Category: Health & Safety

14 Oct 2015

Firm Fined £15,000 for Height Safety Breaches.

Safety Liftin Gear Health & Safety

As an employer by law you are responsible to ensure that any work at height is, kept to a minimum, properly planned, supervised and carried out by correctly trained, competent people and that the work at height activities must not be carried out in unsuitable weather conditions for example, when its icy, windy, or raining. If you are not following these laws you could face large fines, just like a cladding firm based in Derby discovered on a routine check from a health and safety inspector. After finding the company did not the appropriate measures in place for protecting their employees while they were working at height and was fined £15,000. To avoid a potential fatal accident, hefty fines or closure of your business, it is essential that you follow the working at height regulations.

When working at height follow these 3 simple rules;

1) Avoid working at height if you can, if there is no reason for you climb up there – don’t.

2) If you can’t avoid working at height, then use the correct equipment to prevent falls. Here at SafetyLiftinGear we have a huge variety of rope access systems, roof anchors, and safety lines to help prevent falls from height.

3) If you can’t eliminate the risk of a fall you should use the correct equipment to minimise the impact of a fall. In our Height Safety Department you will find our high quality range of fall arrest blocks, and specialist harnesses to help minimize the impact of a fall.

Click here to browse our full range of Height Safety Equipment, or give us a call on 0808 123 6969 to discuss any requirements with a member of our specialist customer service team.

01 Oct 2015

The Dangers of Working in a Confined Space

mike Health & Safety

Working in a confined space can be very dangerous so it is important that you have the right Confined space equipment, to keep yourself and your work colleagues safe from potential hazards.

A confined space is defined as a space which is enclosed with limited exits, where serious injury can occur from hazardous conditions, such as, using chemicals that could combust, excessive heat from welding or even direct sunlight, the presence of toxic gases, fume or vapours which could lead to unconsciousness or asphyxiation, lack of oxygen in the confined space or even oxygen enrichment.

It is important to be aware that even if the space you are working in is not classed as a confined space when you begin your work, however it may become a confined space if there is a change in conditions, for example, and using toxic chemicals for cleaning purposes could produce toxic vapours. So before you start working in a confined space or a space that could become confined you need to be aware of the potential hazards and ensure that you have the correct equipment.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear we understand the dangers of working within confined spaces supply a range of confined space equipment to help keep you as safe as possible from harm when working in such conditions. We have a huge range of adjustable tripods, winches and gantries to aid your descent into confined places such as manholes and shafts.

As well as a huge range tripods and Gantries we also stock fall arrest blocks, rescue harnesses, gas detectors, and breathing apparatus.

Click here to view our full range of confined space equipment if you have any questions about our Confined space equipment, please call us on 0808 123 6969 and a member of out specialist team will be happy to assist you.

01 Oct 2015

The Dangers of Working in a Confined Space

mike Health & Safety

Working in a confined space can be very dangerous so it is important that you have the right Confined space equipment, to keep yourself and your work colleagues safe from potential hazards.

A confined space is defined as a space which is enclosed with limited exits, where serious injury can occur from hazardous conditions, such as, using chemicals that could combust, excessive heat from welding or even direct sunlight, the presence of toxic gases, fume or vapours which could lead to unconsciousness or asphyxiation, lack of oxygen in the confined space or even oxygen enrichment.

It is important to be aware that even if the space you are working in is not classed as a confined space when you begin your work, however it may become a confined space if there is a change in conditions, for example, and using toxic chemicals for cleaning purposes could produce toxic vapours. So before you start working in a confined space or a space that could become confined you need to be aware of the potential hazards and ensure that you have the correct equipment.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear we understand the dangers of working within confined spaces supply a range of confined space equipment to help keep you as safe as possible from harm when working in such conditions. We have a huge range of adjustable tripods, winches and gantries to aid your descent into confined places such as manholes and shafts.

As well as a huge range tripods and Gantries we also stock fall arrest blocks, rescue harnesses, gas detectors, and breathing apparatus.

Click here to view our full range of confined space equipment if you have any questions about our Confined space equipment, please call us on 0808 123 6969 and a member of out specialist team will be happy to assist you.

22 Sep 2015

Prevent Serious Safety Failings

mike Health & Safety

As we have mentioned time and time again, working at height is very dangerous, and failing to follow the proper guidelines and safety precautions can and will get people hurt.

If you do not take the necessary precautions when working at height, the Health & Safety Executive may visit your site to ensure that you are following the law. This is what happened to a scaffolding company in London recently; a passer-by was so concerned about the working conditions of the company’s employees and the safety of the public that she raised her concern with the HSE.

The HSE visited the site and found that the scaffolding was poorly erected and there was a lack of safety precautions put in place to prevent objects from falling to the street below. The HSE served a notice to stop all work on this unsafe construction until it was deemed safe. It is stated in the Work at Height Regulations 2005 that "every employer shall take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury." (6.3)

Time and time again, we see that employers and even employees are not taking the correct safety precautions to protect themselves from harm. Over 60% of deaths during work at height involve falls, but by wearing a harness and using anchors and fall arrest blocks, these accidents are easily prevented and people’s lives are saved.

Another important point made above is the safety of the general public when you are working at height. The Work at Height Regulations also states "every employer shall, where necessary to prevent injury to any person and to take suitable and sufficient steps to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, the fall of any material or object." (10. 1)

When working on scaffolding, it is important to have nets around the scaffolding to catch any objects that fall from it. You can also protect people by simply attaching your tools to a lanyard. This simple precaution can help save lives (and your tools!)

Thankfully, the malpractices of the London scaffolding company did not end up causing any serious injuries or any harm to passers-by. However, the company’s owner did get receive a fine and a suspended prison sentence.

Visit SafetyLiftinGear’s Height Safety department and make sure you have all the safety equipment you need.