Wahthebasics
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This document provides guidance on identifying and preventing risks associated with working at height. It defines work at height as any work where a fall could cause injury, and provides examples such as working on roofs, ladders, and elevated platforms. The key to prevention is conducting a risk assessment to determine appropriate precautions. Options include avoiding work at height if possible, using existing safe work areas, erecting fall protection barriers, selecting equipment to prevent falls, training workers, and using personal protective equipment to minimize fall consequences if a fall occurs. Fragile surfaces require extra precautions like fall protection barriers or fall prevention.
Wahthebasics
- 1. Health and Safety Executive Work at height: The basics ‘Height Aware’ campaign Information sheet 1 This information will help you identify when you, or people you are responsible for, are working at height and the issues you need to think about. What is work at height? Work at height means work in any place where, if precautions were not taken, a person could fall down and injure themselves. If you: ■ work above ground level; ■ could fall from an edge, through an opening or fragile surface; or ■ could fall from ground level into an opening in a floor or hole in the ground; you will be working at height, because you can fall from one level to another. Can you avoid the need to work at height in Examples of work at height include: the first place? ■ using working platforms such as scaffolds, tower Long-handled tools or other equipment can sometimes be scaffolds, cherry pickers, scissor lifts and podium steps; used to safely carry out a task from ground level, eg a long- ■ work on a roof, piece of plant or equipment; handled brush or roller for painting and water-fed poles with ■ using ladders or stepladders. brushes for window cleaning. Think about whether it is possible to design out the need to work at height, eg could new or replacement services, such as pipes or cables, be What precautions do put at ground level? If you can’t avoid the need to work at height, you must try to you need to take? make sure the risk of a fall is prevented. Can you prevent a fall? Remember, work at height may be a one off, or routine. You will need to make sure you identify all tasks, which require You can do this by: work at height, so you can make sure they are carried out safely. ■ using an existing place of work. This is a place that is The key to preventing injury from work at height is to carry already safe, eg a roof with permanent guard rails or a out a risk assessment, so you can choose the right parapet around the edges; or a piece of plant or precautions. This is a simple process, answering the equipment that has fixed, permanent guard rails following questions will help you do this. around it; 1
- 2. ‘Height Aware’ campaign What other additional measures do you need to take to reduce the risk of a fall? When using any equipment for work at height, you also need to make sure: ■ the people using it are trained to use it safely; ■ it is regularly inspected and well maintained; and ■ the work is supervised to check people are working safely. The normal use of ladders or step ladders does not provide measures which either prevent falls or minimise the consequences. So you must be able to show that it was not reasonable to select alternative equipment because the task is low risk and short duration. Have you identified whether there are any fragile surfaces? You need to be particularly aware of fragile materials when working at height as their presence in, or near the working area, increases the risk. A fragile surface is one, which would be liable to break if a person worked on it or fell onto it. Common examples include, fibre and asbestos cement roof sheets and many skylights, but could also include bridged materials in silos. You should make sure you: ■ using work equipment. If you cannot use an existing ■ avoid the need to work on or near or pass across them place of work, consider whether you can use work by, eg repairing a skylight from underneath using a equipment to prevent people falling. Tower scaffolds, tower scaffold or from above using a cherry picker; podium steps, cherry pickers and scissor lifts are some ■ prevent a fall by using fixed walkways with guard rails common examples of work equipment, which will do to get across a fragile asbestos cement roof or use this because the working platforms have guard rails. If suitable working platforms with guard rails during work regular access is required, eg to an air conditioning unit on or near a fragile surface; on a roof, it may be reasonable for the client/building ■ minimise the consequences of a fall by using nets, owner to create a safe place of work by installing airbags or fall arrest. permanent guard rails to and around the work area. If you cannot put measures in place to prevent a fall, you must try to limit the risk by minimising the distance and/or consequences of a fall. Want to know more? This is one of five ‘Height Aware’ campaign information Can you minimise the consequences of sheets. The others in the series are: a fall? Sheet 2: Selecting equipment for work at height You must first try to avoid and then prevent a fall before Sheet 3: Selecting competent contractors for work at height using measures that will only miminise or limit the Sheet 4: Selecting, using and maintaining personal fall consequences. Airbags and safety nets are examples of protection equipment such measures, because they should minimise the risk of Sheet 5: Minor roof maintenance work: Protecting against injury if someone falls. Fall arrest equipment will also falls minimise injury if someone falls, providing the equipment is set up correctly, users know how to look after it and they More information is available on the HSE website understand its limitations. www.hse.gov.uk/falls and from HSE Infoline on 0845 345 0055. 2