Tag: working-at-height

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!

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18 Dec 2015

Farmer Fined £2,500 After Fall From Height Kills Worker

admin Health & Safety

If you find yourself working at height, you should always ensure that you are taking the necessary precautions to prevent accidents. In 2013/2014, falls from height were the most common cause of work-related deaths, with nearly 3 in 10 accidents being fatal.

In Northern Ireland recently, a worker fell 3 metres from a ladder onto the concrete floor of the dairy farm where he was replacing a sky panel on a corrugated barn roof. The worker was working from the underside of the roof, but slipped and fell while he was looking at the farm owner during the installation. It came to light that there was no scaffolding erected, nor was the worker wearing a safety harness whist working at height.

An inspector with Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland found that this accident was preventable, and states that it “underlines why farmers must not ignore the potential dangers associated with working at heights”.

This accident illustrates that, no matter what the task, if you are working at height then it is essential that you take the correct safety precautions to reduce the risk of fatalities. To prevent accidents whist working at height, it is important that you don’t over-reach whilst using ladders, and that you do not erect ladders on uneven or unsafe surfaces.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we take height safety extremely seriously. We have a whole department dedicated to working at height products, featuring a large variety of specialist safety harnesses, lanyards, fall arrest blocks and more. Click here to view our full range.

If you have any questions regarding our height safety range, or if you cannot find a product that meets your specific requirements, please contact us by telephoning 0808 123 6969 or emailing a member of our customer service team on sales@safetyliftingear.com.

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.