Transcript Working at Height How to comply with the new Regulations

The presentation is from Mark
Sutton
For SAFEHANDS
Health & Safety Consultants Ltd
A Free Resource From
www.safetyphoto.co.uk
Working at Height
How to comply with the new Regulations
Mark Sutton
For SAFEHANDS Health & Safety Consultants Ltd
Why introduce these New
Regulations?
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Biggest Killer 67 Fatal Accidents 2003/04
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3884 Major Accidents 2003/04
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The single biggest cause of Workplace
Deaths
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One of the biggest causes of major accidents
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2/3 of all major injuries caused by ‘low falls’
Why are these rules important?
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These regulations have been made to prevent
the Deaths and Injuries caused each year by
falls at work
They REPLACE all the earlier regulations about
working at height and implement European
Council Directive 2001/45/EC concerning safety
and health for use of equipment for work at
height (the Temporary Work at Height Directive).
What is Work at Height?
Regulation 2
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Explains for the purposes of the
Regulations, certain words and
phrases that will crop up throughout
the document which unless defined
could be interpreted differently from
one industry to another.
Work at Height
Work in any place, including a
place in:
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the course of obtaining access
to or egress from any place
except by a staircase in a
permanent workplace or;
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At or below ground level from
which a person could fall a
distance liable to cause
personal injury and any
reference to working at height
will include access to or
egress from such places
whilst at work.
Working at height
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Working on a scaffold or MEWP
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Working on the back of a lorry
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Using cradles or ropes to gain
access
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Climbing permanent structures
such as gantries
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Working close to excavations,
cellars or other openings.
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Staging or trestles (concerts
filming etc)
Not working at height
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Activities carried out by private
individuals (even if the
equipment used is from work).
Trips and slips on the level
surface
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Falls on permanent stairways
(unless under structural
maintenance)
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Working in a building (e.g.
office) with multiple floors
where there is no risk of falling
(except if the staff use a
stepladder to change the bulbs
within the office)
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“Access and egress”
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“Working Platform”
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Includes ascent and descent
Any platform used as a place of
work, or as a means of access
to or egress from a place of
work.
Any scaffold, suspended
scaffold, cradle, mobile
platform, trestle, gangway,
gantry or stairway which is so
used
But does not include a building
or other
permanent structure
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“Work equipment”
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“Ladder”
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“Line”
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Any machinery, appliance,
apparatus, tool or installation
for use at work and includes
anything to which Regulation 8
and schedules 2 to 6 of the
WAHR apply.
Includes a fixed ladder and a
step ladder
Includes rope, chain or webbing
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“Competence”
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“Personal fall protection”
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“Fragile surface”
Every employer shall ensure that no
person engages in activity, including
organisation, planning or
supervision, in relation to work at
height or work equipment for use in
such work unless he is competent to
do so or, if being trained, is being
supervised by a competent person
A fall prevention, work restraint,
work positioning, fall arrest or
rescue system other than a system
in which the only safeguards are
collective safeguards or:
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Rope access and positioning
techniques.
(terminology adopted from BS
7985:2002 Code of Practice for the
use of rope access methods for
industrial purposes)
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A surface which would be liable to
fail if any reasonably foreseeable
loading were to be applied to it
What do the Schedules to the regulations cover?
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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
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)
Do the Rules apply to you?
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The Regulations apply to all work at height where there is a
risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury. They place
duties on employers, the self-employed, and any person
who controls the work of others.
If you are an employee or working under someone else's
control, regulation 14 says you must:
 Report any safety hazard to them.
 Use the equipment supplied (including safety devices)
properly, following any training and instructions (unless
you think that would be unsafe, in which case you should
seek further instructions before continuing).
What you must do if you as an Employer
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Duty holders must:
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Avoid work at height where they can
Use work equipment or other measures to
prevent falls where they cannot avoid working
at height; and
Where they cannot eliminate the risk of a fall,
use work equipment or other measures to
minimise the distance and consequences of a
fall should one occur
Duty Holders Responsibilities
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The regulations require
 All work at height is properly planned & organised
 All work at height takes account of weather conditions that could
endanger health & safety
 Those involved in work at height are trained and competent
 The place where work at height is done is safe
 Equipment for work at height is appropriately inspected and
controlled
 The risks from fragile surfaces are properly controlled; and
 The risk from falling objects are properly controlled.
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Just remember a risk assessment is to be written to control the
hazards.
Do the Work at Height Regulations ban the
use of Ladders?
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Short answer for that is NO!
But they require that ladders should only
be considered where a risk assessment
has shown that the use of other more
suitable work equipment is not
appropriate because of the low risk, and
short duration of the task or consideration
of where the work is located
A few Correct ways of Working
at Height
Why is this correct?
Again
A piece of Equipment that can be
used
Bosun`s Chair
Any Questions?
If you are unsure about anything now, it
will be far to late to come and ask me
when you are 30ft up or 30ft below the
surface and you don't have a Harness
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Remember
There is no such thing as a “stupid” or
“daft” Health and Safety Question!
The presentation is from Mark
Sutton
For SAFEHANDS
Health & Safety Consultants Ltd
A Free Resource From
www.safetyphoto.co.uk