By Joanna Weekes

After Tuesday’s Health & Safety Bulletin which looked at some surprising statistics found regarding work-related injuries caused by falling from a height, today we have some information for you about when a fall risk may exist and some ways that you can reduce those risks.

Working at heights refers to any circumstance in which a person is exposed to a fall risk. Fall risks occur in many situations, but some common examples of fall risks include the following:

• climbing on top of trucks or loads;
• using a ladder;
• working from an unprotected roof edge;
• standing on a platform close to a pit or hole;
• working near an unprotected trench.

Remember, even if it is not a regular occurrence or part of the inherent role of the worker to work from heights, a worker can still be exposed to a risk of falling and since they do not perform the task regularly, the appropriate control measures may not be in place. Do not let this happen. Workers who change a light globe in an office, access high storage areas in the stationery cupboard or change outdoor display signs are all at fall risks.

Methods of controlling fall risks include:

• Travel restraint devices: tie a worker to an anchor point to prevent them reaching an unprotected edge;
• Fall protection covers: cover holes and openings to prevent persons or objects falling through;
• Guardrails: prevent access to unprotected edges;
• Fall restraint systems: prevent a falling person from coming into contact with a hard surface;
• Fall arrest systems: a strap or harness attached to a line to prevent a person falling to the ground;
• fixed or temporary work platforms: provide stable access to high workplaces; and
• elevated work platforms: allow workers to work at a variety of heights, e.g. boom and scissor lifts.

Another hazard associated with a worker working from a height is the risk that a person or object will fall and hit another worker below – so take that into account when you conduct your risk assessment as well, e.g. whether the workers are using tools that are unsecured and could be dropped from a height.

So make sure that you consider ALL circumstances where your workers may be at a fall risk – because you don’t want to become one of the statistics.