HSE warn of work at height risks

The HSE has launched its new Height Aware campaign to warn trades people and anyone working at height, even at a low level, that they could be at serious risk of injury if they don't plan work properly, assess the risks and choose the right equipment.

While most professionals cleaning or maintaining multi-storey buildings are highly trained with specialist equipment, many trades people across the county working at low height risk their health and their livelihood to get a job done quickly. The HSE is emphasising that even simple tasks carried out at relatively low height, can lead to major injuries and in some cases death, without proper care.

Nationally, HSE statistics show that falling is the biggest cause of workplace fatalities. Last year, over 3,700 major injuries were recorded from falls at workplaces across the UK, with six in ten of those injuries coming as a result of working at below head height. Over the same period, 53 people died falling from a height at work, with seven of those working below head height.

Terry Williams of the HSE, commented:

"The dangers involved in working at such low levels may seem less obvious to employees or small business owners - which is why raising awareness of them is all the more important.

"Falls are preventable when work is planned properly, the risks are accurately assessed, and the correct equipment is used. Accidents cost businesses money, but for a smaller operator, it can cost you much more than that - it could cost you your business. Worst of all for the individual - it could cost them their life."

To coincide with the launch of the campaign, 150 trades people were questioned on behalf of the HSE at a recent building exhibition, revealing that one in three admit to putting their safety at risk by answering their mobile phones while working below head height. The same proportion of people routinely overreach to avoid moving their ladders during low-level work, and one in seven of those surveyed even admit to reaching dangerously to pick up a cup of tea on the job.

The survey also indicates that trades people routinely underestimate the risks associated with working below head height, believing it to be less dangerous than lifting heavy objects.

TV DIY expert Tommy Walsh has joined forces with the HSE to launch Height Aware in a bid to get trades people to 'take a moment, not a fall'.

He commented:

"Reaching down from a ladder to answer a phone is asking for trouble. My advice would be to stop putting yourself in danger for the sake of a phone call.

"Even if you're not that high off the ground, a simple fall could see you ending up in plaster or worse. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of this issue, and it makes absolute sense to take your safety seriously."

Nearly half of those questioned in the recent survey of trades people claimed to have nearly slipped or fallen in the past three months, highlighting the scale of the dangers facing people working at height.

For further information about being height aware can be found at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls