SADLY, work carried out at height is responsible for more fatalities and injuries than any other construction activity. Let’s look at what working at height is, and the safety risks that are created because of it.
The two most common safety risks of working at height
When it comes to the most common safety risks of working at height, they’re generally categorised into two distinct brackets: falling from height and dropping equipment from height.
The risks of falling at height range from near-misses, all the way to fatality. When somebody suffers a fall from height, the consequences are usually serious, and construction work regularly involves working at height. Whether it’s climbing ladders, lowering and raising yourself using a harness and pulley system, or even climbing scaffolding, the risks suddenly become very serious indeed.
So serious, in fact, that many companies are now dedicating extensive staff training to working at height. And little wonder. Work carried out at height is responsible for nearly one third of fatal accidents on construction sites. Standing on unstable surfaces, using ladders incorrectly, and overstretching are particularly common causes of slips and falls.
On the other hand, workers can drop equipment from height. You may think that the impact of dropped items is less severe, but this too can be fatal. Any number of injuries all the way from fractures to paralysis and death can be caused by dropping items from relatively low heights.
More often than not, the ground level area below work taking place at height is cordoned off and access is restricted. Workers below are required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) including hard-hats, which protect against dropped items.
How to minimise the risks of working at height
The first step is to make sure that your team are properly trained. Ensure they’re competent, experienced, and have the skillset to carry out any work at height. Different work tasks involve different knowledge and skills – it’s important that you have the right people working on the right tasks.
After that, avoid working at height wherever possible. The design team should be able to spot opportunities that will minimise the amount of work carried out at any height. If work needs to take place at any height, is it possible to bring the construction down to ground level and work from there? Could machinery carry out the work instead? Is there a different way to approach the task?
Make sure that personnel are using the correct equipment for the task at hand. It’s especially important that staff have a safe way to carry their equipment to and from the place of work – backpacks can hold several different tools which might instead fall from pockets. Lanyards are another option that ensures items cannot be dropped.
Finally, know the area that you’re working in. If work is being carried out on an aging, decaying roof or surface, then your methodology should have accounted for weak surfaces and potential collapse. Ensure that your workers are confident and comfortable, and that there are no unexpected surprises: reaching just a little too far could have disastrous consequences.
