Safeti School | Workplace Health and Safety

Safety Glove Ratings | Safeti School

Thanks for joining us for this short podcast on Safety Glove Ratings | Changes to EN388. As discussed in the podcast, here is a visual depiction (see below) of the coding and a couple of examples snippets from actual safety glove ratings on the products themselves.

Here is our YouTube short showing the difference between a Cut Level 1 (Old Test) glove and a Cut Level F (New Test) glove. 

Safety Glove Rating Guide

Safety Glove Rating | Check the Code

Manual Handling TILE

If you have ever taken manual handling training, it’s likely you may have came across the manual handling TILE acronym.

In terms of manual handling, the TILE acronym stands for Task, Individual, Load, and Environment:

This is also often extended to TILEO (to include ‘Other Factors’). Sometimes, you will also hear LITE in manual handling training – it’s simply a rearranging of the letters and will usually relate to the same principles.

Before we move on to learning more about the individual elements of Manual Handling TILE principles, let’s take a quick peak at why manual handling training is so important across different industries. 

Manual Handling Injuries | Why Worry?

In Ireland, Manual handling injuries are the most common workplace injury (see image), with over 30% physical injuries relating to the back, arm or shoulders.  

For GB, in the 2020/21 business year, there were approximately 470,000 (yes, ~0.5 Million!) work-related musculoskeletal (MSK) disorder cases. 81% of these were related to the upper limbs, neck or back.

How much lost time does this equate to for the workforce I hear you ask?!

HSA Injury Statistics 2019

The HSE (GB) estimates that 8.9 Million working days were lost due to these MSK disorders.

Manual handling, awkward or tiring positions and keyboard work (DSE) or repetitive action are regarded as the key causes of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

Check out bitesize Manual Handling training video right here.

Don’t forget, if you or your team would like to take our certificated online course on Manual Handling, you can enrol right now in our free Manual Handling course. 

What does TILE stand for in Manual Handling?

The manual handling TILE acronym that aims to help you carry out a manual handling risk assessment. Using TILE or TILEO prompts you to consider each essential area of the activity in order to reduce the risk of injury. 

T | Task

This means considering the manual handling activity itself, i.e. the lifting, lowering, carrying, pushing or pulling, and looking at how it may affect your health and safety.

For example, does the task involve repetitive movements, strenuous movements, long distances, or uneven weight distribution?

In most workplace manual handling scenarios, the priority should be to avoid, before assessing and reducing risk where employees are required to perform manual handling tasks.

Products to Help Avoid Manual Handling

I | Individual

This means considering the person who will be carrying out the manual handling activity, i.e. you or another colleague.

The physical attributes of an individual as also important to consider. For example, how strong, fit or able is the person? Is manual handling something they do on a daily or regular basis?

An essential aspect of assessing the individual is considering how much instruction and manual handling training they have received. Do they need more training before carrying out the task?

L | Load

This means considering the object or person that is being moved, and looking at how this may affect health and safety.

For example, is the load particularly heavy, bulky, hard to grasp or unstable? If so, have you really considered all of the mechanical options available to you? It may be worth having another look if the option has been dismissed first glance.

If no reasonable means of lifting device can be identified, then it will be also be worth considering if the load can be split up into smaller units. 

Once you have reached the optimum reasonable load or unit size, how appropriate is the load for the individual/s carrying out the task?

E | Environment

This means considering the area in which the load is being moved, and looking at how this could make the manual handling task unsafe.

 For example, are there any space constraints? Is the floor slippery or uneven? Is there sufficient lighting? Are there any trip hazards?

What is TILEO in Manual Handling?

O | Other factors. This means considering anything else, in addition to the task, individual, load and environment, which may impact on the safety of the manual handling activity.

For example, will personal protective equipment (PPE) make movement difficult? Is more/different PPE needed?

Perhaps there are other organisational factors such as planned work to take place on the route of travel, or strict limitations on who is authorised to carry out manual handling tasks.

These are all aspects that should be considered and typically, it is about making sure you run your plans by the right people e.g. health and safety manager, production supervisors and facilities managers.

Manual Handling TILE | Ask Us

Are you looking for a manual handling training course for your team? Check out our Training section for the different options that we currently provide, or start a conversation with us now and we will help you find the best fit.

Name *Email *PhoneMessage *Submit

Manual Handling TILE

If you have ever taken manual handling training, it's likely you may have came across the manual handling TILE acronym.In terms of manual handling, the TILE acronym stands for Task, Individual, Load, and Environment:This is also often extended to TILEO (to include 'Other Factors'). Sometimes, you will also hear LITE in manual handling training - it's simply a rearranging of the letters and will usually relate to the same principles.

Before we move on to learning more about the individual elements of Manual Handling TILE principles, let's take a quick peak at why manual handling training is so important across different industries. 

Manual Handling Injuries | Why Worry?

In Ireland, Manual handling injuries are the most common workplace injury (see image), with over 30% physical injuries relating to the back, arm or shoulders.  For GB, in the 2020/21 business year, there were approximately 470,000 (yes, ~0.5 Million!) work-related musculoskeletal (MSK) disorder cases. 81% of these were related to the upper limbs, neck or back.How much lost time does this equate to for the workforce I hear you ask?!

HSA Injury Statistics 2019

The HSE (GB) estimates that 8.9 Million working days were lost due to these MSK disorders.Manual handling, awkward or tiring positions and keyboard work (DSE) or repetitive action are regarded as the key causes of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.https://youtu.be/ODNO4RSvBcoCheck out bitesize Manual Handling training video right here.Don't forget, if you or your team would like to take our certificated online course on Manual Handling, you can enrol right now in our free Manual Handling course. 

What does TILE stand for in Manual Handling?

The manual handling TILE acronym that aims to help you carry out a manual handling risk assessment. Using TILE or TILEO prompts you to consider each essential area of the activity in order to reduce the risk of injury. 

T | TaskThis means considering the manual handling activity itself, i.e. the lifting, lowering, carrying, pushing or pulling, and looking at how it may affect your health and safety.For example, does the task involve repetitive movements, strenuous movements, long distances, or uneven weight distribution?In most workplace manual handling scenarios, the priority should be to avoid, before assessing and reducing risk where employees are required to perform manual handling tasks.

Products to Help Avoid Manual Handling

I | Individual

This means considering the person who will be carrying out the manual handling activity, i.e. you or another colleague.The physical attributes of an individual as also important to consider. For example, how strong, fit or able is the person? Is manual handling something they do on a daily or regular basis?An essential aspect of assessing the individual is considering how much instruction and manual handling training they have received. Do they need more training before carrying out the task?

L | Load This means considering the object or person that is being moved, and looking at how this may affect health and safety.For example, is the load particularly heavy, bulky, hard to grasp or unstable? If so, have you really considered all of the mechanical options available to you? It may be worth having another look if the option has been dismissed first glance.If no reasonable means of lifting device can be identified, then it will be also be worth considering if the load can be split up into smaller units. Once you have reached the optimum reasonable load or unit size, how appropriate is the load for the individual/s carrying out the task?

E | EnvironmentThis means considering the area in which the load is being moved, and looking at how this could make the man

We’ve got to the fifth and final part of our five step risk assessment process and that is simply to record and review your risk assessment. A question we often get asked is ‘When should risk assessments be reviewed?’

When should Risk Assessments be reviewed?

Once you have completed and recorded your risk assessment, it’s time to decide and determine when your risk assessment will need a review.. There is no set frequency for when risk assessments should be reviewed. 

Therefore, you should make a decision that’s appropriate for the risk profile of your business. There are certain times when it’s more obvious that the risk assessment should be looked at and reviewed.

Examples of when risk assessments should be reviewed:

Here are just a few common examples;

• Changed or new process that’s been introduced into your workspace 
• New plant, equipment or machinery that’s been purchased for example there may be
• New employees or contractors that have joined your workforce that need to be considered
• You may have had a recent near miss, incident or accident, in which case risk assessment/s may need reviewed and/or updated

Depending on your business risk profile, industry & regulatory standards and internal management systems, it may also make sense to have a regular review of your risk assessments e.g every 12 months. Any frequency should be based on the nature of the operations and should be specific to each activity and/or organisation.

The purpose of this would be to make sure that you have not missed anything new or significant that could present a risk to employees, or others. This type of regular oversight is often complimented by other safeguards such as a management of change (MoC) process.

Now that we have tackled the ‘when should risk assessments be reviewed?’ question, let’s learn more about recording and communicating them.

Do you have to record Risk Assessments?

In reality, the Health and Safety Executive in the UK clearly states that risk assessments should not be unnecessarily complicated and only focus on the significant hazards.

It makes sense, because you have to be able to effectively communicate the outcomes of them.

In the UK, your obligation as an employer is that you must risk assess the work activities for which your employees are involved.

If you have 5 or more employees, you have to keep a record of any risk assessment that you have done. But don’t panic, it’s not as bad as it sounds!

How to communicate Risk Assessments

Sharing the key risk information effectively with the people that matter is critical. 

As you’ve put the work into the risk assessment process, we must remember the importance of communicating your findings to the people that are affected.

You should take some time to consider the best way to do this for your particular business. If your team, for example, are located locally to you then it might make sense to use the risk assessment as a discussion topic during your next meeting.  It makes sense to send it out to them first to have a look at before having a group discussion around what’s included in it.

In that way, it gives them an opportunity to digest the information and gives you a better chance at getting honest feedback on anything that they think has been omitted or needs to be improved on.

Striving for Best Practice

To make this process even better, the world is really your oyster. We like to get as creative as possible when it comes to communication, and have used anything from pub quizzes to podcasting.

Here are a few of the critical elements when thinking about risk assessment communication.

Crunch it Down

Crunch down the information into the key elements of risk and control using the least information possible and with the help of photos of the associated process, equipment etc.

It’s widely accepted that providing employees with pages and pages of risk assessment literature is a very effective way to lose their attention completely.

One way to avoid this scenario is to succinctly summarise the risk assessment findings and communicate them via a training session.

Go to Gemba

‘Going to Gemba’ is the act of visiting the shop floor in Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen.

Literally translated as ‘The Real Place’, it pushes the importance of leadership understanding what is happening at every level. Going to Gemba is also a powerful and robust strategy when it comes to communicating risk assessments.

Why not take your summarised findings and present them to those affected at the place of concern? Sounds like a great idea. 

Risk Communication to Remote Teams

Alternatively if you have a remote team that you can’t get together in one place at one time, you may want to just send out a digital version that they can read and sign off to say that they’re happy with the content and the outcomes of the risk assessment.

However, we would recommend that you follow up with them either by a phone/video call or if they’re in the office via a one-on-one to ask them how they feel about the outcomes of the risk assessment.

Remember, communication is key.

As a manager, it is really important to be assured that your employee’s have taken the information on board. 

Employee Participation

Hopefully some of these folks that are affected have been involved in the risk assessment process itself.

That way, it won’t all be a big surprise to them once you’ve shared and communicated your risk assessment findings with all those stakeholders.

If you find that your employees doing the work have not been involved in the risk assessment process, it would be worth considering how you might involve in your risk assessment review process. 

When should Risk Assessments be Reviewed? | Ask Us

Name *Email *PhoneMessage *Submit

We've got to the fifth and final part of our five step risk assessment process and that is simply to record and review your risk assessment. A question we often get asked is 'When should risk assessments be reviewed?'

When should Risk Assessments be reviewed?

Once you have completed and recorded your risk assessment, it's time to decide and determine when your risk assessment will need a review.. There is no set frequency for when risk assessments should be reviewed. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GvVX-ebqdU&t=5s

Therefore, you should make a decision that's appropriate for the risk profile of your business. There are certain times when it's more obvious that the risk assessment should be looked at and reviewed.

Examples of when risk assessments should be reviewed:

Here are just a few common examples;

Changed or new process that's been introduced into your workspace 

New plant, equipment or machinery that's been purchased for example there may be

New employees or contractors that have joined your workforce that need to be considered

You may have had a recent near miss, incident or accident, in which case risk assessment/s may need reviewed and/or updated

Depending on your business risk profile, industry & regulatory standards and internal management systems, it may also make sense to have a regular review of your risk assessments e.g every 12 months. Any frequency should be based on the nature of the operations and should be specific to each activity and/or organisation.

The purpose of this would be to make sure that you have not missed anything new or significant that could present a risk to employees, or others. This type of regular oversight is often complimented by other safeguards such as a management of change (MoC) process.

Now that we have tackled the 'when should risk assessments be reviewed?' question, let's learn more about recording and communicating them.

Do you have to record Risk Assessments?

In reality, the Health and Safety Executive in the UK clearly states that risk assessments should not be unnecessarily complicated and only focus on the significant hazards.

It makes sense, because you have to be able to effectively communicate the outcomes of them.

In the UK, your obligation as an employer is that you must risk assess the work activities for which your employees are involved.

If you have 5 or more employees, you have to keep a record of any risk assessment that you have done. But don't panic, it's not as bad as it sounds!

How to communicate Risk Assessments

Sharing the key risk information effectively with the people that matter is critical. 

As you've put the work into the risk assessment process, we must remember the importance of communicating your findings to the people that are affected.

You should take some time to consider the best way to do this for your particular business. If your team, for example, are located locally to you then it might make sense to use the risk assessment as a discussion topic during your next meeting.  It makes sense to send it out to them first to have a look at before having a group discussion around what's included in it.

In that way, it gives them an opportunity to digest the information and gives you a better chance at getting honest feedback on anything that they think has been omitted or needs to be improved on.

Striving for Best Practice

To make this process even better, the world is really your oyster. We like to get as creative as possible when it comes to communication, and have used anything from pub quizzes to podcasting.

Here are a few of the critical elements when thinking about risk assessment communication.

Crunch it Down

Crunch down the information into the key elements of risk and control using the least information possible and with the help of photos of the associated process, equipment etc.

It's widely accepted that providing employees with pages and pages of risk assessment literature is a ver

We are often asked this question by a range of Client’s, ‘How many First Aider’s do I need?‘. Let’s cut to the chase and try to answer the question….

How Many First Aiders Do I Need?

Firstly, we need to determine if your workplace environment is considered low risk e.g. offices, shops.

Or, if you operate in a higher risk environment e.g. construction, food processing.

Secondly, we must identify how many people are employed by your business.

Once you have answered both of the questions above for your business operations, follow the appropriate guidance from Option 1 (Low Risk) and Option 2 (Higher Risk) below:

The recommendations below are for guidance purposes only. First Aider needs may vary according to the size, nature and location of a business or organisation and should be assessed by a Competent person.

Option 1: Low Risk Environment

< 25 Employees

The HSE recommends that if work activities are low level hazard (e.g. office or shops) and there’s fewer than 25 employees, only one appointed person as a minimum may be suitable and a first-aider may not be required at all.

> 25 Employees

If the number of employees in this scenario increases to between 25 and 50, then at least one EFAW first aider is needed. If more than 50 people are employed, then at least one first aider trained in FAW for every 100 employed.

2. Higher Risk Environment

<5 Employees

If a workplace has higher level hazards present (e.g. warehousing, construction, food processing, heavy engineering), then at least one appointed person is required if there are fewer than five employees. 

>5 Employees

For 5 to 50, at least one first aider trained in FAW or EFAW (depending on the type of injuries that may be sustained) is suggested. When the number of employees exceeds 50, at least 1 first aider trained in FAW for every 50 employed.

Do you Need a First Aider?

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations require employers to provide first aid facilities and support that is proportionate to their working environment.

(1) An employer shall provide, or ensure that there are provided, suchequipment and facilities as are adequate and appropriate in the circumstances forenabling first-aid to be rendered to his employees if they are injured or become ill atwork.

First Aid Employers Responsibilities

Employers must make sure employees get immediate help if taken ill or injured at work.

The law applies to every workplace and to the self-employed. You must have:

1. a suitably stocked First Aid Kit
2. an appointed person or people to take charge of first aid arrangements
3. information for all employees telling them about first aid arrangements

What ‘adequate and appropriate’ first aid arrangements are depends on the work you do and where you do it. You’re best placed to understand the nature of your work, so you should assess what your first aid needs are.

You must consider:

• the type of the work you do
• hazards and the likely risk of them causing harm
• the size of your workforce
• work patterns of your staff
• holiday and other absences of those who will be first aiders and appointed persons
• the history of accidents in your business

You might also consider:

• the needs of travelling, remote and lone workers
• how close your sites are to emergency medical services
• whether your employees work on shared or multi-occupancy sites
• first aid for non-employees including members of the public

You don’t have to write down your findings, but if you do, it will allow you to record how you’ve decided on your first aid arrangements.

First Aid Appointed Person

An appointed person is someone who is in charge of your first aid arrangements. This includes looking after the equipment, facilities and calling the emergency services.

You can have more than one appointed person and they don’t need to have any formal training.

An appointed person must always be available whenever people are at work.

What to put in a First Aid Kit

The contents of your first aid kit should be based on your first aid needs assessment. As a guide, where work activities are low-risk (for example, desk-based work) a minimum first aid kit might contain:

• a leaflet with general guidance on first aid 
• individually wrapped sterile plasters of assorted sizes
• sterile eye pads
• individually wrapped triangular bandages, preferably sterile
• safety pins
• large and medium-sized sterile, individually wrapped, unmedicated wound dressings
• disposable gloves

This is a suggested contents list.

If you are buying a kit look for British Standard (BS) 8599 – like this one. By law, your kit doesn’t have to meet this standard but you should check it contains what you’ve identified in your needs assessment.

Maintaining or replacing contents of a first aid kit

Check your kit regularly. Many items, particularly sterile ones, are marked with expiry dates. Replace expired items, disposing of them safely. If a sterile item doesn’t have an expiry date, check with the manufacturer to find out how long it can be kept. For non-sterile items without dates, you should check that they are still fit for purpose.

First Aiders and Training

As discussed above, you might decide that you need someone trained in first aid, sometimes known as a first aider.

Despite the guidance we have provided on how many first aiders you might need, there are really no hard and fast rules on how many trained first aiders you must have.

It depends on the nature of your work and its location.

First aiders are trained by a competent training provider in:

1. Emergency first aid at work (EFAW) – at this level they’re qualified to give emergency first aid to someone who is injured or becomes ill while at work.
2. First aid at work (FAW) – qualified to EFAW level but can also apply first aid to a range of specific injuries and illnesses

Use the findings of your first aid needs assessment to decide:

• if you need someone trained in first aid
• what’s an adequate and appropriate level of training
• how many people you train

Keep training up to date with regular refresher courses.

Related Products

How Many First Aiders Do I Need | Got a Question?

Name *Email *PhoneMessage *Submit

We are often asked this question by a range of Client's, 'How many First Aider's do I need?'. Let's cut to the chase and try to answer the question....

How Many First Aiders Do I Need?

Firstly, we need to determine if your workplace environment is considered low risk e.g. offices, shops.

Or, if you operate in a higher risk environment e.g. construction, food processing.

Secondly, we must identify how many people are employed by your business.

Once you have answered both of the questions above for your business operations, follow the appropriate guidance from Option 1 (Low Risk) and Option 2 (Higher Risk) below:

The recommendations below are for guidance purposes only. First Aider needs may vary according to the size, nature and location of a business or organisation and should be assessed by a Competent person.

Option 1: Low Risk Environment

< 25 Employees

The HSE recommends that if work activities are low level hazard (e.g. office or shops) and there’s fewer than 25 employees, only one appointed person as a minimum may be suitable and a first-aider may not be required at all.

> 25 Employees

If the number of employees in this scenario increases to between 25 and 50, then at least one EFAW first aider is needed. If more than 50 people are employed, then at least one first aider trained in FAW for every 100 employed.

2. Higher Risk Environment

<5 Employees

If a workplace has higher level hazards present (e.g. warehousing, construction, food processing, heavy engineering), then at least one appointed person is required if there are fewer than five employees. 

>5 Employees

For 5 to 50, at least one first aider trained in FAW or EFAW (depending on the type of injuries that may be sustained) is suggested. When the number of employees exceeds 50, at least 1 first aider trained in FAW for every 50 employed.

Do you Need a First Aider?

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations require employers to provide first aid facilities and support that is proportionate to their working environment.

(1) An employer shall provide, or ensure that there are provided, such

equipment and facilities as are adequate and appropriate in the circumstances for

enabling first-aid to be rendered to his employees if they are injured or become ill at

work.

First Aid Employers Responsibilities

Employers must make sure employees get immediate help if taken ill or injured at work.

The law applies to every workplace and to the self-employed. You must have:

a suitably stocked First Aid Kit

an appointed person or people to take charge of first aid arrangements

information for all employees telling them about first aid arrangements

What 'adequate and appropriate' first aid arrangements are depends on the work you do and where you do it. You're best placed to understand the nature of your work, so you should assess what your first aid needs are.

You must consider:

the type of the work you do

hazards and the likely risk of them causing harm

the size of your workforce

work patterns of your staff

holiday and other absences of those who will be first aiders and appointed persons

the history of accidents in your business

You might also consider:

the needs of travelling, remote and lone workers

how close your sites are to emergency medical services

whether your employees work on shared or multi-occupancy sites

first aid for non-employees including members of the public

You don't have to write down your findings, but if you do, it will allow you to record how you've decided on your first aid arrangements.

First Aid Appointed Person

An appointed person is someone who is in charge of your first aid arrangements. This includes looking after the equipment, facilities and calling the emergency services.

You can have more than one appointed person and they don't need to have any formal training.

An appointed person must always be available whenever people are at work.

What to put in a Fi

What is COSHH?

In the UK, 'COSHH' is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health. You can prevent or reduce workers exposure to hazardous substances by:

finding out what the health hazards are;

deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment);

providing control measures to reduce harm to health;

making sure they are used ;

keeping all control measures in good working order;

providing information, instruction and training for employees and others;

providing monitoring and health surveillance in appropriate cases;

planning for emergencies.

Most businesses use substances, or products that are mixtures of substances. Some processes create substances. These could cause harm to employees, contractors and other people.

Sometimes substances are easily recognised as harmful. Equally, common household substances such as paint, bleach or dust from natural materials may also be harmful.

In other circumstances, the potential harm caused by a substance or material may not be easily recognised or even understood.

COSHH Meaning | What does COSHH Stand for?

In the UK, COSHH stands for ‘Control of Substances Hazardous to Health’ and under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, employers need to either prevent or reduce their workers’ exposure to substances that are hazardous to their health.

COSHH covers most substances that are hazardous to health. It's very important to be aware that these 'substances' can take many forms and include:

What do the COSHH Regulations 2002 cover?

chemicals

products containing chemicals

fumes

dusts

vapours

mists

nanotechnology

And that's not all! The COSHH regulations also cover these...

gases and asphyxiating gases and

biological agents (germs). If the packaging has any of the hazard symbols then it is classed as a hazardous substance.

germs that cause diseases such as leptospirosis or legionnaires disease and germs used in laboratories.

It's also worth noting the key hazardous materials that the COSHH Regulations do not cover. You may have heard of them before...

lead

asbestos or

radioactive substances

COSHH Assessment - 5 Steps to Assess Risk

You are probably already aware of many risks in your trade or industry. A COSHH assessment concentrates on the hazards and risks from substances in your workplace.

Remember that hazards and risks are not limited to substances labelled as ‘hazardous’.

Here are 5 steps to making a COSHH assessment, beginning by walking around your workplace:

Is there Potential for Exposure to Substances Hazardous to Health?

Examples include processes that emit dust e.g. cutting concrete, fume e.g. soldering, vapour e.g. use of solvents e.g. acetone for degreasing , mist e.g. spray painting or gas e.g. natural gas for heating i.e. gas boiler or gas being used for a production process; and skin contact with liquids, pastes and dusts.Many hazardous substances have workplace exposure limits (WELs) - these will be listed in the SDS.

Depending on the risk profile of your process, you may need to carry out a quantitative measurement of the exposure.

This is commonly referred to as an 'industrial hygiene' assessment.

How are the COSHH Substances Harmful to Health?

Get safety data sheet (SDS or MSDS's - take a good look through them. You will get the detail on the hazard or COSHH symbols that you will see on the labels, for example.

It will also provide you with recommended protective equipment required and storage advice. 

Examples include fume from welding or soldering, mist from metalworking, dust from quarrying, gases from silage.

Look at the HSE web pages for your trade or industry - Your Industry. 

Be aware, harmful substances can be created by mixing of chemicals and/or from industrial processes.

In this Episode of Safeti School, we walk through the three step decision-making process for minimising risk when working at at height.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require employers to do the following when assessing & planning work at height:

Before Working at Height

Avoid work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do so

where work at height cannot be easily avoided, prevent falls using either an existing place of work that is already safe or the right type of equipment

Minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, by using the right type of equipment where the risk cannot be eliminated

Further Tactics to Reduce Work at Height Risk

You should also consider the following aspects when planning work:

do as much work as possible from the ground

ensure workers can get safely to and from where they work at height

ensure equipment is suitable, stable and strong enough for the job, maintained and checked regularly

not overload or overreach when working at height

take precautions when working on or near fragile surfaces

provide protection from falling objects

consider emergency evacuation and rescue procedures

Resources for Working at Height Podcast

Decision Guide - step-by-step guide from the HSE

HSE Statistics - falls from working at height are the most common cause of fatality at work

Health and Safety Templates - download Safeti's pro-forma, examples and HSE guidance.

Safeti Services - we can help you reduce risk in your business

Working at Height Podcast Transcript

We're going to walk through the step-by-step decision-making process that the Health and Safety Executive here in the UK have scripted out for us.

This can help when we're deciding what sort of control measures will be necessary when we're working at height.

Obviously it is one of the major areas were fatalities occur and serious injuries as well. Hopefully this blog is something that you can come back to over and over again or share with your colleagues.

They're going through that decision-making process when they’re planning work. So really all this is doing is looking at the hierarchy of control and walking through it in a way that is appropriate for working at height.

Can you eliminate Working at Height?

The first thing we want to do is to consider whether we can eliminate the working at height in the first place, so therefore preventing actually getting up to any height of any significance and taking away that risk completely.

Things you want to think about here are for example; if you were doing window cleaning, can you use extendable tools from ground level to remove the need for ladders (or any other equipment to get you up to that level).

If you're installing Hardware or any sort of equipment for your buildings e.g. air conditioning.

It's a great question to ask - Do we really need to be placing them at a height?

Of course, this will also apply when people are performing maintenance, so may create an additional risk at a later stage.

Much of the time, during the design process, someone will think it is a good idea to put that an element of infrastructure at a height. But, they don't always think of the safety repercussions. And besides, it's not always really necessary.

That is something that can be considered during the design planning process. Something else to think about in terms of prevention or elimination, is whether you can pre-fabricate the work at ground level.

By doing this, you may be able to significantly reduce the amount of time required to work at height.

Preventing a Fall from Height

That leads us on to the second most preferable option here, which is preventing a fall from occurring.

So rather than avoiding or eliminating the work at height completely, how can you work towards minimizing the risk of a fall from actually happening?

Ways of doing this would include selecting where your work location is according to the existing, collective control measures that are in place.

For example, existing edge protection on a roof or a guarded mezzanine floor area, for example. If you're installing equipment, you'll want to prioritize using these areas because they do have existing control measures in place.

We tend to see preventative approaches e.g. guard rails, netting, in schemes such as high-rise construction projects. On these projects, there are usually high numbers of people working in the vicinity of a significant fall risk over long periods of time.

If you don't have that option, then you will looking more towards using the type of equipment that will prevent falls, such as MEWPs or mobile elevated working platforms, scissor lifts etc.

You'll also want to consider whether a fixed structure, such as a scaffold, would be appropriate. In some cases, you might want to think about using a mobile scaffold depending on the type of work that you're carrying out.

And finally, when you're looking to prevent a fall from occurring, you may consider some work restraint systems, which maybe tether a person to roofing structure.

Which then doesn't allow them to get into a position where they can fall.

That really rounds up the options when it comes to preventing a fall from occurring and then moving on from that you're looking to try and mitigate or minimize the distance and consequences of a fall.

Minimising Harm from Falls at Height

When you move beyond the eliminatory or preventative of systems, we should be dealing with lower risk, short-duration activities. In these cases, the use of ladders and step-ladders can still be a sensible and practical option.

A few questions to ask when planning this type of work -

Using the equipment properly and following an actual system of work (see manufacturer's/industry guidance) is really helpful when planning this type of work. 

At the very least, it is advisable to record some form of method statement that includes exactly what you're planning to do and how you are going to do it.

This is especially important if you're carrying out a new activity, non-standard work, or something that's significantly different from what's been done before. 

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In this Episode of Safeti School, we walk through the three step decision-making process for minimising risk when working at at height.

AVOID - PREVENT - MINIMISE.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require employers to do the following when assessing & planning work at height:

Before Working at Height

Avoid work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do so

where work at height cannot be easily avoided, prevent falls using either an existing place of work that is already safe or the right type of equipment

Minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, by using the right type of equipment where the risk cannot be eliminated

Further Tactics to Reduce Work at Height Risk

You should also consider the following aspects when planning work:

do as much work as possible from the ground

ensure workers can get safely to and from where they work at height

ensure equipment is suitable, stable and strong enough for the job, maintained and checked regularly

not overload or overreach when working at height

take precautions when working on or near fragile surfaces

provide protection from falling objects

consider emergency evacuation and rescue procedures

Resources for Working at Height Podcast

Decision Guide - step-by-step guide from the HSE

HSE Statistics - falls from working at height are the most common cause of fatality at work

Health and Safety Templates - download Safeti's pro-forma, examples and HSE guidance.

Safeti Services - we can help you reduce risk in your business

Working at Height Podcast Transcript

We're going to walk through the step-by-step decision-making process that the Health and Safety Executive here in the UK have scripted out for us.

This can help when we're deciding what sort of control measures will be necessary when we're working at height.

Obviously it is one of the major areas were fatalities occur and serious injuries as well. Hopefully this blog is something that you can come back to over and over again or share with your colleagues.

They're going through that decision-making process when they’re planning work. So really all this is doing is looking at the hierarchy of control and walking through it in a way that is appropriate for working at height.

Can you eliminate Working at Height?

The first thing we want to do is to consider whether we can eliminate the working at height in the first place, so therefore preventing actually getting up to any height of any significance and taking away that risk completely.

Things you want to think about here are for example; if you were doing window cleaning, can you use extendable tools from ground level to remove the need for ladders (or any other equipment to get you up to that level).

If you're installing Hardware or any sort of equipment for your buildings e.g. air conditioning.

It's a great question to ask - Do we really need to be placing them at a height?

Of course, this will also apply when people are performing maintenance, so may create an additional risk at a later stage.

Much of the time, during the design process, someone will think it is a good idea to put that an element of infrastructure at a height. But, they don't always think of the safety repercussions. And besides, it's not always really necessary.

That is something that can be considered during the design planning process. Something else to think about in terms of prevention or elimination, is whether you can pre-fabricate the work at ground level.

By doing this, you may be able to significantly reduce the amount of time required to work at height.

Preventing a Fall from Height

That leads us on to the second most preferable option here, which is preventing a fall from occurring.

So rather than avoiding or eliminating the work at height completely, how can you work towards minimizing the risk of a fall f