Don’t fall behind with fall protection inspection

John Boyle looks at how keeping a building’s fall protection
systems fully tested and inspected is an essential part of
minimising risks to workers on roofs and external facades

It is a well known fact that too many
accidents come about as a result of
falls from heights. Figures from the
HSE show that there are still around
4,000 serious injuries each year from
work at heights, with falls from height
still the largest reportable cause of
fatalities in the workplace, as reported in
RIDDOR (Report of Injuries, Diseases
and Dangerous Occurrences
Regulations).

Health & safety managers are well aware of
their role in taking care not only of the
internal workings of a building, but also
the external fa̤ade Рand this includes the
protection of workers when carrying out
cleaning or essential maintenance to roofs
and walls.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005
have gone a long way to reinforce the
importance of the protection of workers
and the introduction of the Corporate
Manslaughter Act in 2008 further
emphasised the need for businesses to
minimise their risks and provide greater
protection to workers.

So what can be done to minimise the
risks? The regular testing and inspection of
fall protection systems is now an integral
part of many companies’ planned
maintenance programmes. For multi-site
health & safety managers, it is important to
plan a dedicated inspection regime and
how this should work.

Working with specialists in this area, like
Eurosafe Solutions, provides peace of mind
and is an option preferred by many health
& safety managers as it means the external
company takes responsibility for managing
the whole maintenance schedule for one or
a whole portfolio of buildings. This ensures
that all testing is carried out on a planned
basis to provide optimum protection.

Safe working order
It is important to remember that safety
devices installed to protect workers when
working at heights need their own
maintenance programme to ensure they
remain safe and in good working order.

UK legislation states that cable-based fall
protection systems should be tested at least
every 12 months, as should PPE associated
with work at heights and eyebolts on roofs.

Furthermore, Abseil anchors should be
tested every six months, as part of meeting
Work at Height legislation, including BS
3N 365, BS EN 795 and BS EN 7883. These
are the set rules for testing and inspection,
but frequency of inspection varies from
product to product, so it is worth checking
this with the manufacturer.

The Hierarchy of Risk Management
separates fall protection systems into three
categories:
Eliminate the risk of a fall
Collective protection
Individual protection
The safest method of fall protection is
obviously to eliminate the risk, which
means removing the need to work at
height, however this is often unavoidable.

Staff training
Training of staff is essential to ensure that
everyone involved in the work is
competent. The training should reduce
the risk of a fall occurring and it should
ensure that those who work at height are
aware of how to avoid falling and how to
minimise injury or risks to anyone who
should fall. It is advisable that relevant
staff undertake personal protective
equipment (PPE) inspection training to
ensure that protective equipment is worn
correctly. With PPE it is definitely not a
case of “one size fits all” and ensuring that
PPE suits the heights and build of the
individuals who regularly use the kit is
important.

Once testing and inspection of fall
protection systems has been carried out, a
detailed inspection report should be
provided which would highlight any
potentially hazardous areas and any
remedial action that needed to be taken.

The report should also contain an
accurate assessment of the safety of the
roof systems and identify if any
maintenance or replacement work needs
to be done. It should also provide up to
date system certification that is valid for
12 months.

Whatever the fall protection method in
place on a building, one thing is certain; that
system will require an ongoing planned
maintenance programme. Failure for this to
be carried out by an experienced fall
protection professional could lead to a lack
of duty of care on the part of the company.

By working closely with health & safety
managers to provide these services on one or
a whole portfolio of buildings, we can create
a system where risks are minimised, workers
are offered best protection and fall
protection systems are compliant with all
relevant regulatory standards.

John Boyle is a director at Eurosafe Solutions.