The TILE principle is a health and safety framework that's used to assess risks during manual handling tasks. TILE stands for Task, Individual, Load and Environment – four key areas that you should consider carefully before commencing any manual handling job.
When you work at height, “load” can mean two very different things. It might be the weight you’re lifting into position (plant, steelwork, truss, pallets). Or it might be the forces your safety system must withstand if something goes wrong.
Yes, pallet trucks must be inspected under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER). These regulations apply to anyone who owns, hires, operates or controls work equipment.
Humans cannot fly, and reliable jetpacks have yet to be invented. This means that working at height requires a fair amount of equipment, which can be broadly split into two categories: access and safety. Read on to find out more.
There is no legal manual handling weight limit in the UK, but there is still a limit to how much a person can safely lift.
Every workplace is different, and every career has different responsibilities. Some people might be expected to do a large amount of manual handling and lifting daily, while some people might go for years lifting nothing more than a pen. Different employees will have different manual handling weight limits.
Manual handling is the transport or support of a load by bodily force, or by hand. Basically, it's the handling of any load whether you're lifting it, dragging it or pushing it. The term 'manual handling' covers the whole lot.
According to government legislation, manual handling is formally defined as: “the transporting or supporting of a load (including lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving) by hand or by bodily force.”
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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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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