This article provides some of the laws and regulations associated with working at heights
Working at height is an important consideration for employers. Several industries such as the oil and gas sector, the construction sector, roofing and cladding, telecommunication sector and the design sector include the use of working on heights. In fact, the industries that do not directly need working at heights may also at some point require the need to use a ladder even to change the bulb or even for putting up some decorations in the office. Working at heights is not restricted by the law but there are regulations to ensure the safety of the personnel.
Roofing and cladding often require you to work at heights, so the laws and regulations including the health and safety for employees should be any company’s primary concern. The CSCS Roofing and Cladding NVQ course provided by SB Skills includes compulsory units of workplace safety rules and efficient work practices. CSCS Roofing and Cladding NVQ will improve an operative’s health and safety.
This article focuses on some of the laws and regulations that are relevant to working at heights. The “Work at Height Regulations 2005” is the main pieces of regulations that govern this particular type of work. The regulations are devised to prevent injuries and death. The legislation is not complex and has different sections that are important to different types of work.
This article will help you handle the safety of your employees working at heights, read on to learn more!
How to Work at Height Safely
There are three main steps to working safely at height. Once you’ve understood any regulations that are specific to your industry (if any), these steps will help you avoid falling injuries in the workplace. It may be the case that carrying out working at height risk assessment beforehand is beneficial, as this will help you pull together all of the relevant considerations. Depending on your circumstances, it may be mandatory.
The three steps to reducing the likelihood of workplace injuries as a result of falls are as follows:
Risk Avoidance
The first, and easiest step in working safely at height is to avoid it where possible. In some cases, it will, of course, be impossible not to climb a ladder or ascend a platform, but there are many solutions out there to help some jobs be carried out from ground level. For example, if you’re trying to clean windows, or reach products down from a high rack, there may be tools available that means climbing a ladder is unnecessary. Even using a forklift truck to reach pallets down may be safer than climbing racking to reach high stock. Always look for opportunities to make the task safer.
Risk Minimisation
If it is essential that you or one of your employees must work at height, then you should take all possible precautions to reduce the risk of falling. There are many, many ways this can be done, ranging from reducing the time spent working at height, to having guard rails and other barriers on platforms. Having specific guards in place for specific jobs is the best way of making sure that injuries do not occur. Ladders are a fairly common piece of equipment in the workplace and can be made safer by being regularly checked for condition, and ensuring that staff that use them know how to do so properly.
Author: Alex Bateman
