FEATURE SAFER AT HEIGHT


Russell Tennent, Managing Director at Leach’s, introduces the company’s STRICTPLAAN height safety planning framework.


We all know the importance of working at height safely. Yet despite continued efforts to raise awareness around what constitutes safe working at height, breaches on construction sites have risen 84% in the first quarter of 2021.


The greatest risk working at height presents is to the health and safety of our workforce. But there are huge financial implications of ill practice too. In July 2021, for example, a construction company was fined £30,000 for failing to comply with work at height regulations after a worker fell from a garage roof with no edge protection. That worker sustained a broken hip, fractures to his foot and knee damage.


TIME TO STEP UP It is now abundantly clear that, as an industry, we must


do more to raise awareness of effective height safety protocols, and ensure strict and thorough planning processes are in place to protect workers and prevent further injuries and deaths.


To support this cause, the team at Leach’s developed a memorable planning framework, so those responsible for work at height are able to keep important height safety requirements front of mind. We’ve called it STRICTPLAAN, and in this article we’ll cover its core principles.


S – Scenario – Evaluate the scenario


TR – Threats and risks – Understand the threats and risks I – Instigate – Instigate proper planning


C – Competencies – Evaluate worker competencies T – Training – Ensure thorough training


P – PPE – Choose quality PPE and height safety tools L – Look – Look at your equipment before each use


A – Actionable – Create an actionable emergency and evacuation plan


A – Assure – Assure regulatory compliance N – Never – Never get complacent


S – EVALUATE THE SCENARIO One of the most important steps to take before undertaking any work at height is asking the question… “Do we need to?”


That is because the simplest and most effective way to avoid falls and injuries at height is not working at height. So, before you or any members of your team


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start climbing that ladder, closely evaluate the scenario to determine if it is absolutely necessary.


TR – UNDERSTAND THE THREATS AND RISKS Now you’ve concluded the job requires working at


height.


Before undertaking any work, a competent person should identify all the health and safety threats and risks workers could face. This can be achieved by conducting a full and thorough risk-assessment.


It’s important for employers to create and deploy a formal procedure, ensuring a risk-assessment is clearly defined, documented and all the relevant safety procedures are adhered to by those working at height.


I – INSTIGATE THOROUGH PLANNING Now you’re aware of the risks, it’s time to put a strict


plan in place.


Any work at height must comply with the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It is the duty of the employer, self-employed, or any person who controls the site or work of others, to create clearly defined safety measures that prevent the risk of personal injury. This is often referred to as a method statement. There are many details this should include which are covered in more depth on the HSE website, such as scope of the projects, means of access and more.


C – EVALUATE WORKER COMPETENCIES The plan is in place. But does your team have


the competency to carry out that plan? Everyone working at height must have the relevant skills, knowledge, ability, and experience to do so; this is called worker competency. Asking a tradesperson without the right skills to work at height safely is an accident waiting to happen.


Experience and competency are critical. It helps those in dangerous environments recognise the risks before an accident occurs, so they can use their knowledge to mitigate that threat.


T – ENSURE PROPER TRAINING Training is critical. It doesn’t just protect those working


at height, but also the people around them. A dropped tool could cause some serious damage to a worker or pedestrian below if the right safety measures aren’t in place. Proper training will help protect the entire team.


Although not everyone on a construction site is asked to work at height, it’s best-practice to give as many workers the opportunity to train as possible. If someone could be asked to help with a job when it isn’t their core expertise, they need to be confident to deliver.


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