HSC Chair commends the access industry forum for collaborative working

C005:07 23 May 2007

Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) today commended the Access Industry Forum (AIF) for collaborative working in improving safety and providing innovative solutions to prevent workers being injured whilst working at height. Falls from height are the biggest cause of fatal injuries in the workplace; there were 46 fatal injuries in 2005/6 arising from falls from heights. Reducing the number of fatalities is a priority for the Commission and the Executive.

Making a keynote address at the AIF annual conference in Birmingham Mr Callaghan said, "Preventing falls from heights requires sensible risk management, a principle which underpins the framework of the Work at Height Regulations and all other health and safety legislation. We believe that sensible risk management is about the practical steps employers should be taking to protect the health and safety of their workers. As HSE's guidance on the safe use of ladders and stepladders notes, "Where work at height is necessary you need to justify whether a ladder or stepladder is the most suitable access equipment compared to other access equipment options. You do this by using risk assessment and the hierarchy of controls."

Bill Callaghan set out the benefits the annual forum and partnership between the AIF and HSE had generated, "The forum, with the support of HSE has established this annual conference as the premier work at height forum for safety practitioners and I congratulate you on that achievement and wish you well for the future. Partnerships will always remain an important area for HSE. We recognise the value of bringing together expertise to solve the safety issues that we all face.

We have come a long way in improving conditions in the workplace but I must emphasise that more needs to be done. We need to embed the principles of sensible risk management to protect health and safety of workers. We don't think that preventing falls from height can be addressed by putting signs on mountains or banning ladders. Improvements lie in sensible risk management, a principle which underpins the framework of the Work at Height Regulations and all other safety legislation."

HSE's Sensible Risk campaign gained momentum with the launch of the Myth of Month cartoon aimed at burying some of the long running rumours which have plagued HSE and been a constant source of confusion to everyone trying to follow safe working practices. The first myth buster was aimed at tackling the myths around the banning of stepladders. This year HSE's Ladder Exchange will take 4000 'dodgy' ladders out of the workplace in a 'ladder exchange' scheme which is aimed at those who manage or control work.

Notes to editors

1. Bill Callaghan was speaking at the annual Access Industry Forum Conference on Wednesday 23rd May 2007.
2. The 1974 Health and Safety at Work Etc Act placed general duties on employers to protect the health and safety of their employees and those affected by their work activities.
3. Fatal injuries have gone down from nearly 500 in 1981 to 212 in 2005/06. There has been a significant reduction in fatal injuries arising from a fall from height down from 126 deaths in 1988/89 to 46 in 2005/06. These figures reflect the impact the Health and Safety at Work Act has made to workplaces across Great Britain and the continuous responsibility we have as a partnership to maintain and consistently improve our standards.
4. Five Steps to Risk Assessment and example risk assessments can be found on the risk management web pages on the HSE website. The pages are written in everyday language for managers, not health and safety experts and include links to more information and a section for frequently asked questions. Myth of the month can be viewed at http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/index.htm
5. The HSC has overall responsibility for occupational health and safety regulations in Great Britain. The Commission consists of a Chairman and 9 members. It is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The DWP Minister for occupational health and safety is Lord McKenzie of Luton.

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