What’s the problem?

Falls from height continue to be a major cause of deaths and major injury across the agriculture sector. In 2003/04 seven people died as a result of falls. Another four died as a result of being struck by falling branches or bales.

The seven deaths occurred when people were working: on fragile roofs (2 deaths); near an open edge; on stacked material; from a telescopic handler; in a tree; and from farm equipment.

Apart from the pain and trauma caused by these incidents, it is estimated that these deaths and major injuries cost the economy £343 m. This includes £22 m in lost output and £150 m in damage.

What must I do?

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 came into effect earlier this year. The Regulations 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.

As part of the Regulations, duty holders must ensure:

• all work at height is properly planned and organised;
• those involved in work at height are competent;
• the risks from work at height are assessed and appropriate work equipment is selected and used;
• the risks of falling through fragile surfaces are properly controlled;
• equipment for work at height is properly inspected and maintained;
• measures are taken to prevent items from falling where they may hit someone;
• measures are taken to ensure that danger areas are identified and access restricted so that people are not struck if anything does fall.

The Regulations introduce a hierarchy to consider when planning work at height and assessing the risk:

• avoid work at height where you can;
• use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls where you cannot avoid working at height;
• use collective equipment such as guardrails or mobile platforms before personal protection such as work restraint; 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.

What equipment should I use?

When completing the risk assessment you must consider the equipment required. Follow the hierarchy when thinking about the right equipment to use. Consider collective protection before personal protection. There is a lot of equipment on the market and it is important to keep up to date with what is available.

If you need to hire equipment, a reputable hire company will be able to give advice on the best equipment for a particular task.

What else do I need to think about?

There are requirements in the Regulations to make sure that erection and dismantling of any work equipment is carried out safely. There is also a requirement to plan rescue in the event of a fall. The risk assessment should show such things as how rescue will be carried out, who will do this and what skills they will need, how long it will take, and what equipment will be required.

Use of work-positioning and fall-arrest equipment such as ropes are also covered in the Regulations.

Ladders

The Work at Height Regulations stipulate that ladders should only be used where a risk assessment demonstrates that more suitable equipment is not justified because of the low risk and short duration of the work, or where there are existing features on site which cannot be altered so that a ladder must be used.

HSE will publish a new leaflet INDG402 entitled Safe use of ladders and stepladders in the autumn.

Key messages

• Those following good practice for work at height now should already be doing enough to comply with these Regulations.
• Follow the risk assessments you have carried out for work at height activities and make sure all work at height is planned, organised and carried out by competent persons.
• Follow the hierarchy for managing risks from work at height - take steps to avoid, prevent or reduce risks.
• Choose the right work equipment and select collective measures to prevent falls (such as guardrails and working platforms) before other measures which may only mitigate the distance and consequences of a fall (such as nets or airbags) or which may only provide personal protection from a fall.

Where can I get more information?

HSE has produced a brief guide to the Regulations which can be accessed by using the link below
www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.pdf