What Secure A Site can do to help prevent falls and injury?
- Firstly conduct a working at height risk survey
- Plan all instances of working at height
- Think about where the work is to be done
- Where possible use an existing structure, which will allow safe access and provide a safe working platform. Where this is not possible, a safe working platform will need to be provided.
- Remember that this may give access to dangerous parts of machinery so then the necessary precautions will have to be taken and controls will have to be put in place
- Consider any lifting and handling requirements needed to carry out the work
Be aware and prevent possible electric shock dangers that may initiate accidents
Our main rules to follow when working at height?
• First, as a part of the planning of the work, carry out a Risk Assessment.
• Plan to do as much of the work as possible at low level.
• Do not work at height unless it is absolutely unavoidable.
• Provide a secure platform which will: be securely footed on stable ground; support the weight of the personnel and equipment to be used; provide a stable access and will not overturn; and be secured to an existing structure, where necessary and wherever possible
• Take account of the gradient of the ground, especially where mobile platforms are used.
• Provide guard rails to the platform.
• Provide barriers on open edges, holes and openings in the platform floor, the edges of roofs and working areas.
Remember that poor selection, maintenance and care of equipment are the major contributors to accidents when working at height - rather than an obvious lack of attention to good working practices.
Ensure that only properly CE marked Category III approved Personal Protection Equipment is used for working at height. Be aware of our surroundings, checking all suitability of plant and access equipment prior to use, ensure all equipment from approved suppliers meet these our standards.
Working at height - Risk assessment. What should I consider?
- Check that there is a safe method of access to and from the work area.
- Decide what particular equipment will be suitable for the job and conditions on site.
- Make sure work platforms and any edges from which people may fall have guard-rails and toe boards or other secure barriers.
- Prepare the site in good time ready to receive any equipment.
- Ensure that equipment needed is available and delivered to the site in good time.
- Check that the equipment is in good condition.
- Make sure that whoever assembles and erects the equipment has been properly trained
- Check that equipment is safe before using it, especially any provided by another company.
- Supervise those using the equipment so that they use it correctly. More training and supervision is required to ensure safety with specialised equipment (for example, a rope access system, safety harness or a boatswain's chair).
- If any defects need to be remedied, or modifications need to made, then find out who to report this to, and keep them informed.
Points to remember
- Only when it is not practical to provide a working platform with guardrails, should other means of access (for example ladders, cherry pickers, chairs or rope access harness systems) be used.
- Only where no other method is practicable, or when work platforms cannot comply with all the requirements for safe work (e.g. a guardrail removed removed) should a way of arresting falls (for example a harness and lines) be relied upon
- A harness or nets may also be needed to protect people when guardrails or other protection in not in place
- Ladders are a means of access, not a working platform; they should only be used as workplaces for a short time, and then only when it is safe to do so. It is generally safer to use a tower scaffold or mobile elevating work platform, even for short-term work.
- Never have more than one person on the ladder at any one time. ladders should always be secured and footed.
- When using ladders and mobile equipment pay particular attention to overhead cables or nearby structures.
- Footing of ladders is not safe in excess of heights greater than 5 meters, alternative means of access must be used such as a mobile scaffold tower or cherry picker, ensure persons operating are approved.
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