NEWS - WORK AT HEIGHT - 09.05.2005

Does your approach fit?

Updating your assessment

Due to the nature of their job role, some of your staff work at height. Following the introduction of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR), on April 6, you’ve decided to review your approach to carrying out risk assessments. Taking flat and non-fragile roofs as an example, what factors should they now consider?

The main changes

As a general point, the key change introduced by WAHR is that the old “two-metre rule” laid down in the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations no longer exists. Instead, the risks of working below this height will need assessing if a fall could result in personal injury. A second change is that WAHR applies to all work at height and not just construction work (which includes repairs and maintenance). WAHR also simplifies a hierarchy of control measures aimed at preventing falls from height.

Hierarchy of controls

Under Regulation 6(3) of WAHR, you have a duty to take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any person falling. Therefore, your assessment needs to work through each of the following:

• Can it be avoided?. See if work at height can be avoided. If not, note down why.

• Fall prevention. This looks at using work equipment or other control measures to prevent falls, e.g. mobile access scaffolds.

• Minimising risks. If the risk of falling can’t be eliminated, to introduce control measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, e.g. to use safety harnesses and nets.

Reviewing your approach

Bearing these points in mind, review how you approach work at height, as follows:

Step 1. Check. Review your risk assessments and check that all work is planned, organised and carried out by competent staff.

Step 2. Managing risks. Next, check that these assessments follow the hierarchy of control measures that WAHR reinforces. In order, these are; to avoid work at height; prevent falls, minimise their effects (the least preferable).

Step 3. Work equipment. WAHR requires that any equipment used for access is suitable for the task. So look at what needs to be taken to the work area, the task itself and the time to be spent on it. This will identify the most suitable equipment, e.g. to prevent falls. Also get into the habit of focussing your attention on selecting collective measures which protect all workers, instead of individual ones such as safety harnesses, which are really a last resort.

Tip. Ladders aren’t banned, but you’re expected to consider if there’s an alternative that’s safer, but still viable. If not, note down the reason why in your risk assessments, e.g. the short time spent on the ladder doesn’t justify the use of scaffolds etc. WAHR also requires that work stops in any weather conditions which could jeopardise health and safety, so make this point clear in your assessment.

For a copy of our work at height checklist visithttp://healthandsafety.indicator.co.uk(HS 03.16.03).