Guest lightnix Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 Just found this while looking for something else (like you do)... The Work at Height Regulations are almost a year old, having come into force in Great Britain on 6 April 2005. So, what progress has been made, and what comes next?... Falls remain the biggest cause of fatal injuries in Britain... amounting to one in four of all fatalities to workers in 2004/05... The Regulations also allow people who do not work safely to be prosecuted - even when no injuries result... ...Duty holders in the WAHR are employers, the self-employed and those in control of the work of others (to the extent of their control). This means that virtually anyone involved in planning, supervising or contracting services where work at height could take place will have some level of duty under the WAHR... ...The Regulations require duty holders to plan and organise work at height properly and follow the hierarchy: avoid work at height where possible, where it is not possible to avoid work at height put measures in place to prevent a person falling, where there remains the risk of a fall, take measures to mitigate the distance and consequences of a fall should one occur, if there is still the risk of a fall, take other measures to ensure the safety of the person working at height. Collective measures that provide general protection to all those working at height must be considered before personal measures, such as lanyards, that only protect the individual.Many products are now on the market to help people work safely when working at height... ...Despite rumours to the contrary HSE has not banned ladders... However the WAHR stipulate that ladders should be used only when all other safer alternatives for work at height have been ruled out. A risk assessment must show that the task is low risk (for example, the worker is not carrying heavy loads) and of short duration, or that there are site features that mean other equipment is not appropriate. If so, then ladders can be used... ...In the autumn of 2005 HSE commissioned some research to test the attitude of employers, self-employed people and employees to work at height... The research found that almost half of employers and employees had heard about the WAHR three months after they were introduced. It also showed that nearly a third of employers and one in four employees who had heard about the WAHR had claimed to take some action after getting information about the Regulations... ...Following on from these previous initiatives, the Height Aware Campaign will take place in May and June this year. HSE and Local Authorities will hold events and inspections to raise awareness of work at height issues and promote sensible measures to improve safety... the Access Industry Forum... are working with HSE on a web-based tool to help people who need advice on work at height to get information from experts. The site will become operational in May 2006. It will be possible to post a problem on the site and receive input from each of the trade associations that make up the Access Industry Forum...Source: Contract News - full story here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 I did smile this morning, as I watched a trainee teacher stand on a collapsable table, whilst blutacking posters onto a display. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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