.
And from this fact it's very plain,
All other objects do the same.
A brick, a bolt, a bar, a cup,
Invariably fall down, not up."
Over the past thirty years, governments have increasingly chosen legislation over poetry to protect the workforce, and the new regulations are no different. Protection of site staff who are not working at height, along with members of the public, is inevitably bound up with the avoidance of falls and drops.
As a last resort, fall arrest harnesses should be used to mitigate any falls. When using these, consider how anyone who does fall can be rescued safely. Once again, the safety of the rescuers should be considered not just that of the faller.
To control the dangers of work at height the best advice is to plan the work ahead, avoid ladders whenever possible, and make good use of the expertise available. Training is essential and contributes towards the responsibility to show due diligence, while getting the best advice before and throughout a project will make sure you stay safe.
European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2004
