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Working at Height

On 6 April 2005, the The Work at Height Regulations 2005 came into force, consolidating previous UK and European legislation on work at heights. The Regulations apply to any work at a height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause injury. This includes work below ground level and at a low height. The Regulations place duties on employers, the self-employed, and any person that controls the work of others (for example facilities managers or building owners who may contract others to work at height).

As part of the Regulations, duty holders must ensure:

all work at height is properly planned and organised;
those involved in work at height are competent;
the risks from work at height are assessed and appropriate work equipment is selected and used;
the risks from fragile surfaces are properly controlled; and
equipment for work at height is properly inspected and maintained.

The HSE has determined a simple hierarchy for managing and selecting equipment for work at height. In this, duty holders must:

avoid work at height where they can;
use work equipment or oher measures to prevent falls where they cannot avoid working at height;
where they cannnot eliminate the risk of a fall, usework equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequenses of a fall, should one occur.

FDB Safety Solutions has the experience and knowledge to clearly identify potential hazards and recommend suitable equipment to eliminate or reduce the risk to employees when working at height. Services included:

Carrying out roof/height space surveys
Production of ‘easy to read’ reports
Recommendation of suitable and cost effective fall protection, height access equipment
Inspection of fall protection equipment, raising of inspection reports and asset registers
Assistance in risk assessments, safe systems of work / method statements
Working at Height Awareness Training includes working at height awareness, harness and lanyard, and use of ladders and step ladders.