Guest post: Working from heights: the regulations you must follow to protect your staff

‘Working at height’ is defined as a place where the worker could injure themselves if they fell. Falls from height are the number one fatal injury within the construction business and were responsible for 26% of deaths in 2010/2011.

The latest Working at Height restrictions came into force in 2005. These regulations outline the regulations you must follow in order to ensure your staff are not working under unnecessary risk.

These regulations are split into two parts: requirements for employers and requirements for employees.

To comply with regulations, employers must ensure:

• Duty holders avoid working at height if possible
• They provide adequate safety equipment where it is possible to do so
• All work at height must be properly planned and weather conditions must be taken into account
• All workers must be extensively trained in all dangers of working at height, including how to minimise injury if a fall does occur
• Equipment must be properly maintained
• Risks from working on fragile surfaces and falling objects must be controlled.

Employees have the responsibility to:

• Report any faulty equipment to their line manager
• Make sure to use any equipment provided in the manner they have been trained

A disproportionate amount of accidents in the workplace are related to the use of ladders. Because of this there are regulations that must be followed in order to reduce this amount:

• Ladders must be inspected before each use
• Bodyweight should be centered
• Hands and feet should always be on the rungs of the ladder - not the sides
• Footwear worn when using ladders should be nonslip and clean

To prevent the ladder slipping these steps should be taken:

• The ladder should be set up on a level, firm surface
• Ladder feet should be checked daily
• Both the top and bottom should be secured
• The top should be rested on a level,firm surface

To prevent the ladder from breaking:

• Do not exceed the weight limit
• Don’t carry heavy loads up the ladder
• Make sure the ladder is correctly angled against whatever it is resting upon
• Carry out routine maintenance, and report any problems

Working at height can pose a health risk to your employees if regulations are not followed and respected. The Working at Height Restrictions can be read in full here. This piece was written by Mark Enright, a writer for Enviko, award winning renewable energy specialist.