Take it from the top
June 1st 2008

With falls from height the most common cause of workplace injury and fatality in the UK, the HSE is continuing to urge companies to make rooftop safety a priority. Vernon Barry, UK General Manager of Kee Safety, takes a look at the latest information and advice from the HSE and outlines the importance of making the right choice in safety systems

The latest campaign from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is dedicated to reducing the number of tragic deaths and terrible injuries incurred from falling at height. The aim of this campaign, 'Shattered Lives', is to raise awareness of these risks and help those involved to take simple action that will prevent slips, trips and falls in the workplace.

In the last year there has been a rise in the number of deaths in construction, with 23 of the 77 worker deaths resulting from a fall from height. On top of this, over 4,000 major injuries such as broken bones or fractured skulls are reported to the HSE each year by the construction industry.

Over half of these serious injuries involve falls from height or

from tripping over materials on walkways and are easily preventable.

Targeted inspections

In a bid to reduce this unnecessary injury toll the HSE carried out targeted inspections of refurbishment sites nationally in summer 2007 and again in February 2008.

Over half of the enforcement action taken during the summer inspection was against dangerous work at height and during the more recent spot checks, nearly 400 enforcement notices were given. These results are startling, and show just how much further we have to go in effectively preventing falls from height and ensuring a safe working environment for contractors.

The HSE has invested a lot of time in raising awareness

of the dangers of working at height and how it can be carried out safely. One firm knows exactly how serious the implications of ignoring these risks can be, having been fined £25,000 for breaching the Health & Safety at Work Act following the death of a sub-contractor who fell while carrying out roof maintenance work on its premises in Liverpool. The man's employer, a small sub-contracting roofing firm, was also found guilty of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and subsequently fined £3,000.

Wakeup call

This type of action is a wakeup call for anyone involved in rooftop work. If working at height is unavoidable, safety representatives should urge their employer to have procedures in place to prevent such falls. All safety professionals who contract others to access and maintain rooftop equipment are legally responsible for ensuring proper safety precautions are in place.

Contractors are employed every day to carry out essential repair and maintenance work on the rooftops of commercial, public and industrial buildings. Therefore, the HSE recommends choosing safety guardrailing afforded by collective roof edge protection systems to minimise the risk of danger. The HSE states that collective equipment should be selected before other measures which may only mitigate the distance and consequences of a fall, such as nets or airbags, or which may only offer personal protection from a fall.

High-risk areas

For contractors working near to high-risk areas, such as, skylights, there are good, easy to assemble, collective solutions. Kee Safety's Kee Dome for example is a freestanding approach. The PVC feet clamp directly to the corners of the rooflight base, eliminating the risk of damage to the roof membrane, and the system makes use of standard components so it's quick to put up and equally simple to take down. Most importantly, though, it complies fully with all relevant legislation and offers a proven way of reducing the risk of falling through unprotected glazed areas.

There is a legal requirement to ensure a safe and efficient maintenance regime for those working at height Under the Work at Height Regulations 2007. Without a correctly installed and tested system in place building owners, facilities managers and contractors can all be held responsible for the safety of personnel working on roofs.

In the light of continuing incidents, HSE actions and commitments from the industry itself to reduce falls from height throughout the sector, it pays to be safe and be secure.

More articles from Kee Safety Limited: