Work safely at all levels
February 1st 2007

The recently-introduced Work at Height regulations bring together all existing work at height regulations and state the minimum requirements for the use of equipment. Although previous regulations applied primarily to work over two metres, the new regulations even cover standing on the bottom rung of a small step ladder! Austin Baker of AFI -Uplift, considers the impact of the Work at Height Regulations for employers and employees

Employers have a duty of care to ensure that work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner. All employers, the self-employed and any other person who controls the work of others should be fully up to date with the new legislation. This includes site managers, contract managers, contractors and even the building owner contracting others to work at height.

The following are the six most common reasons for falls from height:

• Failure to recognise a problem: A risk assessment should have raised this.
• Failure to ensure that safe systems of work are followed: How often do over-zealous workers take a short cut despite being provided with the necessary tools?
• Failure to provide safe systems of work: Often employees will risk injury because the job 'will only take a few minutes'.
• Inadequate information, instruction, training or supervision: Don't take for granted that everyone has the requisite knowledge to complete a job. It is the employer's responsibility to ensure that the employee has been trained, not the other way round.
• Failure to use appropriate equipment: We have all seen pictures of personnel standing on the forks of a telehandler or standing on the top rung of a ladder.
• Failure to provide safe plant/equipment: The PUWER (Provision and Use Work Equipment Regulations 1998) and LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998) are designed to ensure that all equipment complies with Health & Safety and that it is serviced and regularly maintained.

Organisation and Planning Employers should particularly note two key areas in the Work at Height Regulations: Regulation 4 covers organisation and planning. Every employer shall ensure that work at height is:

• Properly planned: You should carry out a risk assessment and have a written system of work. This will only stop accidents, however, if it is passed on to the employees.
• Appropriately supervised: What experience do your employees have? Are your apprentices competent?
• Carried out in a manner which is, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe: What is reasonably practicable? Common sense has to be used here – cost or history will never be an acceptable excuse.

Regulation 6 – avoidance of risks from work at height – ensures that the areas above are complied with. It states: "In identifying the measures required by this regulation, every employer shall take account of a risk assessment under regulation three of the Management Regulations.

Every employer shall ensure that work is not carried out at height where it is reasonably practicable to carry out the work safely otherwise than at height." New Code of Practice It is essential to ensure that you take time in the planning and conformity of future works. To assist in compliance with this regulation the British Standards Institute has published a new code of practice, BS 8437:2005, for selection, use and maintenance of personal fall protection systems and equipment for use in the workplace. It brings together best practice in personal fall protection.

The increased emphasis on carrying out risk assessments and considering whether an alternative form of access would be safer is leading to an increased demand for smaller powered access machines. They are small enough to get into the tightest of spaces and at the same time provide greater speed and versatility.

For example, small units in the AFI-Uplift fleet include the Genie IWP20, which has a gated ultra narrow platform to provide access in very restricted spaces. Other examples include the Haulotte Star 6 and Star 10. AFI-Uplift are investing substantially in these smaller machines – and particularly in the ultra-small 'Pop Up' machines. The Pop Up can be easily pushed around and operated by one person and represents a cost-effective solution to meet the health and safety requirements for low level access work.

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