Harnesses and ladders under scrutiny in City of London

HSE press release E058:03 - 16 April 2003

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be visiting construction sites across the City of London at the end of April to check on the use of ladders and safety harnesses.

HSE chief inspector of construction Kevin Myers commented: "Falls from height remain the single biggest cause of death, disability and injury in construction, accounting for almost half of all deaths and nearly a third of major injuries in 2001/2. I want to see dramatic improvements in the control and management of work at height. Not least because most of the incidents are easily avoidable and each represents suffering and misery for the individual concerned and their family."

During 2003/04 HSE will be promoting improved ladder and step-ladder safety, and aiming to eliminate the use of ladders wherever possible as a means of access or place of work, in favour of safer methods.

There will remain many places where the use of ladders is necessary and here HSE advises that suitable precautions should be taken to ensure the safety of the user. This can include:

• measures to prevent the ladder from slipping,
• a rigorous system for maintenance,
• and checking ladders for damage before use.

HSE will also use the visits in the City of London to remind contractors about the correct use of safety harnesses, including:

• advice on safer alternatives,
• training,
• maintenance systems,
• an inspection regime,
• and a method for swift rescue.

Sites in the City have been selected because they employ a large number of subcontractors who often use ladders and harnesses. It is hoped this will spread the message as widely as possible.

Inspectors will be reminding contractors of the HSE leaflet "Inspecting fall arrest equipment made From webbing or rope" which contains practical advice, and can be obtained free of charge from HSE Books or downloaded free from the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg367.htm

Notes to editors

1. Falls from height, transport and welfare issues are construction priorities that form part of the Revitalising Health and Safety Campaign. Revitalising Health and Safety, published in June 2000, is a Government and Health and Safety Commission (HSC) initiative that sets targets for the nation to reduce work-related deaths, ill health and injury in Great Britain. More details about Revitalising Health and Safety can be found on the HSE website on www.hse.gov.uk/revitalising/index.htm

2. Falls from height remain the single biggest cause of death, disability and injury in construction, accounting for 44% of fatalities and 30% of major injuries in 2001/2. Across all industries, falls from height accounted for 74 deaths and 5,286 major injuries in 2001/2.

3. The construction industry has committed to a step change in performance. This was demonstrated through setting challenging Revitalising targets and adopting action plans at the Construction Safety Summit, which took place on 27 February 2001. The construction industry set the following Revitalising targets for improvement. To reduce:

• the incidence rate of fatalities and major injuries by 40 per cent by 2004/5 and 66 per cent by 2009/10;
• the incidence rate of cases of work-related ill health by 20 per cent by 2004/5 and 50 per cent by 2009/10:
• the number of working days lost from work-related injury and ill health by 20 per cent by 2004/5 and by 50 per cent by 2009/10.

Press enquiries

All enquiries from journalists should be directed to the HSE Press Office