Reaching new heights with safe access equipment
Safety when working from heights is crucial. It does not matter if the elevation is high or low, any height poses dangers.
According to HSE statistics, the construction industry records the most falls per year. Recent records show that 40 workers died when falling from heights in 2022. This is 11 more than the year before and five more than the past five-year average.
Even a fall from 2 metres or less can be serious or deadly. The HSE says falls from heights in the food and drink industry cause the third-most fatal injuries in the UK and account for 20% of all workplace fatalities.
Apart from tragic deaths, these incidents also cause serious injuries, including fractured limbs and skulls. Using the necessary safety equipment and sticking to safe work policies can prevent many of these injuries and deaths.
When faced with an array of safety gadgets, choosing the right ones for your work-at-height purposes is difficult. For example, is a combination ladder better than a step ladder to reach warehouse shelves? Or should you get raised platforms for every aisle?
At Seton, we not only stock all the best safe access equipment but also offer expertise to inform your choices between things such as step ladders and platforms. This article explores all these aspects to ensure you and your employees are safe when working at heights.
At-height safety duties of employers
The Work at Height Regulations (WARH) 2005 places a duty on all employers to protect workers from falls from heights. To assist you, the HSE published a useful guide that takes you through all the dos and don’ts needed to comply with this legislation.
You can add measures to this guide when your specific setting warrants it, for example, additional PPE in sectors such as the construction industry. In a nutshell, all employers must properly plan and supervise work at heights, and ensure it is performed by competent people.
This includes selecting the right safety access equipment for the job. You get:
- Combination ladders.
- Extension ladders.
- Roof ladders or step ladders.
- Telescopic ladders.
- Access platforms.
- Safety steps.
- Trestles and staging.
- Cherry Pickers.
- Boom lifts.
When deciding on which of these is the best and safest for the job at hand, you need to assess the risks and lift needed to perform the work. You can ask these simple questions to guide you.
How long will you be working at the height?
It would be uncomfortable and impractical to use a ladder when you need to work at a height for a long time as a rung does not offer a lot of balance or room to move. So, when tackling lengthy at-height jobs, something such as access platforms, trestles, or staging would be better. These offer more stability and space.
At what height will you be working?
Low-level and high-level heights require different equipment – not only to reach it but also to stay safe while doing so and working there. Some jobs will only need something such as safety steps, a low-level solution with one, two, or three steps.
Higher levels need more sophisticated access solutions such as sherpascopic platform steps or a combination ladder. A mobile work platform is another safe option for higher levels.
Will you be using tools or other equipment at height?
Your answer to this question usually includes or eliminates certain ladders or podiums. Rungs are difficult to navigate when carrying tools or other equipment and ladders usually have no place to put them.
Using something where you can put your tools down and have them at hand is a practical solution that saves you the time and effort of climbing up and down. A platform or access tower is ideal for jobs such as these.
Will your access equipment stand on level ground?
When working at heights, access equipment must be balanced for optimal safety. If not, they can wobble and or topple and cause serious injuries. So, if the ground is uneven, you should use solutions with stabilisers or outriggers to provide stability.
Are there any obstructions in and around the work site?
Carefully assess an area before starting to work at heights. For example, if you need to move around or over obstructions, it is best to use a cherry picker or boom lift. But, if there are overhead installations such as steelworks or power cables, or natural obstacles such as trees, you need to choose access equipment and PPE that reduce the risk of overhead collisions.
How much work space is available?
Before choosing access equipment, you need to determine how much room you need to set up gear and gadgets. In public areas, the space on your platform, for example, must be big and secure enough so tools and components do not fall off and injure those below.
Will you be working with or around electricity?
Electric shocks can cause dire injuries and even death. When working with or around it at a height, ensure that your access equipment is made from non-conductive materials such as fibreglass. You can also look at insulated options.
Safety of access equipment
Ensure the rings, rubbers, stabiliser bars, and hinges are in good working order. Seton stocks UK and EU safety and quality-approved access equipment so you know you can rely on it to get the job done in the safest way possible.