Health and Safety

1. Health and Safety Part two! A few facts and figures

2. WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF AN ACCIDENT? AN ACCIDENT IS AN EVENT CAUSING INJURY OR DAMAGE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY FOLLOWING CORRECT METHODS AND PROCEDURES

3. Reporting Accidents REPORTED ACCIDENTS ARE THOSE WHICH RESULT IN: DEATH MAJOR INJURY MORE THAN THREE DAY’S ABSENCE FROM WORK CAUSED BY A NOTIFIABLE OCCURRENCE

4. The causes of fatal accidents Fire or explosion 1% Other incidents 5% Electric shock 5% Machinery 6% Transport 14% Falling objects 16% Falls from height 53%

5. Who gets injured? Steel fixers 0.35% 0.40% Demolition 0.60% Unspecified 0.90% Glaziers 0.90% Welders Steel erectors 2.20% Road workers 2.30% 3.51% Plasterers 5.49% Roofers 6.81% Scaffolders 7.46% Electricians 10.54% Decorators 13.61% Bricklayers 14.49% Plumbers Carpenters 23.93%

6. This percentage business is all very well.. But a percentage of what?

7. There are lies Damn lies and statistics!

8. For instance – a couple of statistics Deaths from ecstasy rose by 100% over the last year! Alcohol related deaths rose by 1% over the last year!

9. A study by the Royal College of General Practitioners of +15 age group found around 40,000 people die each year directly or indirectly from the use of alcohol One percent of 40,000 = 400 additional deaths In year 2000 there were 20 deaths related to Ecstasy One hundred percent of 20 = 20 additional deaths

10. Back to industrial accidents The latest figures for reported accidents are….. 40,000 per year!

11. And these were only accidents which were reported! If you add on all the ‘minor’ accidents, the true accident rate in the construction industry is around 120.000 each year!!

12. 14.5% of 120,000 = 17,400 accidents per year So the plumbing trade’s share of this accident toll is.. So with about fifty thousand plumbers at work in the UK, you have a 1 in 3 chance of being injured in any one year!

13. Remember this? The causes of accidents Falls from height! Fire or explosion 1% Other incidents 5% Electric shock 5% Cause 53% of all accidents Machinery 6% Transport 14% Falling objects 16% Falls from height 53%

14. Section Two Working at Height

15. There are many ways of getting off the ground. HOP-UP WORKING PLATFORMS THESE ARE PURPOSE MADE BY CRAFTSMEN NORMALLY FROM SOFT WOOD BOARDING OR PLYWOOD. THEY SHOULD BE AT LEAST 400mm WIDE, ABOUT 750mm HIGH AND HAVE TWO STEPS

16. HOP-UPS ARE INTENDED TO PROVIDE A WORKING PLATFORM FOR REASONABLY LOW SURFACES, UP TO 2.4m WITHOUT TOO MUCH STRETCHING. SOME TOOL BOX MANUFACTURERS HAVE DEVELOPED TOOL BOXES THAT CAN BE USED AS SMALL HOP-UPS THE TOP OF THE HOP-UP SHOULD BE AT LEAST 500mm SQUARE WHEN USED AS A WORKING PLATFORM. SINGLE HOP-UPS PROVIDE AN ISOLATED WORKING PLATFORMS, WHEREAS TWO SPANNED BY BOARDS ENABLE A MUCH GREATER AREA TO BE COVERED

17. And this is what it looks like

18. Let’s get real This is the 21st Century after all!

19. To work safely at heights, however high or low, you must choose the right equipment for the job!

20. Stepladders for low height jobs

21. Platform ladders A combined low rise scaffold, Step ladder, and extension ladder

22. A timber ‘pole ladder’ available in lengths up to 6 Mtrs. Ideal for accessing scaffolding levels.

23. Extension ladders available in Aluminium, Wood, and Glass Fibre In lengths up to 10 metres

24. Tower scaffolding for the really high jobs Available in Galvanised steel, Aluminium, and Glass fibre

25. Trestles and staging for multi-height working.

26. Extension ladder safety Before you start…….. Not every job can be done with just a ladder - or by you on your own.  So always check: Are YOU up to the job? Don't kid yourself by overestimating your abilities.  If you're not completely certain that you can manage everything involved in doing the job properly, get professional help.  This is particularly important if you are elderly or not fully fit, or not much good with heights - think about getting someone else to do it for you.

27. Is a LADDER up to the job? Think ahead to what you'll have to do at every stage.  If you will need to move around while you're up there, or carry lots of materials, or use heavy equipment, a ladder may not be sufficient.  You might be better off using a mobile tower or scaffolding. Remember If you don't know - ask someone

28. Is it strong enough? New ladders are generally marked according to their safe working load.  This classification however, can vary slightly in the values given, and has caused confusion.  The variation is due to the different way in which values for safe working loads are expressed.  In the British Standard it is "Duty Rating" and have been arrived at by taking into account the general conditions and probable frequency of use for each type.  The European Standard uses "Maximum static vertical load".  To help clarify this, we have given both sets of figures.  British Standards to either BS 2037 (Aluminium) or BS 1129 (Wood). • Class 1. (Industrial) Duty rating 130 kg (20 stone) = Maximum vertical static load 175 kg • Class2. (Domestic) Duty rating 95 kg (15 stone) = Maximum vertical static load 150 kg

29. Is it long enough? The overall length of a ladder is not the same as its usable length: allow one metre of ladder length above the highest rung you use.  Never stand on the top three rungs.

30.  CHECKING LADDERS IS IT SAFE ENOUGH? • Run this quick check on any ladder you're thinking of buying, hiring or using. • General condition sound? (clean & dry, free from wet paint, mud, oil etc). • No cracks? • No rungs missing or loose? • Not painted? * • No stiles** damaged or bent? • No warping or splitting? (wood) • No corrosion? (metal) • No sharp edges or dents? (metal) • No rungs bent? (metal) • Footpads okay? • Caps/rubber fittings okay?

31. All metal ladders should have slip-resistant rubber or plastic feet. Damaged ladders need professional repairing - or replacing. * ladders should never be painted, as this could hide dangerous defects from view.  A wooden ladder can be protected with clear varnish or transparent rot-proofer. **stiles are the outside upright on a ladder.

33. Extension ladder guides

35. PUTTING UP LADDERS  GET SET. Whenever you are carrying a ladder, keep the front end above head height.  Turn carefully - it's not just in slapstick comedies that people get hit by swinging ladder ends! Short Ladders (can be raised by one person)

36. Place the base against a solid surface. • Lift the top of the ladder and "walk down" it, rung by rung and hand by hand, moving in towards the base until the ladder is upright. • Rest the top of the ladder against the wall or other firm surface, then lift or slide the base out to its final position.

37. Ladders are designed so that their safest angle of use comes when every 1 measure out from the wall is matched by 4 measures up it.

38. Long Ladders (need two or more people) • Lay the ladder on the ground with the base at the spot where it is to stand. • Heaviest person; stand at the base and put a foot on the bottom rung.

39. Remaining person/s; start to raise the ladder while heavy partner reaches forward from the base and grasps the stiles (take care not to pull or strain while a back is arched, as this can cause serious injury). • Once the ladder is upright, ease the top to rest against the wall or other firm surface • Remember the rule - ONE OUT FOR FOUR UP.

43. Extension Ladders - push-up type. (Need two or more people for longer lengths). • A short extension (under 2 metres, or 6ft) can be done after the ladder has been raised as for short ladders, described above. • For a long extension of over 2 metres: • Lay the ladder on the ground on the position to be used, then extend it to the required length. • Raise the ladder as for a long ladder described above. • If an extension ladder is to be extended, always do so before climbing it.

44.  USING LADDERS WORK THE SAFE WAY DO place the base of the ladder on a firm, level, dry surface.  If there's a time when this isn't possible - working on grass, for instance - tie the feet of the ladder to stakes in the ground to stop it slipping, and place a large flat wooden board underneath to help prevent it sinking.DON'T put a ladder on top of boxes, bricks, barrels or any other unstable surface just to gain extra height

45. DO position the ladder so that the base won't slip outwards.  Leaning ladders are designed so that their safest angle of use comes when every 1 measure out from the wall is matched by 4 measures up it (rungs are usually about a third of a metre apart, so it's easy enough to get the distances roughly right).  Most new extension ladders now have a mark on the stiles to show the safest angle of leaning. Remember the rule: "ONE OUT FOR FOUR UP". The more the base is moved out from this position, the greater the risk that it will slip outwards suddenly and fall down without warning

46. DO secure the bottom and the upper part of the ladder, by tying them (the stiles, not rungs) with ropes or straps on to a stable, fixed object.  You can tie the base to stakes in the ground, or use fixed blocks or sandbags to help guard against the ladder slipping, or buy special stabilisers (see Safety Products).  A rope or strap tied from a stile on to a fixed object at about the height of the fifth rung from bottom will help stop any further movement. If it's impossible for some reason to secure the ladder, get another adult to "foot" it (by standing with one foot on the bottom rung and holding a stile in each hand).

47. DO rest the top of the ladder against a solid surface, never against guttering, or other narrow or plastic features.  Where a surface is too brittle or weak to support the top of the ladder, use a stay or a stand-off resting on a firm surface nearby.  Bolt or clip this to the top of the ladder before putting up the ladder.

48. DO have at least three rungs extended beyond a roof's edge if you're using a ladder to get yourself up onto a roof.

49. DO make sure that longer extension ladders (over 18 rungs) have an overlap of AT LEAST THREERUNGS.  Shorter ones (up to 18 rungs) need a MINIMUM overlap of TWO.

50. DO's & DON'Ts  DO  keep your body facing the ladder at all times, centred between the stiles. DON'T  reach too far forwards or sideways, or stand with one foot on the ladder and the other one on something else.  DO  move the ladder to avoid overstretching, and re-secure it whenever necessary, however frustrating that might be!  DO  try to keep both hands free to hold the ladder as much as possible while you're climbing or descending - if you need to carry any tools, use a shoulder bag, belt holster or belt hooks.