Understanding the Working at Heights Regulations

Many new businesses and entrepreneurs don?t understand the regulations around working at heights and what in fact constitutes working at heights. Professionals are often surprised by the following definition: working at heights means working in any place where, if precautions are not taken, a person could fall down and injure themselves.

Even the most established businesses are often uneducated on what working at height actually means. Here are a few examples of activities in the work place that are classed as ?working at heights?:

1. If you work above ground level at any point you are classed as working at heights;

2. Working in any place you could fall from an edge, through an opening or fragile surface; or from ground level into an opening in the floor or hole in the ground.

Many jobs around the world often require an employee at some point to work at heights on a daily basis or one offs like changing a light bulb. Some of the most dangerous jobs in the world are done at height. If these are done on a daily basis? or you use working platforms such as scaffolds or cranes, you and your employer need to be following the working at heights regulations.

Protecting yourself and your employees

Back injuries are one of the most common in the work place. Falling and lifting are two of the most common claims made against employers. Uneducated employees are more likely to be injured while undertaking one-off tasks like accessing storage, climbing a ladder, cleaning at heights or changing a light bulb. If you have recently taken on employees and you want to protect yourself and your business against a possible claim then you need to carry out a risk assessment; this is a simple process which will help you choose the right precautions to take when working at heights. Employees need to be made aware of the dangers and the precautions and equipment they must use to ensure they are not injured while carrying out their job.

Almost all injuries sustained in the workplace can be prevented with the use of the correct tools and safety gear such as hard hats and eye protection.

Conducting thorough safety training is one of the most effective ways of minimising incidents in the workplace. It?s advisable for all businesses to include working at heights training in the first few weeks of employment and run subsequent refresher courses for long term employees.

Methods of prevention

Many innovations in safety have been made and safety equipment and aids can be purchased cheaply. Businesses should always consider having the following products in storage:

• Long handled brushes
• Roller paint brushes
• Water fed poles
• Hatch openers
• Step ladders

By giving your employees the right tools for the job, you can reduce the risk of personal injury or damage to property. A great tip is to ensure that all fixtures in your premises are secure and safe. If your employees have access to a roof ensure rails and warning signs are in place to remind employees of the danger associated with working at heights.

Additional measures can be taken at work to reduce the risk of personal injury. When using any equipment for working at heights, you need to ensure that:

• The people using it are trained to use it safely.
• It is regularly inspected and well maintained.
• The work is supervised to check workers are adhering to safety guidelines.

It?s not rocket science, the more knowledgeable you and your employees are the less chances of injury at height.? If businesses fail to train and provide safety measures/training to employees and they are injured at height then a business can be hit with? hefty fines. It?s always best to be educated and you will find more information about the working at heights regulations on your local government?s website.

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About the Author

Karl Young is a regular safety bloggers and blogger creating content on behalf of Loxam Access, specialists in powered access equipment rental.

Source: http://www.informationgateway.org/understanding-working-heights-regulations/

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