MARKET REPORT

LOW-LEVEL ACCESS

Still a high priority

Kicking off our Market Report, EHN talks to hirers who find that providing low-level access products and training continues to be an important business segment.

Incidents arising from slips, trips and falls remain the most common cause of major workplace injury in Britain, with more fatalities being attributed to falls from height than any other cause.

HSE (Health & Safety Executive) statistics

The HSE’s dedicated web site gives advice on safe working at height.

suggest that, in the past year, there were more than 15,000

major injuries to workers, and over 30,000 employees having to take more than three days off work, at a total estimated cost to society of £800m.

Five incidents relating to falls are recorded every day within the construction industry, which remains a key area of focus. In March, HSE launched an inspection initiative for the third year running, making unannounced visits to ensure that contractors had taken appropriate precautiuons, chosen suitable equipment and kept work areas safe. Last year, following 1,759 such visits, 270 prohibition notices were issued to stop dangerous work, much of which related to work at height.

HSE also recently launched a new phase of its Shattered Lives campaign, targeting workers in industries like health care, education, food manufacture, catering, and building and plant maintenance, as well as construction. It emphasises how injuries can be sustained from low-level falls, as well as from greater heights. A dedicated web site (www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives) offers practical advice, with an on- line educational tool called STEP (Slips and Trips E-learning Package) explaining workplace hazards. Also provided is WAIT (Work at height access equipment information toolkit), showing possible solutions, particularly for people only undertaking such work occasionally.

Appropriate solutions

The need for low-level access solutions, therefore, remains high. “The HSE’s figures show that ensuring safe work at height is still an important issue,” says Mark Turnbull, Speedy Hire’s Safety, Health,

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Kentec provides training courses in a unit next door to its Tonbridge hire depot.

Environmental & Quality Director. “New products are reaching the market all the time. However, each one has to be evaluated to see whether it is an appropriate solution for a hirer like us to offer our customers.

“In developing low-level access products, designers must consider many factors. They have to be lightweight and narrow for easy access, but wide enough to give a low centre of gravity for stability. And hirers want products that are easy to transport and store, with as few parts as possible.

“Many accidents are caused through operators having unrealistic expectations of what they can safely achieve with equipment. They may feel over-confident when using something like a podium step with guardrails, but end up reaching too far and exerting too much lateral force. Users have to be adequately trained in both selecting and using equipment. The law requires people to be competent in operating tools needed to undertake a particular task, and that surely extends to products they may use to gain access to the work area. Speedy’s training services continue to be in demand, showing that more employers are keen to offer packages of both equipment and training to ensure employee safety.”

Dedicated training facility

Another hirer that is successfully providing training is Tonbridge- based Kentec Tool Hire. “We have a dedicated facility in the unit next door to our main tool hire depot, offering courses on a wide range of topics, including PASMA and IPAF programmes,” says Director Lee Batson. “Interest in work at height courses is growing and we are having to recruit extra training specialists. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48