Tag: height-safety

27 Oct 2015

Builder Dangles from Safety Harness After Slipping from a Bridge

mike Health & Safety

Wearing and using the correct safety gear when you are working at height is essential, as you can see in this video. If this worker had not been following safety precautions and wearing a harness, he could have very easily had a fatal accident.

As we have discussed on numerous occasions, working at height can be very dangerous. If you have an accident while working at height and you have not followed the correct safety precautions, it could potentially have lethal consequences. No matter how many times you have carried out the job before, all it takes is one slip or one gust of wind to cause a deadly fall.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we specialise in height safety equipment and stock a range of specialist harnesses, fall arrest blocks, tripods, winches and roof anchors to help prevent fatal accidents occurring at height.

Visit Our Height Safety Department to purchase everything you need to safely work at heights.

14 Oct 2015

Firm Fined £15,000 for Height Safety Breaches.

admin 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.

08 Oct 2015

Product Spotlight: Safety Harness Jacket

adam Products

With autumn now upon us and winter on its way, SafetyLiftinGear's Height Safety range has gained a brand new pair of products that we think will make a lot of people very happy.

Working outdoors at this time of year can be a very unpleasant experience, and that goes double for people who have to work at height in strong winds and harsh weather. Our new safety harness jackets are specifically designed for people in this position; not only do they prevent falls via a built-in safety harness, they're also designed to keep you warm and dry when you're working in inclement weather.

Here's a quick rundown of what our fantastic fall protection jackets have to offer:

Safety Harness Jacket - Details:

Easy to put on and use
Harness can be removed for inspection, or if you wish to use the jacket on its own
Jacket is wind- and water-resistant
Three sizes available (Medium, Large and XLarge)
Harness attaches via front and rear D-ring attachment points
Ideal for all types of working at height, including event rigging

Our safety harness jackets come in two different colours: Black and High-Visibility Yellow. The black version is specifically designed for use in the entertainment industry, whereas the yellow jacket harness is better suited to industrial environments where workers need to be clearly visible.

SafetyLiftinGear's safety harness jackets are available both to buy and to hire. Whatever your requirements, click here to take a closer look at these products, or contact us to speak with a member of our customer service team.

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.