Work at Height

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Health and Safety Executive
Work at Height
Robert Vaughan Falls from Height Team Stowmarket
10 December 2004
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Summary

• Drivers for change
• The Work at Height Regulations
• Where we are at the moment
• Key messages about work at height

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Drivers for Change

• Statistics fall from height a major hazard
• Existing piecemeal legislation
• Temporary Work at Height Directive

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Statistics

• Biggest Killer 67 Fatal Accidents 2003/04
• 3884 Major Accidents 2003/04
• Until this year always 2nd biggest cause of major
  accidents
• 2/3 of all major injuries caused by low falls
  (below 2mtrs)

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Other Drivers for Change

• Patchwork of existing legislation
• Construction Health Safety Welfare
• Workplace Health Safety and Welfare.
• PUWER LOLER
• Temporary Work at Height Directive (2001/45/EC)

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Developing the Regulations

• HSC regulatory objectives
• Bring existing regulations together
• Have goal setting regulations
• Maintain existing standards
• Draft proposals consulted on
• 750 responses, challenging issues on
  construction and adventure activity providers

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Where we are at the moment

• Most draft Regulations already agreed
• Balancing goal setting with prescription
• Further consultation on 2mtr reference point
  completed
• Issue of what to do about adventure activity
  workers still to resolve

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Current shape of the Regulations

• Old wine in new bottles (sic)
• Organisation and planning
• Competence
• Risk assessment
• Fragile surfaces/falling objects and danger areas
• Inspection of work equipment
• Duties on persons at work

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What is work at height?

• Work in any place from which a person could fall
  a distance liable to cause personal injury
• Includes
• access and egress
• work at or below ground level
• Does not include
• stairways or slips or trips on the level

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Which Industries are covered?

• Covers all industries e.g. construction,
  agriculture, manufacturing, retail,
  maintenance,warehouse etc
• Duty holders are
• employers
• self-employed and
• those in control of people at work, to the extent
  of their control

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Organisation, Planning, Competence

• Work at height should be
• Properly planned
• Appropriately supervised
• Not carried out if weather conditions jeopardise
  health and safety
• Those working at height should be
• competent or if being trained supervised by a
  competent person

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Steps for safe working at height

• Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and
  Safety at work Regulations
• Do a risk assessment

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Steps for safe working at height

• Avoid work at height
• if you dont have to go up there DONT!
• Prevent falls
• use an existing place or means of access
• Use the most suitable way of working
• Select the most suitable equipment

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Steps for safe work at height

• Minimise the distance and consequences
• Minimise the consequences
• Take other suitable measures to control the risk
  eg instruction, information and training

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Selecting the right work equipment

• Collective protection before personal protection
• Working conditions
• Access and Egress
• Distance and consequences of a fall
• Duration and frequency of use/task
• Ease of rescue/evacuation
• Risk of use, installation and removal of
  equipment

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Work Equipment for work at height

• Existing places of work
• Collective prevention inc guard rails etc
• Working platforms - MEWPS, Scaffold etc
• Collective fall arrest airbags, nets
• Personal Fall Protection work positioning work
  restraint/ rope access/fall arrest
• Ladders/stepladders etc

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Selecting work equipment
Collective
Personal
Prevent
Working Platforms
Work Restraint
Minimise
Nets/ Airbags
Rope access/ fall arrest
Ladders/stilts/hop ups
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Examples of Work Equipment

• .

Avoiding work at height
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Examples of Work Equipment

• .

Scaffolding
Edge protection
M.E.W.P
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Examples of work equipment

Nets
Air bags
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Examples of Work Equipment
Fall Arrest
Work Positioning
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Other Precautions

• Avoid risks from Fragile Surfaces
• Prevent Falling Objects
• Warn about Danger Areas
• Inspect work equipment
• Persons at work should
• Follow instructions and training
• Advise employer of hazards/risks to health and
  safety

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Reassurance for some

• Do you follow current law and good practice?
• Do you assess risks, and properly plan and
  organise work at height?
• Do you try to avoid prevent minimise?
• Do you select, inspect and use the right work
  equipment for work at height?
• Then you should be doing enough to comply with
  the draft Regulations

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Recap

• Falls from height are a priority for the HSC/E
• Regulations provide a goal setting approach
•  Risk assessment is key to planning, organising,
  and selecting equipment to carry out the work
• Follow the hierarchy of
• AVOID
• PREVENT
• MITIGATE
• If you already carry out a risk assessment for
  work at height and take steps to manage these
  risks then you are most of the way there

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FURTHER INFORMATION

• Robert Vaughan
• Falls from Height Team
• Health and Safety Executive
• Tel [phone]
• Email robert.vaughan_at_hse.gsi.gov.uk
• http//www.hse.gov.uk/falls/index.htm