Other Common Hazards & Controls When Working At Height

Working at height is a hazard and where possible, working from the ground is always the safest option. Some examples of hazards when working at height include:

Dropping Tools & Debris

• Risk: Dropping/ falling tools and debris injuring persons below and damaging structures; potential of structures collapsing and injuring bystanders
• Controls: This risk of falling debris can be controlled by the use of toe boards, brick nets and chutes to take waste material safely to ground level. Tools used at hight should ideally be tethered to a workers below. Exclusion zones and the use of barriers can further reduce the risk of injury from falling debris or tools by preventing workers getting to close too areas where this could occur.

Overhead Power Lines (OHPLs)

• Risk: Accidental contact with live overhead power lines kills people and causes many serious injuries every year . People are also harmed when a person or object gets too close to a line and a flashover occurs. Work involving high vehicles or long equipment is particularly high risk of electric shock or arcing (electrical arcing happens when an electric current flows through the air between two conductors).
• Controls: The safest option is always to avoid working near HPLs if you can. Creating alternative access routes or work areas to avoid OHPLs is often the easiest and cheapest option. If work beneath live overhead power lines cannot be avoided, barriers, goal posts and warning notices should be provided. For some short duration work activities it may be possible to get the power supply switched off. Where work near OHPLs cannot be avoided a risk assessment will need to be carried out and a safe system of work implemented.

Fragile Roofs

• Risk: Falls through fragile roofs and fragile roof lights cause death and serious injury. They account for almost a fifth of all the fatal accidents which result from a fall from. Deaths caused by falls through fragile surfaces occur mainly to those working in the building maintenance sector when carrying out small, short-term maintenance and cleaning jobs. On average 7 people are killed each year after falling through a fragile roof or fragile roof light. Many others suffer permanent disabling injury.
• Controls: Before work starts ensure that a competent person assesses the roof using a safe system of work and the work is properly planned in advance. Avoid having to go on the roof at all by adapting a method that allows repairs from underneath using a work platform. If the work cannot be done from underneath and workers need access to the topside of the roof use a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) that allows people to work from within the basket without standing on the roof itself. If access onto the fragile roof cannot be avoided, mitigate fall distance and consequences by installing perimeter edge protection and use stagings on the roof surface to spread the loads. Where harnesses are used, make sure they have adequate anchorage point and they are properly used – through appropriate discipline, training and supervision.

Other People

• Risk of falling or injury due to inappropriate behaviours of fellow workers or carelessness
• Controls: Avoid falls from carelessness or inappropriate behaviours of workers and be controlled through the planning of the work. This should involve ensuring workers are competent (have the necessary skills, training experience, knowledge and attitude to carry out a task safely) and are properly supervised. Further controls like the use of appropriate platforms or MEWPS and guard rails/fall arrest systems should also be considered.

Internal Voids

• Risk of falling into voids, slips and trips
• Controls: It is often necessary to create internal voids in building under construction and refurbishment work. Planning ahead to anticipate when these voids will constitute a risk to workers is essential. Here are some key principles: Use mesh guards or covers which are permanently fixed into concrete floors – these provide protection to all workers throughout the job. Protect voids from underneath – using fixed scaffold. Where coverings on the floor are used these must be robust, securely fixed and signed. Only use harnesses and lanyards for work restraint as a last resort – consider others working nearby who may not be wearing a harness, create an exclusion zone to keep them away.

The Working Area

• Risk of falls, being struck by a falling object or tripping and destabilizing equipment being used to work at height
• Controls: Working areas mut be kept tidy (free of debris, spills and general clutter) and workers who are not required for the work at height must be kept well clear using barriers and signage.