Working at Height and Falls

Sunday, August 17, 2008

What are falls from height?

Many work activities involve working at height. Working from ladders, scaffolds and platforms are obvious examples, but there are many more activities where people are required to work at height. Examples include working on roofs and over tanks, pits and structures. Even changing a ceiling light in an office involves working at heights.

Why are falls from height important?

Falls from height are responsible for many serious and fatal injuries every year. If you fall from a height above two metres, the likelihood is that you will sustain a serious injury.

Who is affected/most at risk of falls from height?

Many workers in maintenance and construction, but many other people in a variety of jobs could be at risk of falling from height at work. Examples include painters, decorators and window cleaners and those who undertake one-off jobs without proper training, planning or equipment

The main hazards associated with working at height are people falling, and objects falling onto people. These may occur as a result of inadequate edge protection, or poor securing of people or objects in storage.

What does the law say?

All employers have statutory and common-law obligations in relation to the health and safety of their employees and premises. There are elements of the following legislation that affects falls from height:

• The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
• The Construction Health Safety and Welfare Regulations 1996
• The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury.
• The Work at Height (Amendment) Regulations 2007 apply to those who work at height providing instruction or leadership to one or more people engaged in caving or climbing by way of sport, recreation, team building or similar activities in Great Britain.

Good working at height practice

A risk assessment should be carried out before any work at height is undertaken. The assessment should highlight the measures that must be taken to ensure people are not at risk of falling from height. Consider the type of equipment to be used, much of which needs to handled by a competent person:

• Ladders – which are only acceptable for access or work of short duration and must be appropriate and of an appropriate grade for the intended use.
• Access equipment
• Mobile elevated platforms
• Scaffold towers