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Executive Report: Help from on high Maintaining EHN’s commitment to monitoring key Health & Safety issues, Alan Guthrie reports on the latest work at height advice initiatives. Does one of your customers need advice on appropriate methods for reaching a projector 15m above the ground? Or for cleaning a fragile glass roof in a busy dining area? Maybe they need to maintain hanging baskets in a high street? If so, help is at hand from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) through the Work at Height Solutions pages on its web site (www.hse.gov.uk). Since the introduction of the Work at Height Regulations (WAHR) in April 2005, HSE has been keen to disseminate advice on safe practice and has encouraged dialogue with interested trade organisations. Recognising that many tasks undertaken at height are unusual or one-off activities, it has just launched the Height Aware campaign, featuring a wide range of instructional materials. Anyone visiting the site can send a request for guidance on their particular problem or a challenging site, together with digital images, and a recognised industry association will try to respond with a practical solution. The Height Aware initiative also makes available a selection of advice leaflets, offered in printed and electronic formats, including some that have only just been published. These include guidance on selecting appropriate equipment, choosing a competent contractor, and selecting fall arrest equipment. These can also be supplied on a CD-Rom. Hire companies and their staff should find much of the information helpful when advising customers. The site is certainly worth a visit and time should definitely be taken to follow the link entitled ‘Welcome to Fallington’. Described as an interactive guide to safe working at height, it depicts a scene reminiscent of the children’s television series ‘Trumpton’. Workers are shown undertaking a range of tasks far from safely, from cleaning gutters to stacking shelves, and clicking on each one provides a surprisingly detailed overview of the dangers and suitable remedies, to comply with the WAHR. “Since the Regulations were introduced, there is evidence that working practices have been changing,” states Ian Greenwood, the HSE Falls from Height Programme Manager. “On many construction sites there is now a greater variety of equipment being provided to suit specific tasks. Manufacturers have also responded with innovative products like podium steps and battery powered scissor lifts. “Health & Safety statistics are published annually in November, when a clearer picture will be available. At the moment, the belief is that inroads are being made into reducing falls from levels above head height; however, the main issue seems to be in decreasing the number of falls from below head height. That is one of the reasons for the comprehensive Height Aware campaign.” The Work at Height Solutions site has been developed by HSE and the Access Industry Forum (AIF). The AIF was formed in 2004 to address important issues for those working with, and involved in, the manufacture and supply of access equipment. Representatives include the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), the Association of Technical and Lighting Access Specialists (ATLAS), the Prefabricated Access Suppliers’ and Manufacturers’ Association (PASMA), and the British Ladder Manufacturers Association (BLMA). New training initiatives Several of these organisations are developing initiatives to promote safer working at height. PASMA (www.pasma.co.uk), in association with the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA), has launched two new courses. The Working at Height course offering gives practical guidance on the WAHR and on risk assessment. It covers the planning and organisation of tasks and deals with making value judgements on selecting temporary low-level access equipment. A dedicated Low-Level Access course is principally concerned with ensuring competency in the assembly, dismantling, use, moving and inspection of prefabricated access units below 2.5m. PASMA has also revised and updated its standard training course for mobile access towers. It takes account of the WAHR, the revised product standard BS EN 1004, and the anticipated requirements of draft BS 8454 regarding delivery of training for work at height. It also covers the approved methods of working with towers agreed by PASMA and the HSE. The BLMA (www.blma.org.uk) has introduced several training programmes to foster safe working practices, offered at approved centres. They are designed to enable delegates to select suitable equipment and to assess when it is appropriate to use ladders and stepladders. Participants learn how to locate and safely use ladders and how to inspect items for damage. The BLMA has also published the Leaning Ladder & Stepladder Users’ Guide. It covers employer and user responsibilities, the WAHR and the safe use of ladders and steps. It stresses the importance of planning ahead, which is summarised neatly by the acronym STEP: this emphasises the need to consider the site, the task, the equipment and the personnel undertaking the task. • Executive Hire News › Archives › July 2006 › Executive Report › Help from on high
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