Title: Working at Height How to comply with the new Regulations
1Working at HeightHow to comply with the new
Regulations
2Why introduce these New Regulations?
- Biggest Killer 67 Fatal Accidents 2003/04
- 3884 Major Accidents 2003/04
- The single biggest cause of Workplace Deaths
- One of the biggest causes of major accidents
- 2/3 of all major injuries caused by low falls
3Why are these rules important?
- These regulations have been made to prevent the
Deaths and Injuries caused each year by falls at
work - They REPLACE all the earlier regulations about
working at height and implement European Council
Directive 2001/45/EC concerning safety and health
for use of equipment for work at height (the
Temporary Work at Height Directive).
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5What is Work at Height?Regulation 2
- Work at Height
- Work in any place, including a place in
- the course of obtaining access to or egress from
any place except by a staircase in a permanent
workplace or - At or below ground level from which a person
could fall a distance liable to cause personal
injury and any reference to working at height
will include access to or egress from such places
whilst at work.
- Explains for the purposes of the Regulations,
certain words and phrases that will crop up
throughout the document which unless defined
could be interpreted differently from one
industry to another.
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7- Working at height
- Working on a scaffold or MEWP
- Working on the back of a lorry
- Using cradles or ropes to gain access
- Climbing permanent structures such as gantries
- Working close to excavations, cellars or other
openings. - Staging or trestles (concerts filming etc)
- Not working at height
- Activities carried out by private individuals
(even if the equipment used is from work). Trips
and slips on the level surface - Falls on permanent stairways (unless under
structural maintenance) - Working in a building (e.g. office) with multiple
floors where there is no risk of falling (except
if the staff use a stepladder to change the bulbs
within the office)
8- Access and egress
- Working Platform
- Includes ascent and descent
- Any platform used as a place of work, or as a
means of access to or egress from a place of
work. - Any scaffold, suspended scaffold, cradle, mobile
platform, trestle, gangway, gantry or stairway
which used as a work base - But does not include a building or other
permanent structure
9- Work equipment
- Ladder
- Line
- Any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or
installation for use at work and includes
anything to which Regulation 8 and schedules 2 to
6 of the WAHR apply. - Includes a fixed ladder and a step ladder
- Includes rope, chain or webbing
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11- Every employer shall ensure that no person
engages in activity, including organisation,
planning or supervision, in relation to work at
height or work equipment for use in such work
unless he is competent to do so. Or, if being
trained, is being supervised by a competent
person - A fall prevention, work restraint, work
positioning, fall arrest or rescue system other
than a system in which the only safeguards are
collective safeguards or - Rope access and positioning techniques.
- (terminology adopted from BS 79852002 Code of
Practice for the use of rope access methods for
industrial purposes) - A surface which would be liable to fail if any
reasonably foreseeable loading were to be applied
to it
- Competence
- Personal fall protection
- Fragile surface
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14What do the Schedules to the regulations cover?
- Schedule 1
- Existing places of work and means of access for
work at height - Schedule 2
- Collective fall prevention (e.g. guard rails and
toe boards) - Schedule 3
- Working platforms
- Schedule 4
- Collective fall arrest (e.g. nets, airbags etc)
- Schedule 5
- Personal fall protection
- Schedule 6
- Ladders and step ladders
- Schedule 7
- Inspection reports
- Schedule 8
- Revocations (cancellations, dissolution)
15Do the Rules apply to you?
- The Regulations apply to all work at height where
there is a risk of a fall liable to cause
personal injury. They place duties on employers,
the self-employed, and any person who controls
the work of others. - If you are an employee or working under someone
else's control, regulation 14 says you must - Report any safety hazard to them.
- Use the equipment supplied (including safety
devices) properly, following any training and
instructions (unless you think that would be
unsafe, in which case you should seek further
instructions before continuing).
16What you must do if you as an Employer
- Duty holders must
- Avoid work at height where they can
- Use work equipment or other measures to prevent
falls where they cannot avoid working at height
and - Where they cannot eliminate the risk of a fall,
use work equipment or other measures to minimise
the distance and consequences of a fall should
one occur
17Duty Holders Responsibilities
- The regulations require
- All work at height is properly planned
organised - All work at height takes account of weather
conditions that could endanger health safety - Those involved in work at height are trained and
competent - The place where work at height is done is safe
- Equipment for work at height is appropriately
inspected and controlled - The risks from fragile surfaces are properly
controlled and - The risk from falling objects are properly
controlled. - Just remember a risk assessment is to be written
to control the hazards.
18Do the Work at Height Regulations ban the use of
Ladders?
- Short answer for that is NO!
- But they require that ladders should only be
considered where a risk assessment has shown that
the use of other more suitable work equipment is
not appropriate because of the low risk, and
short duration of the task or consideration of
where the work is located
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20A few Correct ways of Working at Height!
21Why is this correct?
22Again Why!
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24A piece of Equipment that can be used
25Bosuns Chair
Ideal for rescue but not always practical
26Finally
- Any Questions?
- If you are unsure about anything now, it will be
far to late to come and ask when you are 30ft up
or 30ft below the surface and you don't have a
Harness. - Remember
- There is no such thing as a stupid or daft
Health and Safety Question!
27- Cheers guys, thanks for your time and patience!