WORKING AT HEIGHT Mythbusters
The legislation around working at height is quite clear. But there are many misconceptions that have grown up around some health and safety issues. Here Hugh Owen, of 4see Ltd, busts some of those myths.
Working at height is something that can put fear into some people – and their employers! To others it is not given a second thought. Perhaps a state of mind somewhere between the two is the best place to be.
As the Health and Safety Executive explains, 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 the current regulations is to prevent death and injury from a fall from height.
Perhaps the most important element of working at height to bear in mind is the most simple. If you do not need to undertake any work at height, then don’t. Do as much of the work as possible from ground level. However there will of course be times when it is unavoidable to work at height and this is when you must take care – and take note.
The current regulations around working at height were introduced in 2005. Their purpose is twofold:
• To prevent death and injury caused by a fall from height. If you are an employer or you control work at height (for example facilities managers or building owners who may contract others to work at height) the regulations apply to you.
• Employers and those in control of any work at height activity must assess the risks, make sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people. This includes using the right type of equipment for working at height. Low-risk, relatively straightforward tasks will require less effort when it comes to planning.
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It is pretty simple really. The Health and Safety Executive have produced a very handy guide to explain it all and ensure that you comply with the law. It can be found on their website here.
There will be times when it is unavoidable to work at height and this is when you must take care – and take note.
But what are we to make of all the stories about the use of ladders these days? Isn’t it all very complicated?
No it is not and this is a good opportunity to dispel some of those myths:
HSE have banned the use of ladders on building sites, haven’t they?
No, this isn’t the case. Ladders and stepladders can be a sensible and practical option. They can be used for work at height when the use of other work equipment is not justified because of the low risk and short duration (short duration means working on a ladder for no more than 30 minutes at a time); or when there are existing workplace or site features which cannot be altered.
You need to have two feet and one hand on a stepladder at all times when carrying out a task.
No, this isn’t true. When you need to have both hands free for a brief period to do a job using a stepladder (e.g. cleaning a shelf, hanging wallpaper, installing a smoke detector on a ceiling) you need to maintain
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