Tag: height-safety

13 Apr 2016

Height Safety Breaches Lead to Fines, and Even Jail Sentences!

mike Health & Safety

As our regular followers will know, we often write about the vital necessity of height safety measures, particularly in the workplace. We do this to remind employers and workers about the importance of abiding by the correct height safety regulations, by conducting through risk assessments, following best practice guidelines, and using the correct equipment.

Sadly, however, it seems to make little difference how often this issue is discussed either by ourselves, or by other safety professionals. Without fail, a new case of neglected height safety seems to rear its ugly head almost every week. Recently, two news stories came to our attention, both of which had serious consequences for both the workers and the companies employing them. Here's what went wrong, and what the consequences were:

The first case involves a roofing firm in Worcester, who were fined £66,000 after an employee was seriously injured at work. Whilst replacing a fragile roof in April of last year, the worker fell through a skylight and broke his wrist. After an investigation by the HSE was conducted, they found that this accident was a result of the company's failure to implement proper fall protection measures. If edge protection, nets and guardrails had been provided, the risk to the individual and other employees would have been significantly reduced.

In the second case, two construction bosses were sentenced to eight months in prison, and were ordered to pay a £90,000 fine along with £45,000 in court costs, following a worker fatality back in 2014. The incident occurred while C Smith and Sons were dismantling a building set for demolition, which required workers to operate at height. Following one near-miss, and an incident which left a 47 year old man with a fractured spine, pelvis, leg, heel and wrist, work was shockingly allowed to continue. Just hours after his co-worker was injured and only a day after one close call, Paul Harrower fell through a skylight, and died of serious head injuries.

Both of these incidents could have been prevented by the implementation of proper health and safety measures, which would have helped to save the lives and livelihoods of all those involved. Incidents like these can damage reputations and wreck lives, for the victims and their families, as well as those who are responsible. If you conduct operations at height, please take note of these regularly occurring tragedies, and avoid the same thing happening to you! Set the correct measures, follow them, and always use the correct equipment!

For all the latest H&S news and advice, follow us on Twitter.

13 Apr 2016

Height Safety Breaches Lead to Fines, and Even Jail Sentences!

mike Health & Safety

As our regular followers will know, we often write about the vital necessity of height safety measures, particularly in the workplace. We do this to remind employers and workers about the importance of abiding by the correct height safety regulations, by conducting through risk assessments, following best practice guidelines, and using the correct equipment.

Sadly, however, it seems to make little difference how often this issue is discussed either by ourselves, or by other safety professionals. Without fail, a new case of neglected height safety seems to rear its ugly head almost every week. Recently, two news stories came to our attention, both of which had serious consequences for both the workers and the companies employing them. Here's what went wrong, and what the consequences were:

The first case involves a roofing firm in Worcester, who were fined £66,000 after an employee was seriously injured at work. Whilst replacing a fragile roof in April of last year, the worker fell through a skylight and broke his wrist. After an investigation by the HSE was conducted, they found that this accident was a result of the company's failure to implement proper fall protection measures. If edge protection, nets and guardrails had been provided, the risk to the individual and other employees would have been significantly reduced.

In the second case, two construction bosses were sentenced to eight months in prison, and were ordered to pay a £90,000 fine along with £45,000 in court costs, following a worker fatality back in 2014. The incident occurred while C Smith and Sons were dismantling a building set for demolition, which required workers to operate at height. Following one near-miss, and an incident which left a 47 year old man with a fractured spine, pelvis, leg, heel and wrist, work was shockingly allowed to continue. Just hours after his co-worker was injured and only a day after one close call, Paul Harrower fell through a skylight, and died of serious head injuries.

Both of these incidents could have been prevented by the implementation of proper health and safety measures, which would have helped to save the lives and livelihoods of all those involved. Incidents like these can damage reputations and wreck lives, for the victims and their families, as well as those who are responsible. If you conduct operations at height, please take note of these regularly occurring tragedies, and avoid the same thing happening to you! Set the correct measures, follow them, and always use the correct equipment!

For all the latest H&S news and advice, follow us on Twitter.

29 Mar 2016

Fall Protection Systems: Prevent Height-Related Injuries

jodie Products

As regular visitors to our blog and followers of our social media pages will know, at SafetyLiftinGear we place a particular emphasis on height safety as a priority in working environments. This is due not only to the sheer volume of accidents caused by poor height safety measures on a regular basis, but is also a reflection of the severe and often fatal nature of these incidents. That is why we make it a priority to promote the dangers of unsuitable height safety measures, and promote the responsible use of proper height safety measures and products.

For those who plan on undertaking tasks which involve working at height, be it as one-off project or as a regular element of your business, it is of vital importance that you are properly prepared with the correct fall protection systems. Whether your task involves working on a rooftop, ledge or at the side of a building, our selection of products will act as a failsafe in the event of a worker fall, preventing serious and fatal injuries. For your convenience, many of our safety line systems are also suitable for use by multiple persons at one time, allowing you to adapt the product to the demands of your job and workforce.

While our fall arresters are available to buy or rent for individuals who already have a fall protection system in place, our safety line, anchorage, and edge protection systems are available in a bespoke package upon request. Simply fill-in a price application form, and we will be able to provide you with a competitive price to suit all of your individual needs. For those who require a helping hand with the correct installation of these systems, we also offer a full installation service for many of our fall arrest products, so you can be sure that your new equipment is installed safely and correctly.

To see our full range of fall protection systems click here. If you would like more information regarding any of our products or our installation service, please feel free to get in touch with a member of our friendly team.

29 Mar 2016

Fall Protection Systems: Prevent Height-Related Injuries

jodie Products

As regular visitors to our blog and followers of our social media pages will know, at SafetyLiftinGear we place a particular emphasis on height safety as a priority in working environments. This is due not only to the sheer volume of accidents caused by poor height safety measures on a regular basis, but is also a reflection of the severe and often fatal nature of these incidents. That is why we make it a priority to promote the dangers of unsuitable height safety measures, and promote the responsible use of proper height safety measures and products.

For those who plan on undertaking tasks which involve working at height, be it as one-off project or as a regular element of your business, it is of vital importance that you are properly prepared with the correct fall protection systems. Whether your task involves working on a rooftop, ledge or at the side of a building, our selection of products will act as a failsafe in the event of a worker fall, preventing serious and fatal injuries. For your convenience, many of our safety line systems are also suitable for use by multiple persons at one time, allowing you to adapt the product to the demands of your job and workforce.

While our fall arresters are available to buy or rent for individuals who already have a fall protection system in place, our safety line, anchorage, and edge protection systems are available in a bespoke package upon request. Simply fill-in a price application form, and we will be able to provide you with a competitive price to suit all of your individual needs. For those who require a helping hand with the correct installation of these systems, we also offer a full installation service for many of our fall arrest products, so you can be sure that your new equipment is installed safely and correctly.

To see our full range of fall protection systems click here. If you would like more information regarding any of our products or our installation service, please feel free to get in touch with a member of our friendly team.

17 Mar 2016

Working at Height: 3 Essential Safety Measures

admin Products

Everyday we read stories about how people are injured while they were working at height, or we see a story about people who show complete disregard to health and safety regulations which results in putting themselves and others in an incredible amount of danger.

It is important that when you are required to work at height, you do so responsibly, not just for your own safety, but for others too. By following these 3 safety measures you and other around you will remain safe:

Fall Arrest Blocks

When you are working at height, it is essential that you are protecting yourself and minimising the risks of slips and falls from height. Fall Arrest blocks are a retractable lifeline, generally made from wire rope, which is stored within a case containing an inertia reel.

In the unfortunate event of a fall, the wire rope is pulled out of the block until it reaches critical velocity, which is when the breaking system locks, preventing you from falling any further. Our Fall arrest blocks all have a shock-absorbing system built in preventing you from getting hurt.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we sell a variety of Fall Arrest blocks, so when you are purchasing, please ensure you have selected the correct Block for the required task.

Click here to view all of our fall arrest blocks

Safety Harnesses

When you are working at height, a safety harness most be worn at all times. We know that they are not the most fashionable of accessories, but they are lifesaving.

If you are working at height, make sure that you are using a harness attached to one of the fall arrest blocks we mentioned above. This will protect you from injury in the off chance you fall whilst working at height.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear we sell a huge variety of safety harnesses, from the basic fall arrest harnesses, through to the more specialist, multipurpose harnesses, insulated harnesses and flame resistant harnesses.

Click here to view our full range of safety harnesses

Tool Lanyards

Dropping your tools from a height can have some dire consequences. Firstly, You could end up damaging any equipment or machines that are directly below where you are working, which could end up with some costly repairs for your company. Secondly, you could end up damaging your tool, rendering it useless so you will have to pay to get it replaced. Thirdly, and most importantly, you could end up fatally injuring a member of the public or a workmate.

To prevent creating a hazard it is essential that you use a Tool Lanyard. We supply a huge range of top quality tool lanyards.

Keep your spanner close to hand, by using our specialist wrist lanyards, Keep Loosing your hard hat? Why not attach it to your work belt with our elastic hard hat lanyard and buckle? Using a power tool? use the ERGODYNE Power Tool Trap! Whatever your requirements, we are confident that we have a suitable lanyard for you!

Click here to view our full range.

We pride ourselves on the fact that we stock a truly comprehensive range of Fall protection equipment. However in the event that you cannot find the exact item you are looking for, please contact us on 0808 123 69 69 or email sale@safetyliftingear.com to talk to a member of our customer service team.

17 Mar 2016

Working at Height: 3 Essential Safety Measures

admin Products

Everyday we read stories about how people are injured while they were working at height, or we see a story about people who show complete disregard to health and safety regulations which results in putting themselves and others in an incredible amount of danger.

It is important that when you are required to work at height, you do so responsibly, not just for your own safety, but for others too. By following these 3 safety measures you and other around you will remain safe:

Fall Arrest Blocks

When you are working at height, it is essential that you are protecting yourself and minimising the risks of slips and falls from height. Fall Arrest blocks are a retractable lifeline, generally made from wire rope, which is stored within a case containing an inertia reel.

In the unfortunate event of a fall, the wire rope is pulled out of the block until it reaches critical velocity, which is when the breaking system locks, preventing you from falling any further. Our Fall arrest blocks all have a shock-absorbing system built in preventing you from getting hurt.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we sell a variety of Fall Arrest blocks, so when you are purchasing, please ensure you have selected the correct Block for the required task.

Click here to view all of our fall arrest blocks

Safety Harnesses

When you are working at height, a safety harness most be worn at all times. We know that they are not the most fashionable of accessories, but they are lifesaving.

If you are working at height, make sure that you are using a harness attached to one of the fall arrest blocks we mentioned above. This will protect you from injury in the off chance you fall whilst working at height.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear we sell a huge variety of safety harnesses, from the basic fall arrest harnesses, through to the more specialist, multipurpose harnesses, insulated harnesses and flame resistant harnesses.

Click here to view our full range of safety harnesses

Tool Lanyards

Dropping your tools from a height can have some dire consequences. Firstly, You could end up damaging any equipment or machines that are directly below where you are working, which could end up with some costly repairs for your company. Secondly, you could end up damaging your tool, rendering it useless so you will have to pay to get it replaced. Thirdly, and most importantly, you could end up fatally injuring a member of the public or a workmate.

To prevent creating a hazard it is essential that you use a Tool Lanyard. We supply a huge range of top quality tool lanyards.

Keep your spanner close to hand, by using our specialist wrist lanyards, Keep Loosing your hard hat? Why not attach it to your work belt with our elastic hard hat lanyard and buckle? Using a power tool? use the ERGODYNE Power Tool Trap! Whatever your requirements, we are confident that we have a suitable lanyard for you!

Click here to view our full range.

We pride ourselves on the fact that we stock a truly comprehensive range of Fall protection equipment. However in the event that you cannot find the exact item you are looking for, please contact us on 0808 123 69 69 or email sale@safetyliftingear.com to talk to a member of our customer service team.

12 Feb 2016

Company Fined After Carrying Out Dangerous Window Installation Work Eight Metres above a West End Street

admin Health & Safety

A window manufacturer and installer has been fined £36,000 after their workers were seen installing a window without any safety precautions, 8 metres above a busy west end street.

Westminster’s magistrates court head that the company carried out window installation work, which put their workers and members of the public at risk of serious injuries or fatalities.

A member of the public provided photos of the workers leading out of a window 8 metres above the street, they also provided a video, filmed on their phone, of the workers accidentally dropping a part of the window which fell to the ground narrowly missing a pedestrian.

The health and safety executive investigation found that the company failed to provide basic safety equipment, including scaffolding – which would have prevented the workers and the window from falling. On top of not providing the essential safety equipment, health and safety executive also found that the workers had not received any formal training, and there was no supervisor present.

It was also found that no risk assessment had been conducted, and the company had failed to invest in the correct safety equipment needed for when people are working at height.

Andrew Verrall – Withers, an HSE Inspector said – “The Company’s standards were appalling, and this was particularly unacceptable as previous warnings had been blatantly disregarded.”

In this day and age, there is no excuse to not take the relevant safety precautions when you are carrying out dangerous work.

Working at height is extremely dangerous so it is incredibly important to adhere to the working at height regulations and take the correct safety precautions at all times. These laws are in place to help protect workers, and the general public. In this case, if the pedestrian was under the window at the wrong time, there could have been a fatal accident.

If you have been asked to work at height make sure you have all the correct equipment for the task ahead. Remember to inspect your equipment for damage before use. If you equipment is damaged in any way, do not carry out the work until you have sourced a replacement, or had it repaired.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear we have a whole department dedicated to height safety. Here you will find a variety of specialist safety harnesses, fall arrest blocks, lanyards, safety lines, rope access equipment, anchors and more.

If you are looking for a specific item but cannot locate it on our website, you can contact us by telephoning 0800 123 69 69 or emailing sales@safetyliftingear.com and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist you.