Don’t cut corners on safety to save time and/or money – this is when accidents occur often resulting in serious injury and unfortunately fatality. Working at height doesn’t have to be dangerous if the right advice is followed and the user’s are sufficiently trained and competent.
The Working at Height Regulations were introduced in 2005 to provide a common platform for all industries to work from. However, contrary to popular misconception, ladders and stepladders have not been made illegal by the HSE. Both ladders and stepladders are intended for short duration work – up to 30 minutes. If you task is expected to take any longer than this (which risk assessment should reveal) then alternative access equipment should be considered – podium, tower, MEWP etc.
There is a simple hierarchy for managing and selecting equipment for work at height. Duty holders must:
- avoid work at height where possible;
- use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls where they cannot avoid working at height; and
- Where they cannot eliminate the risk of a fall, use work equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall should one occur.
As part of the Regulations, duty holders must ensure:
- all work at height is properly planned and organised;
- those involved in work at height are competent;
- the risks from work at height are assessed and appropriate work equipment is selected and used;
- the risks from fragile surfaces are properly controlled; and
- Equipment for work at height is properly inspected and maintained.
Central to the legislation is the use of risk assessment to ascertain and minimize the risks involved in carrying out all work tasks. Part of this assessment should reveal the most appropriate type of access equipment to safely and efficiently carry out the work task at height.
Suitable training, regular inspection of equipment and the risk assessment procedure have now empowered the commercial work force to make informed decisions with regard to access equipment.
Additional information is available from the HSE website.