More work at height warnings...

from the HSE

Yet more prosecutions around work at height have led to yet more warnings from the HSE that employers must control the risks properly.

In the last week, two further prosecutions have been reported:

Spray-Croft Coating Limited was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £1,100 costs after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1)(a) and Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 by failing to take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent falls in their workplace and failing to ensure work was properly planned.

The prosecution followed an incident in which a man was removing a fan on the roof of a spray booth, located in a workshop when he fell 2.6m resulting in serious injuries, including fracturing his left wrist and shoulder. He suffered bleeding to the brain and was in an induced coma for two weeks.

In the second case, Oldham MBC was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £5,382 costs after an incident that took place in February 2007.

The court heard that a gardner had been applying anti-vandal paint to the rood of a new bowls pevillio when he fell while getting down.

The council was charged with breaching Regulation 4 of the Work at Heigh Regulations 2005 in that it failed to properly plan or supervise the work; and Regulation 6 in that it failed to take suitable measures to prevent the employee falling from the roof.

Commenting on the number of work at height incidents, HSE Inspector Peter Snelgrove says:

"It is totally unacceptable that so many lives of employees who work from height continue to be put at risk. Falls from height remain the most common kind of accident causing fatal injuries. Last year, 45 people died and more than 3,000 suffered a serious injury after a fall from height in the workplace.

"All companies must assess the risks from work that they are undertaking at height, ensuring that the work is planned properly and appropriate measures are taken so that workers are not exposed to risk of falling."

Reducing the number of falls from height is one of the HSE's key aims in 2008, and forms an important element of its 'Shattered Lives' campaign.

It believes that preventing falls from height comes down to dutyholders following some key pointers:

Those following good practice for work at height now should already be doing enough to comply with the Work at Height Regulations;
Follow the risk assessments you have carried out for work at height activities and make sure all work at height is planned, organised and carried out by competent persons;
Follow the hierarchy for managing risks from work at height - take steps to avoid, prevent or reduce risks; and
Choose the right work equipment and select collective measures to prevent falls (such as guardrails and working platforms) before other measures which may only mitigate the distance and consequences of a fall (such as nets or airbags) or which may only provide personal protection from a fall.