How To Comply With Working At Height Regulations
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- 20-10-2022
Find out more about how to comply with working at height regulations. If you are managing workers who work at height, you will need to be aware of the UK regulations.
What Are Working At Height Regulations?
Working at a height in 2005 meant being at least two metres above the ground. There is no longer a minimum height for working at height concerns because this requirement has been eliminated. Working at height today refers to any situation where, absent safety measures, a person can accidentally fall and sustain injuries.
This is true even if the drop is below ground level. Working on rooftops, scaffolding, or ladders are typical instances of height-related employment; trips and falls on one level or climbing up and down a building's permanent stairs are not included. Falling from one level to another must occur in order for there to be a fall from height.
Falls from height accounted for roughly a quarter of the fatal occurrences in the construction industry in 2020, according to the UK's Health and Safety Executive. Each of these tragic mishaps that resulted in deaths might have been avoided if the proper safety precautions had been in place by employers while employees were working at heights.
It is legally required of you as an employer to develop safe working procedures for any employees who perform work at heights. Simply put, the cost of not doing so is incalculable. Not only do you expose your workers to potentially fatal physical risks, but you also risk being charged, having a drawn-out legal battle, having to pay outrageous compensation, having your image damaged, and even going to jail. It is crucial that all businesses abide by the HSE's 2005 working at height regulations.
What Is Classed As Working At Height?
The HSE defines working at height as doing tasks in any location where, if the necessary precautions were not followed, a person may fall from a height that could injure them.
Contrary to popular belief, working at height can also refer to work that is being done on the ground when there is a chance that a staff member could fall through a crack or hole.
There isn't a minimum height requirement in terms of the law. In the UK, risk of injury is used to define working at heights rather than height itself.
It's a prevalent misperception that working at heights has a higher-than-two-meter fall risk. Although several EU nations use this standard, the UK's working at height regulations do not include it.
Working At Height Hazards
Employers should take special precautions to prevent frequent incidents like falls from ladders or through flimsy roofs, which can result in fatalities or serious injuries. Keep in mind that working on rooftops is a dangerous activity. While significant accidents and fatalities have happened during construction, mishaps also happen during roof cleaning and repair operations, for instance, on factories, warehouses, and agricultural buildings.
When working with roof lights, liner panels on built-up sheeted roofs, non-reinforced fibre cement sheets, corroded metal sheets, glass (including wired glass), rotten chipboard, slates, and tiles, take care to adhere to working at height regulations.
How To Comply With Working At Height Regulations
Working at heights is subject to a number of laws, many of which address how an employer is accountable (to a reasonable level) for their employee's safety when performing such work. As a building manager or facility coordinator, if you have any influence over work that will be done at heights, you must try to avoid assigning tasks that require working at risky heights, take steps to reduce the distance and effects of a fall and utilise equipment that prevents falls.
Employers who are organising the work must make sure that workers are instructed and trained to work at heights, that the work is planned, organised, and supervised at all times, that they control and assess the risk of injury, and that they take the weather into account each time working at heights is necessary, that they make sure all necessary equipment is checked and inspected, that they make sure the location where working at heights will take place is safe, and that they take precautions that will prevent workers from being hurt.
What Must Employees Do To Appropriately Follow Working At Heights Regulations?
There are some things that employees must take responsibility for in order to protect their own safety. The company cannot control every circumstance, including how an employee will act when performing work at a height.
To prevent falls or mishaps, personnel must utilise the working-at-height tools at their disposal, wear the appropriate PPE, and comply with the working-at-height regulations.
They must also report any known workplace dangers, such as defective equipment, that might threaten their health and safety.
What Training Could my Employer Provide for Working At Heights?
Training programmes may help both the employer and the employee make sure they are aware of all the necessary safety measures that might keep everyone working at heights in a safe environment. Learning the crucial information that everyone working at heights should be aware of, such as safety, is made easier with general working at height training.
Training courses ensure that the right equipment is being utilised by learning the appropriate harness and lanyard for each circumstance during training. Important information that both companies and employees should be aware of to make sure they are prepared for working at heights.
How Do You Carry Out A Working At Height Risk Assessment?
A risk assessment is required by regulations before any work at height is done; this is a thorough investigation of the risk factors that might affect employees so that appropriate safety measures can be taken.
This is done to make sure all potential dangers have been identified and can be minimised or avoided.
Assessing all known possible risks, evaluating all known potential hazards, and keeping a complete record of all potential hazards are all components of a competent working at height risk assessment.
Working at a height is prohibited until a risk assessment has been completed. An employer may only evaluate and update the efforts they have taken to minimise or eliminate these risks after this evaluation.
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