TO THE SCAFFOLD
It’s a dangerous job working at height, especially when scaffolding is involved. Here, Thomann-Hanry looks into avoiding the risk entirely.
Working from height is a serious welfare issue for consideration by any health and safety savvy employer. Responsible for a number of serious and fatal injuries every year, it’s critical to take a regular step back and have a fresh look at the issues when working at height and checking, without fail, that you’re doing all you can to be as safe as possible.
Shannon Grimes has recently joined stone cleaning experts Thomann-Hanry as the Health and Safety manager and, after years of experience in this sector, takes working at height very seriously.
Shannon says: “Here at Thomann-Hanry the team is restoring and cleaning from platforms on a daily basis, so, as head of health and safety, working from height is a big focus for us and is an area that’s of paramount importance to the company and I.
“Here we work regularly with cherry pickers when restoring buildings, as well as using an enclosed cabin when cleaning façades with our unique ‘façade gommage’ system. We rarely use scaffold, but nevertheless our team is always aware of the dangers of working at height and what to do to ensure the safety of themselves and those around them.”
INJURY CONCERNS Working at height is dangerous. Excluding work-related illnesses, falls from height are the most common cause of workplace deaths, with falls from low heights causing 60% of injuries. You do not have to be very high to fall and injure yourself.
Equally, heights are not only a concern for the worker but also for people below. Simply dropping a screwdriver from ground elevation wouldn’t hurt a great deal but drop the same screwdriver from a 30 metre height, and potentially you have a fatality.
With this in mind you absolutely have to make sure that debris, rubbish, loose bricks and masonry is all checked and any of these hazards identified before starting work - you can pro-actively help to eliminate any damage or injury not only caused to workers but to members of the public too.
THE WORKERS Working at height and associated behaviour is also dependent on each worker. The individual’s perception of risk can change the way they work. A worker who doesn’t speed, would not go on rollercoasters, and would not normally jaywalk would be deemed to have a higher perception of risk compared to someone who drives at 100 mph, loves jumping out of aeroplanes, and won’t say no to a bungee jump.
Working at height is a dynamic hazard that never stays the same. What is key in any organisation where height is a factor is that the workplace needs to ensure a
SAYING ‘NO’
52 | WORKING AT HEIGHT
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78