WORKING AT HEIGHT


Indeed, custodial sentences have become more frequent in recent years.


More general regulations are set out in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 under which employers have a fundamental obligation to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees and others affected by their work. They must provide a safe workplace, risk assessments, proper training, adequate supervision and maintain safe working practices. Collaboration with employees, the provision of necessary protective equipment and continual monitoring and improvement of safety measures are also basic responsibilities. These obligations aim to create and maintain a secure working environment.


Employers are also subject to PUWER regulations under which all operators are to be provided with suitable equipment and training on equipment they may be required to use in the execution of their duties. For WAH this includes mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPS), portable aluminium scaffold systems and all types of personal protective equipment (PPE).


Q: ARE THERE PLANS FOR NEW LEGISLATION ON WAH IN THE PIPELINE?


GMC: There are currently no scheduled updates to legislation and guidelines per se, but there is a stated commitment to simplifying regulatory compliance for SMEs, emphasising mental health within broader safety frameworks and continued alignment of regulations with international standards post-Brexit.


Industry trade bodies are active in advocating initiatives, including the Access Industry Forum (AIF) promoting competence certification schemes, the British Safety Council campaigning for enhanced fall protection standards and the European Safety Federation encouraging cross-border harmonisation of PPE standards.


Q: IS TECHNOLOGY PLAYING A PART IN THE PURSUIT OF SAFE WAH?


GMC: Drones and sensors are being adopted in industrial environments for the remote monitoring and inspection of equipment. It is unlikely that manual investigations will ever be eliminated, but any initiative that reduces the risk of WAH should be welcomed. Virtual reality software is being used to simulate real-world WAH activity, which is helping to improve training regimes.


Q: WHAT DRIVES KONECRANES’ PHILOSOPHY ON WORKPLACE SAFETY AND WORKING AT HEIGHT?


GMC: Our goal is to ensure that everybody gets home safely every day. We advocate that there is no job so important and no service so urgent that we cannot take the time to perform our work safely and correctly.


Our ‘Life Saving Behaviours’ (LSB) values are fundamental to our safety culture. These set out the standards we expect from colleagues and the partners with whom we work. LSBs are structured around the main hazards we are exposed to at our customer sites and in our own manufacturing operations and cover all aspects of our health and safety policy. They include specific instructions on working at height, namely:


• Always wear fall protection when WAH greater than 1.8 m/6 ft.


• Always attach to secure anchor points.


• Always use aerial work platforms designed for their intended purpose.


• Always inspect access equipment prior to use and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.


• Always establish a rescue plan with co-workers or the customer.


• Always define, isolate and clearly mark the work area.


• Always block the movement of adjacent cranes through electrical and/or mechanical means when


working on runways with multiple cranes.


Q: WHAT PPE KIT IS ISSUED TO KONECRANES’ TECHNICIANS?


GMC: When they join the company all service technicians are provided with the necessary PPE. Those required to WAH are also issued with specialist PPE such as the Skylotec Trion harness and Pretzel Vertex climbing safety helmet. Both products are high quality, selected to provide optimum safety and comfort for our people. The harnesses are visually inspected by the technicians prior to each use and by our insurance company every six months.


Q: What training is provided for your technicians? GMC: We are proud of the quality of our WAH training,


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