25.09.2003

One in ten fail HSE falls from height check

One in ten London workplaces were found to be failing to prevent falls from height during the inspection initiative that took place across the capital in the last two weeks. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspectors served 47 enforcement notices aimed at improving work at height practices at the 494 workplaces they visited.

Falls from height is the single biggest cause of death in British workplaces, accounting for 69 deaths and 3996 major injuries of workers in 2001/2. In London, in the same year, 9 workers died after a workplace fall from height and 393 suffered major injuries.

During this two-week inspection campaign, Inspectors were checking to see that employers and contractors were properly controlling the risks that arise when people work at height. Workplaces visited included schools, bus garages, factories and public and private hospitals.

Much of the enforcement action was taken on industrial estates, requiring employers to undertake a risk assessment for work at height, improve problems such as edge protection on mezzanine floors or to introduce appropriate safety checks and maintenance for ladders. Some examples of poor practice identified by HSE inspectors included:

A gang of roofing contractors who were working on a fragile roof without any means of fall prevention, such as crawling boards, or fall arrest equipment such as harnesses. This gang was immediately prohibited from working until appropriate measures had been taken

A wooden ladder in a garage that was so badly damaged that the inspector immediately prohibited its use. One major focus of the fortnight was looking at work at height practices on advertising hoardings. Twenty-two of the 47 notices were issued because the access and work platform arrangements for poster hangers were poor or non-existent.

Given the seriousness of this issue, Inspectors will be meeting the industry trade association and key dutyholders over the next few weeks to ensure that all companies working in this area are aware of the risks and that appropriate standards are met.

Despite the problems identified, in the majority of cases, HSE Inspectors found a considerable amount of good practice. Most employers had considered the work both their employees and contractors carry out at height, had made risk assessments and were putting their findings into practice.

During the workplace visits, Inspectors gave out a lot of advice where small improvements were needed, such as marking the access to fragile roofs and introducing a log of all ladders held on site.

Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) said: “It was good to see during this inspection campaign that many people had taken action to improve work at height practices. However one in ten London workplaces did not understand their duties and were not managing the risks. This situation must change if we are to reduce the rate of falls from height, which remains the biggest cause of death in the UK.”