This briefing requests all employers of teachers and school support staff to take action to reduce the incidence of accidents and injuries due to falls from height in schools and gives practical guidance on the steps which can be taken.
The Employer has duties under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to undertake risk assessments include the duty to identify, assess and control slips, trips and falls risks on their premises. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require that, “every employer shall take suitable and sufficient action to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury'.
In the last six years there have been five deaths and over three thousand (HSE stats last 5 years, 3 deaths over 2000 major injuries) injuries in the education sector due to falling from height. Most major injuries in schools are caused by ‘low' falls i.e. below two metres, and involve stairs. But other activities are also involved, such as falls from desks/chairs while putting up displays; falls from stools while closing windows, and falls from ladders while carrying out repairs and maintenance work.
Reducing the number of falls from height accidents is one of the Health and Safety Commissions' current priority programmes for action on workplace health and safety and is also of considerable importance to the DfES and all employers of school staff.
The HSC's Falls from Height Priority Programme seeks to reduce the number of fatal and major injuries as a result of a fall from height by 5% by 2007/08.
Accidents reported to HSE indicated that within each LEA there is likely on average to be at least one school which has a reportable fall from height accident each year, and some areas have many more than this . The cost of each reportable accident will vary but a broken limb will typically result in a month off work which could cost each employer as much as £3700 every year in replacement teacher costs alone. Add to this the costs of shorter periods of absence after less serious accidents, costs of investigations and claims for injuries then the total costs are likely to be much higher. Most accidents could be prevented by the introduction of sensible safety measures.
The DfES, HSE and LEAs share the view that the underlying cause of most falls from height accidents is poor management control. Prevention is a high priority. The majority of accidents can be avoided with proper planning and procedures in place at the outset, and adhered to thereafter. Generally, the LEA is the employer in all community and voluntary controlled schools, and the governing body is the employer in foundation and voluntary aided schools.
Each school should assess their risks from working at height and make plans to either avoid the work at height, or to do the work more safely. School staff will normally carry out the risk assessment but the responsibility for ensuring that it is done is shared between the employer and the Headteacher. The flowchart overleaf gives guidance on every step you need to complete to reduce the risks from falls. We have also developed examples of what could go wrong and the practical steps you could take to minimise the risk.
Training programmes should include working at height risks relevant to the individual employees responsibilities.
Various HSE publications are available, some of which can be downloaded free from HSE's website or other as indicated:
This briefing has been produced by South West Safety Advisors Network in consultation with HSE. It provides general information related to the assessing risks for work at height and guidance on precautions. All users are responsible under health and safety law to make an assessment of the risks to health and safety of their operations, and how these risks can be suitably controlled. Users of the document are responsible for selecting safe equipment and methods of work for any given workplace situation. Neither the HSE or South West Safety Advisors Network is liable in any way for the actions or omissions of users of the document. However, we welcome comments from users about their own practical experience of using the document and will take these into account when this document is reviewed."
With thanks
This document has been produced in conjunction with the South West Education Safety Advisers Panel.
More information about what you can do to prevent falls from height in your school.
Social media
Javascript is required to use HSE website social media functionality.
Follow HSE on Twitter:
Follow @H_S_E