WORKING AT HEIGHT THE HIGH GROUND
Working at height includes everything from cleaning the windows of a skyscraper to changing a light bulb in an office. Kate Langwick, office manager at Height, Lift and Shift, tells us how to reach for the stars safely.
The cost of falls from height are potentially huge, both physically and financially, and with current legislation in place to protect people there should be no excuse for poor working practices. Most accidents and injuries could be avoided by the use of appropriate work equipment.
This led Height, Lift & Shift (HLS) to conduct some research into how people carry out tasks at height, and how they manage manual handling during these tasks. The findings were mixed, with many reinforcing what many of us already feel to be true.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) slips, trips, and falls account for around 2 million lost working days in a year. HLS’ research found that around 90% of all working at height tasks observed were performed using ladders or unofficial forms of access at some point. Reducing this over-reliance on ladders and unofficial access (the office chair, a desk, an upturned box) is a key way to reduce the risk, lost working days and nuisance factors caused by poor manual handling and working at height practices.
HLS also observed that users have a tendency to use whatever equipment is closest to hand. This puts organisations at greater risk of breaching HSE working at height regulations, and can put employees at unnecessary risk from the use of inappropriate equipment. Although the correct equipment might be available, if it is stored at a distance from where it is to be used, operatives are much less likely to actually use it. This has important implications for workplace design and planning.
Around 49% of all tasks at height were carried out weekly or on a more frequent basis, which illustrates how integral tasks carried out at height are to the smooth running of offices, shops, hospitals, schools and universities. Ensuring people
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have good, effective equipment to complete their work in the safest, most efficient manner possible is crucial for organisations that take their responsibilities seriously.
Another finding was that there are significant differences between management’s and operators’ perception of organisational safety culture. This is an important point because while there may be excellent structures and policies in place within an organisation, if these are not filtering down intact to those completing the jobs, they are much less likely to have the desired positive impact.
Organisations therefore need to work hard to involve employees at all levels of the business in the creation of structures and policies, ensuring operatives, supervisors, and employers are sharing responsibility to ensure all tasks involving work at height and/or manual handling are well planned and organised.
Following this research HLS was able to gain insight into what the real world of working at height looks like, which has resulted in a more tailored approach to its work. HLS developed a user-adoption programme to ensure that the equipment provided to operators is suitable for each individual task; to provide the correct training in the use of that equipment; and to address the cultural change required to achieve behavioural change. This approach ensures that when an organisation invests in improved safety they achieve the return on investment they are expecting, both through tangible productivity benefits, and the less tangible risk reduction benefits.
HLS provides a wide range of solutions for working at height; from simple non-powered products for very specific tasks, to more versatile powered access with or without the ability to reach over ground-based obstacles. HLS takes a consultative approach in collaboration with clients to ensure any equipment recommended has been selected through unbiased evaluation of the environment and tasks being carried out in each organisation.
This gives organisations not just appropriate equipment to make working at height tasks safer, but also peace of mind. For a responsible employer it is important to identify the most appropriate and safest equipment for employees working at height; HLS goes one step further by helping to deliver productivity benefits alongside safer working practices.
www.hls.co www.tomorrowshs.com
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