WORKING AT HEIGHT SOUND ADVICE
The health and safety implications of working at height mean there are key requirements for every employer to consider. Danny Clarke, head of health surveillance and occupational health service provider Sound Advice, outlines the most important aspects to ensure employers do not get caught short.
Recent figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that 567,000 working days were lost last year due to injuries caused by working at height. This activity is the most common cause of fatalities in the workplace and accounts for almost 30% of all fatal injuries. Employers must therefore take a hard line in ensuring robust safety procedures are enforced and being followed, so that such dangers are minimised.
Cases of preventable working at height accidents have become increasingly well documented in the media, with each incident further highlighting the importance of good health and safety management and the need to ensure high standards of practice.
There are a number of requirements employers must meet when it comes to working at height that include ensuring employees are fit, competent and subject to appropriate risk management controls.
Employers must strive for the best working practices and endeavour to do their utmost to safeguard employees that carry out such work. Every employer must consider the following to ensure that best standards of practice are carried out for every eventuality.
HEALTH TESTING
Before employees work at height, employers need to consider an individual’s fitness to work at height as part of the overall assessment. The most effective method for establishing fitness is a working at height medical, which is typically undertaken annually. Sound Advice regularly provide on-site health testing for employees that work at height. These assessments are essential to enable employers to demonstrate that employees are safely able to work at height.
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TRAINING Employers need to ensure that appropriate training is provided in order to minimise the risks associated with working at height. This can be achieved through training that should be focussed on improving and encouraging the sharing of best practice, and behavioural-based safety to help workers at all levels understand the importance of working safely and following procedures. Continual training is key, especially in respect to any new legislation changes that could affect existing work practices. Training should include the use of equipment, inspections and maintenance as well as safe working procedures that include provisions for evacuation and, if necessary, rescue procedures.
TIME SPENT WORKING AT HEIGHT
The general rule is that working at height should be avoided where possible. Failing this, employers should ensure that the most appropriate equipment is used, this includes mobile towers, scaffolding, MEWPS and if appropriate ladders. Each individual activity where working at height is a possibility should undergo a risk assessment. The general rule of thumb is that work carried out at height that exceeds a 30 minute time frame or is high risk should not be undertaken using a ladder.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
Employers that are in control of any work at height activity must make sure that the work is planned, supervised and undertaken by competent people. Improper training and not considering an individual’s fitness to work at height can carry hefty legal ramifications in the event of any incidents.
In May this year a business owner was sentenced to 45 weeks imprisonment for two breaches of working at height regulations and another was sentenced to 24 weeks suspended imprisonment and ordered to pay £20,000 towards prosecution costs for breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations Act 2007, a third man who was in charge of works on the day was also sentenced after an employee died as a result of falling from height. Following an HSE investigation, it was found that another employee had fallen from height and not reported it at the time.
Employers must have robust and safe working practices and rigorous health testing to ensure they are doing everything they can to safeguard any work undertaken at height.
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