WORKING AT HEIGHT TRAINING

Protect – Safe working platform

Can you protect from a fall occurring?

Using an existing place of work that is already safe e.g. a non-fragile roof with a permanent guard rail, or use work equipment to protect from a fall from occurring.

To be classed as an existing safe place of work requires there to be

NO RISK OF A FALL occurring while you are working.

The best option use of an existing safe place of work like a solid, platform or flat roof with a suitable barrier, ensure any fragile surfaces such as “skylights” rated for a fall or are adequately protected.

Other options to protect from a fall is collective protection using work equipment

• with a permanent guard rail and
• low level protection at floor height such as toe boards or tool restraint lanyards to reduce items dropping from height
• scaffolds
• elevated working platforms such as
  • MEWP’s (mobile elevated working platforms)
  • cherry pickers
  • scissor lifts

Harnesses are a very good idea anyway as part of a rescue solution, but are necessary on mobile platforms

If you are not able to work from a safe working platform, move on to Prevent…

Want more?

Prevent a fall – Use work restraint

Can you prevent from a fall occurring?

Prevent a fall would be to use personal work equipment

A work restraint system prevents a worker getting into a fall position.

These systems require frequent inspection and training to ensure they are used correctly.

Whilst using work restraint, materials and tools are still required reduce items dropping from height

If you are not able to prevent a fall from occurring, move on to Minimise…

Minimise the distance or consequences of a fall

If the risk of a person falling remains, you must take sufficient measures to minimise the distance and/or consequence of a fall.

Ideally this should be collective protection like safety nets or soft-landing systems – not held by hand!

The last resort would be personal protection equipment like rope access and fall arrest systems with a high anchor.

Whilst using work restraint, materials and tools are still required to be restrained to prevent objects falling from height

If you are not able to prevent or minimise the fall, move on to Control…

Control – How to stay safe

Control the hazard to prevent or reduce a fall from height

Can you control the hazard?

• Eliminate the hazard by filling the hole in! – no hole, no hazard!
• Reduce the consequence – fill some of of the hole in to reduce the distance of a potential fall
• Isolate the hazard – cover the hole to prevent someone falling into it
• Control the hazard
  • Minimal people, warning barriers and signs, and perhaps an active sentry ensuring people are aware of the hazard.
  • People are kept behind a barrier far enough back that if a person who stumbled or tripped would not fall into the hole.

PPE such as workwear, boots and helmets could reduce injury

Discipline is required and relied upon to ensure some of these later points are successful.

Remember to protect those working below people at height and beware of those working above you! Move on to Drops – Restraining objects.

Drops – Restrain falling objects

Prevent drops by restraining objects

How can you restrain objects from being dropped?

Dropped objects from height quickly turn lethal when multiplied by gravity!

Collective restraint such as

• barriers
• toe boards
• netting and
• fully enclosed solid sheeting

can prevent objects and materials from leaving the work at height platform, but can still potentially drop to different levels.

Personal / specific restraints (tethers) such as

• stand alone work station
• personal tool tethers (tools and devices)
• material tethers (eg. Scaffold tubes)

* Tethers – a strap connecting the item to a person or structural element