It's about treating working at height seriously not giving it a cursory nod’

Every year 4, 000 people suffer serious injury working at height, people often only think working at height is about working on scaffolding and cherry pickers but statistics show that the majority of incidents occur when people are working at a height below 2 metres – the height of a table. In this episode, Colin shares the height hierarchy along with the measures that should be in place whatever the height. Listen in to hear the practical steps and actions you should be taking every time for work at height.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Hierarchy of working at height

1. Can you avoid it?
2. If you have to work at height what can you do to prevent a fall?
3. What can you do to reduce the consequences of a fall?

• Make sure the people working at height have the right mindset and the work has been risk assessed.
• If you are working at height make sure the work is properly planned and organised.
• You need to consider working at height as part of the overall risk for a job.
• Ensure all equipment is properly maintained and checked.
• A ladder can be the best solution especially if the job is very short in duration but if the job requires work over a longer period other options should be considered.
• The use of ladders must be effectively controlled and locking them up is a good way to ensure use is risk assessed and properly planned every time.
• The analysis shows that table height is the most common height at which incidents occur because people don’t think carefully or treat working at this height seriously.
• Have a toolbox talk before someone goes to out to do the work and make use of the height hierarchy to make sure work is planned and risk assessed appropriately.

 

BEST MOMENTS

‘Working at height isn’t going right up into the sky’

‘Make sure areas with more risk are properly controlled’

‘Often working at height is only part of the job, individuals may be working with electricity or near moving equipment’

 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Interesting Health & Safety Podcast

HSE.gov.uk

 

ABOUT THE HOST

Colin’s Biography

 

‘Making health and safety as important as everything else we do.’

This is the belief that Colin is passionate about and through his consultancy Influential

Management Group (IMG) is able to spread into industry.

Colin works at a strategic level with company owners and board members. He helps business leaders establish and achieve their health and safety ambitions.

He has developed a number of leading competency improvement programmes

that are delivered across industry and his strengths are his ability to take a practical approach to problem-solving and being able to liaise at all levels within an organisation.

Colin also runs a company that vets contractors online and a network that develops and support H&S consultancies to become better businesses.

Colin chairs the Construction Dust Partnership, an industry collaboration directly involving

many organisations, including the Health and Safety Executive.

He is a Post Graduate Tutor at Strathclyde University and a highly sought-after health and safety speaker and trainer.

He has a Post Graduate Certificate in Safety and Risk management, an engineering degree and is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).