There are a lot of dangers and therefore regulations surrounding working at heights, with this work-related topic alone being one of the biggest causes of fatalities and injuries in the work place.

As an occupational health provider, we have seen our fair share of work-related conditions, so we thought it’d be handy to give our clients and their employees an insight into just what our services can prevent…

Factfile

• The law: Work at Height Regulations (WAHR) 2005
• One of the biggest causes of injuries and fatalities under the WAHR Act is falls from ladders and through fragile roofs. The purpose of WAHR is to prevent such accidents and deaths happening.

What?

Working at height is defined by the following guidance, if there are no precautions to prevent a person falling a distance liable to cause injury, as stated under the WAHR:

• You are working on a ladder or a flat roof
• You could fall through a fragile surface
• You could fall into an opening in a floor or a hole in the ground.

How?

General advice about having staff working at height includes these simple pre-emptive steps:

• Avoid work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do so
• Where work at height cannot be avoided, prevent falls using either an existing place of work that is already safe or the right type of equipment
• Minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, by using the right type of equipment where the risk cannot be eliminated.

To comply with varying regulations including the Work at Height Regulations 2005, you should remember to take a sensible, realistic approach to considering precautions for working at height. Ensure you weigh up the following factors: the height of the task, duration of the task, frequency and condition of surface that is being worked on. Of course, there will be low-risk situations where common sense dictates there is no necessity for precaution.

To specifically comply with the Law, you should:

• Do as much work as possible from the ground
• Ensure workers can get safely to and from where they work at height
• Make sure equipment is suitable, stable and strong enough for the job, maintained and checked regularly

Employing competent staff

All members of staff potentially working at heights during the course of their employment should have the sufficient knowledge, training and experience to perform such tasks. If they are training to do some work they should be accompanied by another member of staff competent enough to look after the other person (as well as themselves).

Dependant on the task in hand and duration of such a task, there are different measures that can be taken, speak to Business Health Partners about such examples.

Responsible staff are a huge help in keeping the workplace safe – across the board – but when it comes to working at heights, they must be reliable and responsible for their own actions. Every employee has general legal duties to take care of themselves and others affected by any actions, as well as cooperating with employers and health and safety regulations.

The Law says they must:

• Report any safety hazard they identify to their employer;
• Use the equipment and safety devices supplied or given to them properly, in accordance with any training and instructions (unless they think that would be unsafe, in which case they should seek further instructions before continuing).

Working at height should not be a dangerous task, as long as regular monitoring takes place and the regulations are followed.

If you would like to know more about the occupational health services, training and consultancy that we provide, why not call 07720 956789 or if you like what you hear, follow us at @BusinessHealth_.