Work at Height Regulations came into force on the 6th April 2005, and yet falls from height still result in around 97 accidents every day. They are one of the most common causes of fatal injury to workers in the UK.

Some businesses may be unaware that their workers technically work at height; the Health and Safety Executive definition is “Work at height means work in any place where, if precautions were not taken, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. You are working at height if you:

• work above ground/floor level
• could fall from an edge, through an opening or fragile surface or
• could fall from ground level into an opening in a floor or a hole in the ground”

The Work at Height regulations 2005 states:

6.—(3) Where work is carried out at height, every employer shall take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury.

(4)(b)where it is not reasonably practicable for the work to be carried out in accordance with sub-paragraph (a), is providing sufficient work equipment for preventing, so far as is reasonably practicable, a fall occurring.

(5) Where the measures taken under paragraph (4) do not eliminate the risk of a fall occurring, every employer shall—

(a)so far as is reasonably practicable, provide sufficient work equipment to minimise—

(i)the distance and consequences; or

(ii)where it is not reasonably practicable to minimise the distance, the consequences,of a fall"

HSE investigation

Any accident at work can be investigated by the Health and Safety Executive; as well as affecting your businesses reputation, being found liable can result in a large fine and/or a custodial sentence.

Recently a farm worker was injured after falling from a platform. The farmer was prosecuted for "failing to ensure protection from a fall despite reasonable practical precautions available" He was fined £5,000 plus prosecution costs of £558.

After a construction worker fell from a platform and unfortunately died from the injuries sustained, the HSE investigation showed the scaffold platform he was working on had insufficient protection to prevent workers from falling. The builder in charge was sentenced to 9 months in prison suspended for 2 years and was ordered to pay £9089 in costs.

Do you have the correct safety equipment?

Do you have adequate protective equipment available to your workers who must work from height in order to carry out their job? The Work at Height regulations list a number of factors to take into account when looking at the correct protection equipment for your workplace.

If you are unsure as to what you need, our customer service team will be happy to provide you with advice.

Point Safety have built close working relationships with specialist manufacturers of fall arrest equipment which allows us to offer a wide range of quality equipment, and our expert team have extensive knowledge to ensure you have the ideal protective equipment for your requirements, that meets all current regulatory standards.

For a consultation on ensuring compliance with the Working at Height regulations we can arrange a call to discuss your current requirements, click here for more information.