Access Equipment
The law
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 came into effect on 6 April 2005. The Regulations will apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury.
The Regulations place duties on employers, the self-employed, and any person that controls the work of others (for example facilities managers or building owners who may contract others to work at height). The Regulations do not apply to the provision of paid instruction or leadership in caving or climbing by way of sport, recreation, team building or similar activities.
Duty holders’ responsibilities
The Regulations require duty holders to ensure:
- All work at height is properly planned and organised;
- All work at height takes account of weather conditions that could endanger health and safety;
- Those involved in work at height are trained and competent;
- The place where work at height is done is safe;
- Equipment for work at height is appropriately inspected;
- The risks from fragile surfaces are properly controlled; and
- The risks from falling objects are properly controlled.
There is a simple hierarchy for managing and selecting equipment for work at height. Duty holders must:
· avoid work at height where they can;
· use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls where they cannot avoid working at height; and
· where they cannot eliminate the risk of a fall, use work equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall should one occur.
What is ‘work at height’? Regulation 2
· A place is ‘at height’ if (unless these Regulations are followed) a person could be injured falling from it, even if it is at or below ground level.
· ‘Work’ includes moving around at a place of work (except by a staircase in a permanent workplace) but not travel to or from a place of work. For instance, a sales assistant on a stepladder would be working at height, but we would not be inclined to apply the Regulations to a mounted police officer on patrol.
Ladders should be in good condition and examined regularly for defects. You should have a management system in place to ensure that this is done.
· They should be secured so they cannot slip, usually by tying them at the top.
· The ladder should be angled to minimise the risk of slipping outwards and as a rule of thumb needs to be ‘one out for every four up’.
· Access ladders should extend about 1 m above the working platform. This provides a handhold for people getting on and off.
· Do not overreach: if you are working from a ladder, make sure it is long enough and positioned to reach the work safely.
· Do not climb or work off a ladder unless you can hold onto it. |
