A high school in Southport, Merseyside received a hefty fine last month after a worker fell off a roof and sustained multiple fractures.
The incident in question occurred in 2018. According to shponline.co.uk, the man was getting some footballs down from the roof of the school's sixth form centre when he lost his footing and fell more than 3 metres before hitting the ground.
A HSE investigation found that there were no fall protection measures in place to prevent an incident like this. An edge protection system or anchor point could have kept the worker from falling off the roof, but no such precautions had been taken, and so the governing body of Christ the King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre were fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,851.50.
Falls from height are among the most common causes of injury and death in the workplace. Employers must ensure that appropriate safety measures are in place before allowing staff to work at height.
Height Safety Equipment Fall Protection Systems
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Our safety equipment is great for helping you work safely on a roof. So, we thought we'd put together a guide for you on how to use it!
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With the world slowly getting back to some sort of normality, businesses up and down the country are starting to open their doors back to the public, which means operations can begin to resume. To make the transition back into normal working life a little easier, SafetyLiftinGear are excited to announce amazing special offers on two of our material handling products!
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Our LoadSurfer 250kg Pipe Trolley was £109.49 before VAT but is now £94.98 + VAT - another incredible saving!
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Both of these fantastic products are sure to help with making tasks and operations around warehouses and stockrooms much more enjoyable. You can find our full range of material handling equipment below if you require more products to help your business get back to normal.
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If you require more information on our two pipe tube trolleys or any of our other material handling products, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team today!
UK businesses are beginning to come out of lockdown and get back to normal, but COVID-19 (coronavirus) is still a massive concern across virtually all sectors. Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we offer a variety of protective products to help companies keep their workers safe and stop the virus from spreading.
One such product is the Life Gear FS002 Comfy-Fit Adjustable Face Shield. These protective visors cover the whole face, minimising the wearer's risk of getting infected or infecting others via microscopic respiratory droplets.
Despite these uncertain times, the team here at SafetyLiftinGear have been working extremely hard behind the scenes and are proud to announce that we now supply a range of Kratos Safety fall protection to help keep you safe when working at height!
Based in France, Kratos Safety utilise a range of certified laboratories, designers and technicians to not only ensure that their range of safety equipment meets European safety standards but exceeds expectations when it comes to comfort, innovation and quality. Offering products from a variety of categories such as harnesses & belts, fall arresters, tool lanyards and rope access, Kratos is experienced in creating effective equipment that ensures your safety.
Here is a selection of the Kratos equipment available to buy from SLG today:
- Full body harness with 1 dorsal D-Ring and 1 sternal D-Ring on the sternal strap
- Adjustable shoulder & thigh straps
- Ideally positioned sit strap for extended comfort
- Max User Weight: 140kg
- Conformity: EN361:2002
- Retractable fall arrester with double aluminium casing and 2 webbing lanyards (2m)
- Includes 2x scaffold hooks at the anchorage end
- Webbing: 25mm
- Max Weight: 100kg
- Conforms to EN360:2002
- Load Arrestor with galvanised steel wire rope designed to stop the fall of a 300kg weight load
- Casing made of high impact strength polymer to prevent breakage
- Length: 10mtr
- Conforms to 2006/42/CE
You can find our full range of Kratos Safety equipment right here.
For more information on our collection of Kratos Safety fall protection, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of the SLG team today, we'd love to hear from you!
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Our G-Force safety products are incredibly durable, but it's still important to take good care of them.
The maximum lifespan of G-Force safety harnesses (and other G-Force textile products) is 10 years. However, the actual lifespan of your harness will depend on how and where you use it - try to avoid exposing your harness to sharp edges, corrosive substances, extreme temperatures and other harsh environments.
Here are some more care and maintenance tips to help you maximise the lifespan of your G-Force safety harness:
Keeping your G-Force harness clean will make it easier to inspect and help to ensure that any markings on the product (e.g. identification, standards) remain legible.
To clean your safety harness, follow these steps:
If you have any further questions about your safety harness and how to look after it, please feel free to contact SafetyLiftinGear's customer service team.
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A construction firm has been fined after a 17-year-old worker fell through a skylight opening and suffered life-changing injuries. On 20 August 2018, the young worker fell through an insulation sheet covering a skylight while walking across an unmarked area on the construction site in Gloucester. He suffered multiple broken bones, which needed two operations to treat. His doctors advised him that it was unlikely he would be able to work in construction ever again. A potential career in construction was cut short by the neglect of another reckless employer.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that the employee was not supervised properly and was not warned about the risks on site. According to reports, there were no warnings in place about the hole in the roof, and no workers on site had been told about it. No further physical barriers were in place, either - any of these measures could have prevented this tragic accident.
The company failed to take the necessary precautions for working at height, and further investigation showed continued failures to properly and adequately plan constructions at that height (even after the incident in question). The Mark Holland Group pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations and were fined £55,620.
HSE inspectors highlighted how this accident could have been avoided with simple safety precautions, such as the correct height safety equipment.
It's essential for employers to take adequate fall protection measures and follow the health and safety regulations at all times. These safety guidelines are there to help employers comply with the law and prevent death and serious injury.
Employers should aim to carry out work on the ground where possible, or utilise scaffolding or mobile platforms that allow easy and safe access. Failing that, use fall protection equipment to restrain workers in the event of a fall and minimise the distance the individual falls to minimise the potential injury.
Read our blog about choosing the best fall protection equipment for your job.
We hope that employers see stories like this one and make more of an effort to prioritise health and safety to prevent further accidents.
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