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Work at Height.
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 came into force on 6 April 2005 with the intention of reducing the number of injuries from falls. In 2003/04 falls from height accounted for 67 fatal accidents at work and nearly 4000 major injuries. They remain the single biggest cause of workplace deaths and one of the main causes of major injury.
The Regulations apply to all industry sectors and cover any work activity where a “fall involving a distance liable to cause injury could occur”. The “2-metre rule” recognised in the construction industry as a cut-off for work at height is excluded from the regulations.
Ladders and stepladders are recognised within the regulations and will be permitted to be used. This equipment remains often the most suitable access equipment for some short- term or tricky tasks.
Risk assessment, common in modern health & safety legislation, is present in the new Regulations. The assessment will form an integral part of planning a job and can be used to support the decision to select a particular means of working at height and the selection of specific equipment. The risk assessment should consider the task in hand, the working environment and the skills of the individuals involved. It should consider alternative ways of working and alternative types of equipment.
It is important that all employees carrying out work at height are competent to do so. They should be able to:-
- select and use the access equipment; understand and follow safe systems of work;
- identify defects in the workplace and equipment
The Regulations 2005 are supported by guidance information “ The Work at Height Regulations 2005 - A brief guide” available to be downloaded from www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.pdf.
Gauntlet Health & Safety Ltd can provide advice and guidance regarding your work at height concerns
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