Safety guide for working at heights

Slips, trips and falls account for around a third of workplace injuries in the UK. This statistic may be a worry if you or your employees regularly use scaffolds and ladders. However, if you understand how to stay safe when working at height, this needn’t be the case.

In this guide, roofing expert Daniel Osbourne at MyJobQuote.co.uk explains the practical steps you should take to reduce risks and boost safety when working at height.

What Does Working at Height Mean?

If you’re a new business or have just entered the workplace, you may not be familiar with the safety rules associated with working off the ground. So, it’s useful to start by outlining what is meant by ‘working at height’.

Any place above ground level that a worker could fall from and injure themselves is considered a ‘height’. So, painting up a ladder, working on a roof or cleaning windows on a platform are all examples of working at height. If there are edges you could fall from, or openings, fragile surfaces and holes you could fall through, this is also considered working at height.

Who Needs to Know and Why Does It Matter?

Understanding how to work at height safely is the best way to avoid injuries and fatalities in the workplace. It’s also a legal requirement. Employers and other responsible people, such as facilities managers, factory owners and contractors, must adhere to The Work at Height Regulations 2005.

This means you should ensure all work is planned out properly and completed with the correct equipment. Furthermore, the work must only be carried out by those skilled enough to do it. Any work at height should also be adequately supervised.

It’s not just employers that need to be responsible. Employees must follow the safety measures and work practices that their employer has put in place. This means using the PPE supplied to you and using guardrails and other safety features as intended. You also have a duty to report hazards and problems.

Ways to Protect People Working at Height

There are two main ways to protect people when they’re working at height: collective protection and personal protection. To maximise safety, both of these methods should be used.

Collective Protection

Collective protection is best described as safety measures and features that protect groups of people rather than just individuals. This could be safety nets over voids to prevent injury from falls or guardrails on scaffolds, scissor lifts and platforms to prevent falls.

Personal Protection

Personal protection is safety equipment and protective clothing that an individual can use to reduce the risk of falls and injury when working at height. This includes fall restraint and fall arrest equipment, such as full body harnesses, lanyards and anchors. This equipment helps to stabilise workers and prevents them from coming to harm if they fall. Other personal protection might include hard hats, high-vis jackets and non-slip boots.

Safety Steps for Working at Height

Here are the steps you should follow when working at height:

Step 1 – Consider if there’s a way to avoid working at height. Could you use telescopic or long-handled brushes, rollers and lances to reach ceilings, gutters and other high features? Or could you lower items to the ground instead of climbing to access them? For example, lowering lighting rigs to make adjustments and lowering chandeliers for cleaning.

Step 2 – If working at height can’t be avoided, assess the risks involved. It might help to ask yourself the following questions:

• How high up will a worker need to go?
• What state is the structure or surface in?
• How long and how often will a worker need to be at height?

Doing this will help you work out how to carry out the work safely. For instance, a ladder might be fine to briefly access something at a relatively low height but a scaffold tower will be much more suitable for more extensive work at height and where surfaces aren’t stable enough to support a ladder, a scissor lift might be more appropriate.

Step 3 – Before any work at height starts, you must plan carefully. As well as working out how to undertake a task, you must make sure there’s an emergency procedure in place and that any employees working at height have had sufficient training and instruction to be able to do the job safely. You should also inspect the area where the work is due to take place.

Step 4 – Implement safety measures to control the risks you’ve identified. This could be hiring a scaffold or scissor lift, installing guardrails around edges and platforms or providing employees with harnesses. You may also choose to put up barriers and signs to help manage the work area.

Step 5 – Inspect personal and collective safety equipment. This should be done every time the equipment is used. If the work is taking place outside, check the weather conditions too.

Key Dos and Don’ts for Employers

Here are some key dos and don’ts that all employers should be aware of:

• Do enable employees to do as much of their work as possible from ground level.
• Do check that employees can get to and from their work at height in a safe manner.
• Do provide the right type of equipment for each task and ensure it’s used correctly.
• Do ensure that all safety equipment is kept in good condition and inspected regularly.
• Do make sure precautions are taken when anyone is working around fragile surfaces.
• Don’t forget to provide hard hats and other protections from falling objects.
• Don’t overlook the importance of having rescue procedures in place.
• Don’t let any employee work at height unless they’re competent.

Employee Dos and Don’ts

If you’re an employee, you can help to keep yourself safe by remembering these dos and don’ts:

• Do inform your manager or other responsible person if you spot a potential hazard or problem.
• Do speak up if you’re unsure of how a piece of equipment works.
• Do make sure that any PPE you’re issued with fits properly.
• Do check that ladders are resting on strong, secure surfaces.
• If you’re using a ladder, don’t overload it.
• Don’t stretch to reach things when you’re on a ladder. Move it closer to the area you’re working on.

Final Thoughts

When working at height, safety is paramount. By making sure that every job is planned properly and only carried out by competent people, you can control the risks involved and reduce the chances of anyone getting injured.