Working at Height a Brief Guide

SOM021 Working at Height – A brief Guide Introduction  All working at height must be properly risk assessed.  Contact line manager, technical service manager or safety advisor for further details. What is ‘work at height’? (Regulation 2)  A place is ‘at height’ if a person could be injured falling from it, even if it is at or below ground level, e.g. working from a ladder, working at ground level adjacent to an open excavation.  ‘Work’ includes moving around at a work (except by a staircase in a permanent workplace) but not travel to or from a place of work. Do the rules apply to you? (Regulation 3 and 14)  The Work at Height Regulations 2005 applies to all work at any height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury. The Regulations place duties on employers and any person who controls the work of others to the extent they control the work.  If you are an employee or working under someone else’s control, regulation 14 says you must: o Report any safety hazard to them; o Use the equipment supplied (including safety devices) properly, following any training and instructions (unless you think that would be unsafe, in which case you should seek further instructions before continuing). What you must do as an employer? (Regulation 6(3)) You must do all that is reasonably practicable to prevent anyone falling.

All working at height must be properly planned, supervised and organised. Those involved in work at height are trained and competent. The place where work at height is done must be safe. Equipment for working at height is inspected and deemed safe. You must ensure that work done at height is safe and it is not reasonably practicable to do it other than at height. Persons who regularly work at height or must work at a ‘foot height’ greater than 2m must attend the awareness course run by the University.

[email protected] (School Senior Safety Advisor) room C15, Materials Science Building, Ext. 63596