Somerset Health and Safety Group Work at Height

1. Somerset Health and Safety GroupWork at Height John Caboche - HSE

2. The Work at Height Regs. 2005 • Came into force on 6th April 2005. • These regulations consolidate good practice and current legislation • The good old days….

3. What is “Work at Height”? • A place where a person can be injured falling from – even if at or below ground level. • Work includes moving around at a place of work • Does not include travel to and from a place of work

4. The Regulations apply:- • To all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury • Duty applies to employers, self employed and any person who controls the work of others to the extent they control the work

5. General Duties • Work must be properly planned and organised • Consider weather conditions • Ensure workers are trained and competent • Place of work is safe • Equipment is inspected • Risks from fragile surfaces are controlled • Risks from falling objects are controlled

6. Duties on Employer: - • Do all that is reasonably practicable to prevent anyone falling • Avoid work at height if possible • If not take all steps to prevent falls • Take all steps to reduce distance of fall (and consequences)

7. Planning • Ensure that no work is done at height if it does not have to be • Ensure work planned, supervised and undertaken in as safe a way as is reasonably practicable • Consider risk assessments carried out

8. Planning • Postpone work if weather endangers health or safety • Ensure all workers are competent • If Trainees must be supervised by a competent person • Train those working at height now to avoid falling or minimise injury to themselves should they fall

9. Planning • Place of work (including access) must be safe • Must have features to prevent a fall UNLESS The worker would then be unable to do the work safely due to demands of work, equipment used and working environment BUT The Employer must provide equipment to prevent a fall

10. Duties on Employee: - • Report any safety hazard to employer • Use the equipment supplied correctly • Follow any training • Follow instructions – unless you think that would be unsafe

11. Equipment: - • Most suitable • Collective protection more that personal • Consider working conditions • Consider risks to safety of all those at the workplace

12. What Do The Schedules To The Regulations Cover? • Schedule 1 • Existing places of work and means of access for work at height • Schedule 2 • Collective fall prevention (e.g. guard rails and toe boards) • Schedule 3 • Working platforms (includes scaffolding) • Schedule 4 • Collective fall arrest (e.g. nets, airbags etc.) • Schedule 5 • Personal fall protection • Schedule 6 • Ladders and step ladders • Schedule 7 • Inspection reports • Schedule 8 • Revocations (cancellations, dissolution)

13. Competency Those working at height should be competent, with the appropriate: • Skill • Knowledge, • Ability, • Training • Experience, • Have authority to carry out the work task. • A truly competent person knows their LIMITATIONS

14. Risk Assessment • The Work at Height Regulations are risk based, i.e. if a risk is present the regulations apply. • Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations still applies. • Do a Risk Assessment.

15. Avoid – Prevent – Minimise When planning work at height follow the Hierarchy of Control Methods. • AVOID work at height, • PREVENT falls, • MINIMISE the distance and consequences of falls.

16. Types Of Work Equipment Remote operated equipment AVOID Long handled tools Permanent engineered platforms PREVENT Scaffolding (tube & fitting) M.E.W.P.’s Scaffold towers Temporary edge protection Personal Fall Restraint systems Collective Fall Arrest systems MINIMISE Personal Fall Arrest systems Ladders

17. Select the right work equipment Always consider: • Working conditions, • Access & egress, • Distance & consequence a of fall, • Duration & frequency of work task, • Ease of rescue & evacuation, • Risks during installing, using & removing the proposed equipment.

18. Select the right work equipment COLLECTIVE PROTECTION before PERSONAL PROTECTION • Safe working platforms before personal work restraint equipment. • Nets & airbags before personal fall arrest equipment.

19. Select The Right Work Equipment Prevent Collective Safe Working Platforms Minimise Personal Nets Airbags Work Restraint Rope Access Fall Arrest Ladders Stilts Hop-ups

20. What else to consider? • Avoid fragile surfaces, • Assess strength of platforms, • Prevent falling objects, • Inspect equipment, • Inspect place of work, • Danger areas.

21. AVOID If you don’t have to go up there, DON’T GO! • Is the work task necessary? • Can the problem be engineered away? • Is the use of special tools possible?

22. PREVENT Prevent falls by using or creating safe working areas. • Use an existing place of work or means of access • Use the most suitable way of working • Select the most suitable equipment • Proactively prevents falls from happening by using guardrails, warning lines, hole covers

23. The MEWP is designed to provide a temporary working platform which can be easily moved from one location to another. It’s particularly suitable for short duration work where the use of a ladder would be unsafe and erection of scaffolding would be time consuming and impracticable MEWPS - example

24. MINIMISE Minimise the distance and consequences of falls. • Use the most suitable way of working, • Select the most suitable equipment, • Take other measures to prevent injury, e.g. instruction, information, training & supervision.

25. Designed to reduce number of injuries and deaths in falls from height. Cushioned re-usable air bags - 0.55m high - weigh less than 7kg each. Can be filled with foam enabling them to retain original shape. They provide a yielding surface on which to fall. Position bags correctly before work commences. Clip bags together to prevent separation when falling on the junction. Air Bags / Bean Bags

26. Air Bags / Bean Bags • They should be checked when re-positioned or after a fall to ensure there’s no damage. • Other control measures must be in place to prevent falls. • Bags are a last resort. • N.B. a fall, even on a ‘safe’ place could be very stressful and traumatic.

27. Personal Fall Protection Remember that you need to create a system, comprising of: • Body Holding Device • Means of Connection • Suitable/Reliable Anchorage Point

28. Body Holding Devices • Restraint Belt • Work Positioning Belt • Fall Arrest Harness • Combination Harness

29. Restraint Belt • Adjustable to fit • Fall prevention ONLY • Can accept static load ONLY • Limited use

30. Restraint Lanyard • Fixed length or Adjustable length • Short enough to prevent worker from falling • Can accept static load ONLY

31. Restraint Lanyard Key: 1 – Working distance 2 – Harness attachment point 3 – Anchor Point 4 – Restraint lanyard 5 – Danger area

32. Work Positioning Belt • Adjustable to fit • Not for Fall Arrest • Can accept static load ONLY • Limited use • A fall could still occur

33. Work Positioning Lanyard • Fixed length or Adjustable length • Used to secure worker in a position of work • Can accept static load ONLY

34. Work Positioning Lanyard Key: • Safety back-up personal fall protection system attached to structure • Work positioning lanyard looped round the structure • Work positioning lanyard attached to side waist attachment point on work positioning belt

35. Fall Arrest Harness • Adjustable to fit • Capable of taking a dynamic load • Rear attachment point is standard • Front attachment point is optional

36. Fall Arrest Lanyard • EN 354 lanyard with EN 355 Energy Absorber attached • Limits impact force • Fixed or adjustable lengths • Single or twin legs

37. Fall Arrest • Limits free fall to within 2 vertical metres of the initiation point which reduces force by decreasing fall distance • Consists of a(n) • Lanyard • Anchorage Point • Full Body Harness • Attachment Strap

38. Fall Protection Lanyards should: • Be inspected prior to use • Be protected against being cut or abraded • Have a minimum breaking strength of 2270kg • Be the appropriate length • Be attached to an anchorage not to itself

39. Fall Arrest Lanyard How far can you fall? Calculate: • Original lanyard length (max 2 metres) • Amount of Energy Absorber deployment • Body size from D-ring to feet • Safety zone from feet to floor

40. Minimum Free Space 2 metre lanyard clipped low gives 4 metre free fall anchorage lanyard energy absorber(extended) 1 Lanyard length + energy absorber extension = 3.75m Harness stretch + distance between harness attachment point and feet = 1.50m Safety clearance = 1.00m Minimum Free Space (1 + 2 + 3 ) =6.25m 2 3

41. Connectors There are many types of connectors – ensure that the correct one is used.

42. Connecting Methods

43. Fall Protection Anchorage Point A secure point of attachment for lifelines, lanyards or deceleration devices

44. Fall Protection Anchorage points used for attachment of personal fall arrest equipment should be: • Located at or above the employee’s waist • Capable of supporting more than 2270kg per employee • Designed and built to hold the maximum force of the fall arrest

45. Transportable Devices

46. Retractable Type Fall Arrester • Limited fall ONLY • Standard Block – internal energy absorber • Mini Block – external energy absorber

47. Retractable Type Fall Arrester • Anchor Point • Connector • Retractable Device • Harness D-ring • Fall Arrest Harness • Connecting point (Swivel?) • Housing • Fall Indicator • Cable/Lanyard (Life Line) • Connector (Swivel?)

48. Retractable Type Fall Arrester • Dangers surround the use of these with a low anchor point • Follow manufacturer’s guidelines • Dangers surround the use of these with a flexible anchorage line • Oscillation may stop device locking off • Be careful of sharp edges

49. Combination Harnesses • Combine Fall Arrest and Work Positioning body holding devices • EN 361 & 358 • Adjustable to fit • Capable of taking a dynamic load

50. Guided Type Fall Arrester • Rigid life line – usually installed • Flexible life line – installed or temporary