Falls have become one of the UK’s biggest workplace killers, making up 25% of all on-the-job deaths. Not only that, falls account for more than 37,000 cases of non-fatal injuries, as well as being responsible for the biggest number of estimated working days lost when compared to any other accident.
When you look at these statistics, it’s easy to see there’s room for improvement when it comes to the safety of workers who often work at heights. Yet it isn’t only construction workers who are a risk from falls; most industries involve some sort of working at height, whether it’s in agriculture, manufacturing, or emergency services. So how can we stay safe while working at height?
Carry out thorough risk assessments
By law, employers and self-employed contractors are responsible for assessing risks before work is carried out. A plan needs to be created in order for the work to be carried out safely and reliably.
Implement measures to minimise the hazards outlined in the risk assessment. The objective is to ensure all work at height is properly planned, supervised and conducted safely.
Check equipment before use
Surface and access equipment should be stable, secure, and able to comfortably support the weight of the worker and their equipment. Whether it’s a ladder or mechanical access platform, it needs to be inspected for faults and damage before use in order to establish its safety.
It doesn’t matter how far you’re off the ground, defective equipment will result in serious injury, so regular safety assessments of should be a priority.
Complete Health and Safety Training
There are many organisations across the UK which offer health and safety training. Our training centre in Telford is accredited by the Ladder Association, and we provide inspection and usage training so workers can competently assess the safety of a ladder as well as being able to use one correctly. This is beneficial for anyone working in any industry, not just construction workers. Many industries use ladders to complete tasks for a variety of reasons, but many do not have any training or inspections carried out on the ladders they use.
Don’t overload ladders
The person and anything they are taking up should not exceed the highest load stated on the ladder. You will put yourself seriously at risk if you overload the ladder with too much equipment. It may take a little longer, but it’ll be safer to do the job in sections and only take up the equipment you need for each stage of the job, before going down and replacing the used equipment with the equipment for the next stage.
It’s the responsibility of your employer to ensure you’re adequately supplied with safe equipment when working at a height. Any accidents could be costly to them, so before you climb a ladder, or scale some scaffolding, ensure that safety checks of your equipment have taken place and conduct and record any of your own personal risk assessments before carrying out work.
For more information or to book a place on the Ladder Association courses, at our Telford centre call 01952 263 114 or fill out our online enquiry form.
