WORKING AT HEIGHT MOHSG 30 March 2005

1. WORKING AT HEIGHTMOHSG30 March 2005 Chris Gallagher HSE Safety Unit

3. Overview • What is the problem? • What is HSE doing? • What should you do? • New Work At Height Regulations • Practical examples

4. What is the problem? • Fatal accidents falls from height 2003/04 - 67 fatalities (average1992/02 was 78) - Largest cause 29% - Construction 67% of all fatals 2002/03 • Major injuries 2002/03 • 4256 majors all workers (14%) (average 1996/03 was 5450)

5. Costs and consequences • Human Death or injury,bereavement, trauma • Business Lost production, experience, reputation and higher insurance • Consequences Prosecution

6. What is HSE doing? • HSE set targets to reach by 2010 • Programme working is the method chosen by HSE to reach these targets • Injury reduction is a component of the programme • Falls from height is a topic within the injury reduction program • Falls from height are a key HSE target

7. HSE is targeting falls • Inspections • Accident investigations • Complaints

8. What is work at height? • Work in any place (including access or egress) where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury • Law has always required control • Does not include slips or trips on the same level or falls on stairs

9. What do people fall from • Ladders • Scaffolds • Working Area or Platforms • Roofs • Vehicles • Plant and Equipment • Racking

10. The 2 metre rule • Currently no 2 metre rule in WAHR • Use risk assessment to determine whether precautions are needed and in what form • Precautions are needed when there is a risk of injury

11. Low falls • Employers need to tackle low falls • Consultation has shown that employers are concerned about workers safety below 2 metres as well as above it • Have you got low fall risks? • WAHR advocates sensible risk assessment and pragmatic precautions

12. Low falls cont. • Working platform to the left of a printing machine • Approx 1 metre high • Work with back facing edges • Risk of a fall onto sharp edges • Guard rails required? • Platform in front OK?

13. Low falls cont.

14. What should you do? • Identify the activities and precautions involving falls from height - Includes work on or near fragile surfaces • Select appropriate equipment and ensure it is well maintained and inspected • Have systems for the procurement and control of contractors

15. Identify the activities and precautions • Ensure risk assessments have identified work at height activities both routine and non routine • Have workers been instructed in necessary precautions • Have fragile surfaces been identified and are access points marked

16. Identified suitable precautions? • No fall protection • Working on unprotected fragile surfaces • Unsafe access? • No risk assessment • Workers not instructed in necessary precautions

17. Fragile surfaces • Identification • Warning signs • Control access • Protection Required if you need to work on or near fragile materials • Contractors aware

18. Select appropriate well maintained equipment • Ensure risk assessments have identified appropriate equipment for the work • Use a selection hierarchy • Maintained • Inspected

19. Selection of appropriate equipment?

20. Well maintained?

21. Inspected?

22. Tower scaffolds • Erected by competent persons in accordance with the manufacturer/suppliers instructions • Firm level ground • Adequate guard rails, toe boards and platform • Height not exceed 3 times minimum base dimension

23. Fatal accident

24. Mobile elevating working platforms (MEWPS) • Safe plant • Safe site • Safe operator

25. MEWP’s

26. Illegal MEWP!

27. Working platforms on fork lift trucks • Occasional use only • Working Platforms Must be purpose built Guard rails Secured Inspected (6 month LOLER) • Don’t Stand on forks Stand on pallets

28. Work restraint and fall arrest equipment • Work restraint prevents the user reaching a position where a fall could occur • Fall arrest includes PPE (harness, lanyard, inertia reels) Also nets and airbags • Fall prevention should take precedence • User training • Inspection of equipment • Clearance distances, deployment zones, sharp edges • Rescue plan

29. Ladders • Do you need to use them ? • Primarily a means of access • Not suitable for two-handed or heavy work • Suitable for short duration light duty work • Critically review work from ladders

30. Ladders cont. • In good condition • Angled 1 out for every 4 up. • Secured or stabilized • On firm level ground • Used by trained persons

31. Appropriate use of ladders?

32. Selection and control of contractors • Clients have a duty • Selection – are contractors competent to work at height • Communication and co-operation • Monitoring • Review performance

33. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 • Bring into effect amendments to a European Directive on the use of work equipment • Due to come into effect 6 April 2005 • Single set of Regulations will cover all industry sectors • Existing requirements covering work at height in the Construction (H,S&W) Regs and the Workplace (H,S&W) Regs will be revoked

34. Important messages • Build on existing good practice • Those managing risk now will generally already comply • Goal setting/sensible risk assessment • Existing construction standards maintained • Ladders not banned

35. Drivers for change • Falls are the biggest killer in the workplace • Existing piecemeal legislation • HSC wants single set of Regs for all sectors • Centrepiece of HSC Falls From Height Programme • Need to implement the Directive

36. New requirements • The hierarchy may be new to some (particularly non construction) • When selecting work equipment must now consider risks entailed with - Installation - Use - Dismantling - Rescue (associated with work equipment chosen)

37. New requirements cont. • Some new terms • Take into account weather conditions • Guard rail heights to increase to at least 950mm for construction work (CHSW 910mm) • Toe boards heights should be suitable and sufficient • Some new technical requirements in the schedules

38. Application (Reg. 3) • Employers, self employed, employees and others • Contractors • Employers in charge of premises where work at height is carried out • Those in control of people at work, to the extent of their control

39. Organisation and planning (Reg. 4) • Ensure work at height is properly planned • Appropriately supervised • Carried out in a safe manner • Includes the selection of appropriate work equipment • Plan for emergencies and rescue • Take into account weather conditions

40. Don’t loose the plot

41. Planning for emergencies and rescue • Proportionate to the risk • Reasonably foreseeable situations such as stuck equipment, deployed fall arrest • Suspension trauma • Over-reliance on the fire brigade

42. Weather conditions • Ensure work at height is carried out only when weather conditions do not jeopardise the health and safety of workers • This is an absolute duty • Strong winds will be the most common reason for halting work at height

43. Competence (Reg. 5) • Employer shall ensure that persons engaged in any work at height activities are competent • Persons must also be competent in - Organising - Planning - Supervision - Selection of appropriate work equipment - Use of work equipment

44. Competent?

45. Avoidance of risk from work at height (Reg. 6 Hierarchy) • Regulation 6 is at the heart of WAHR • First step is take account of a risk assessment to identify appropriate precautions (Reg. 6(1)) • Reg. 6 sets out the HIERARCHY of - AVOID - PREVENT, or - MITIGATE FALLS from work at height

46. Avoid the need to work at height

47. Prevent the fall • Using an EXISTING PLACE OF WORK - includes access and egress OR • Use WORK EQUIPMENT to PREVENT the fall

48. What is an existing place of work? • A place that is already safe • Does not require the addition of anything to prevent a fall • Includes safe means of access and egress

49. Create a safe existing place of work?

50. Use work equipment to prevent a fall