Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Freedom of information
SIM 03/2008/02
Author unit / section: HSE Falls from Height Team
Target audience: All HSE and LA visiting staff
Operational intervention in 2008/09 to help deliver the falls from height and slips and trips programmes in relation to organisations that procure and/or manage building and plant maintenance (in particular to facilities management) and their contractors.
1 Despite recent reductions in the falls from height major fatal and injury figures (a 10% decrease over the PSA period from 04/05 to 06/07p), they remain the most common kind of fatal injury and a significant contributor to major injuries. Outside of construction and workplace land transport (covered by separate programmes), one key sector for attention remains plant and building maintenance activities.
2 Slips and trips are themselves the biggest cause of major injuries to workers (about a third of all major injuries – over 10,000 - in 2006/7), to members of the public entering workplaces (over 50%), and are often the initiators of other types of accidents such as falls from height. Despite the increased awareness of slips and trips issues recently via publicity campaigns such as Watch Your Step and increased enforcement activity, accident statistics remain stubbornly high. Facilities management companies (in particular) can play a major role in the control of slip and trip risks, for example with appropriate floor maintenance and cleaning regimes.
3 HSE is running a major publicity led Slips, Trips and Falls national campaign (“Shattered Lives”) in late February/March 2008, supported by sector specific advertising, one of the targets for which is plant and building maintenance. Further interventions by HSE/LAs will therefore help to build on the successful outcomes of previous campaigns and provide an essential element of enforcement to complement the advertising elements of ‘Shattered Lives’, encouraging positive action to reduce slips, trips and falls accidents Shattered Lives.
4 This SIM carries forward instructions from 2007/08. The aim of the intervention is to sustain and build on the operational intervention delivered during that year and so prevent major injuries caused by slips, trips and falls.
5 We are asking inspectors to continue the programme of inspection visits, begun under the Height Aware campaign to companies that manage and procure (minor) building and plant maintenance activities such as facility management companies and housing associations. We are also asking inspectors to visit contractors who carry out the work eg those engaged in building maintenance and cleaning services. There will continue to be a need for careful local co-ordination across Divisions, with LAs and with the Construction Programme.
6 During visits, priority should be given to:
paying particular attention to training and competency issues in relation to working at height (Target Area 1); ; 7 Many facilities management companies are LA enforced. We are looking for LA inspectors to adopt the same approach as FOD inspectors. Given the range of companies potentially in the target group there is likely to be opportunities for joint LA/HSE visits, coordinated through existing joint planning networks. According to DTI data, there are around 12,000 facilities management companies in the UK but we recognise they can be difficult to identify. As per last year’s instructions, Annex B lists such companies that operate nationwide.
8 With the purpose of building on the slips, trips and falls publicity campaign held in late February/March 2008 to ensure its impact is optimised, we would like to see operational activity front loaded during 2008/09. But we are hopeful of securing communications funds for an enhanced Ladders Week 2008 running in Autumn 2008 with the intention of removing 5000 dodgy ladders from the workplace. To be successful an inspection element is essential and we are asking inspectors to concentrate a second tranche of inspection around Ladder Exchange 2008 ladder exchange. We are again asking HSAOs in FOD Division area offices to act as a central point of contact to co-ordinate local publicity and media interest. Further details will follow.
9 Much advice and guidance can be found on the falls from height and slips and trips pages on the HSE website.
10 The topic packs on Migrant Working [220KB], Duty to Manage Asbestos [671KB], and Worker Consultation and Involvement [264KB] may be relevant and useful when engaging with this sector.
11 For further information please contact: