Slips, Trips and Falls s2
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/ Falls from HeightNUT HEALTH & SAFETY BRIEFING
This NUT briefing provides guidance to safety representatives and members on taking action in schools to reduce the incidence of accidents and injuries due to falls from height, including the legal requirements on employers, practical steps which can be taken and sources of further advice and information.
How great is the Problem?
Statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that teachers in schools and colleges are at risk of suffering injury as a result of a fall from height. Between 2002 and 2010 there was one death and nearly two thousand injuries in the education sector[1] as a result of falls from height. Most major injuries in schools are caused by `low’ falls i.e. below two metres, and involve stairs[2]. Other activities are also involved, such as falls from desks/chairs while putting up displays; falls from ladders while putting up stage lighting; and falls from stools while closing windows.
Year / Fatal / Major / Over 3 day[3] / Total2002/03 / - / 99 / 120 / 219
2003/04 / - / 101 / 125 / 226
2004/05 / - / 112 / 122 / 234
2005/06 / 1 / 120 / 121 / 242
2006/07 / - / 129 / 132 / 261
2007/08 / - / 115 / 120 / 235
2008/09 / - / 135 / 156 / 291
2009/10 / - / 134 / 138 / 272
Total / 1 / 945 / 1034 / 1980
Over the period there has been a steady increase in the incidence of falls from height in the education sector.
Reducing the number of falls from height accidents was one of the Health and Safety Executive’s priority programmes for action on workplace health and safety, as part of the Revitalising Health and Safety agenda between 1999/2000 and 2009/2010. The HSE’s Falls from Height Priority Programme sought to reduce the number of fatal and major injuries as a result of a fall from height by 5 per cent by 2004 and by 10 per cent by 2009.
In 2011 the HSE announced that there had been a fall of more than 10 per cent in the incidence of all types of fatal and major injuries, including falls from height. The above data, however, shows that whilst this reduction may have taken place across the labour force as a whole, it is not replicated in the education sector which has seen an upward trend in major and over 3 day injuries over the ten year period.
Further analysis of HSE statistics reveals that within each local authority 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 several thousand pounds 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 even higher. Most accidents could be prevented by the introduction of sensible safety measures.
What the Law Says
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury. A place is ‘at height’ if (unless these regulations are followed) a person could be injured falling from it, even if it is at or below ground level. They 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'.
‘Work’ includes moving around at a place of work (except by a staircase in a permanent workplace) but not travel to or from a place of work. For instance, a sales assistant on a stepladder would be working at height, but we would not be inclined to apply the regulations to a mounted police officer on patrol.
Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations states that employers[4] must do all that is reasonably practicable to prevent anyone falling. They must avoid work at height being carried out wherever possible, and where it is unavoidable put in place measures (e.g. suitable work equipment and procedures) to minimise the risk of a fall, and the risk of injury should someone fall despite suitable measures being put in place.
Furthermore, under regulation 14, employees must report any safety hazard to the employer, and must use the equipment supplied (including safety devices) properly, following any training and instructions (unless the employee thinks that would be unsafe, in which case he or she should seek further instructions before continuing).
The duties of employers under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to undertake risk assessments, include the duty to identify, assess and control risks on their premises from slips, trips and falls risks on their premises. This duty applies to risks to employees and others, including pupils, contractors and visitors. Education employers must be able to show that they have considered the risks and instituted effective control measures.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 contain specific requirements upon employers relating to the condition of floors and traffic routes which complement the risk assessment provisions outlined above. Regulation 12(3) specifies that “so far as is reasonably practicable, every floor in a workplace and the surface of every traffic route in a workplace shall be kept free from obstructions and from any article or substance which may cause a person to slip, trip or fall”. Regulation 9 specifies that workplaces should be kept clean and free of obstructions. Regulation 13 specifies that, “so far as is reasonably practicable, suitable and effective measures shall be taken to prevent any person falling a distance likely to cause personal injury”.
Employers are also required under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 to consult trade union safety representatives on health and safety matters. Safety representatives must be given access to information relevant to the health and safety of the workers they represent, including any information relating to potentially hazardous conditions, such as slip, trip and fall risks.
Taking Action on Falls from Height
The NUT and HSE share the view that falls from height occur usually due to poor management control rather than equipment failure. 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. Common factors in falls from height accidents include:
· failure to recognise a problem;
· failure to ensure that safe systems of work are followed;
· failure to provide safe systems of work;
· inadequate information, instruction, training or supervision provided;
· failure to use appropriate equipment; and
· failure to provide safe equipment.
Risk assessments should be carried out to assess the risks involved in working at height. This should be done prior to teachers carrying out the task. In addition, teachers should always think of their personal safety and assess the risk from what they propose to do. Employers guidelines should always be adhered to. The most common incidents involve over-reaching; over-balancing; equipment failure; misuse of equipment; unexpected movement -particularly where ladders are involved; and the failure of a fragile surface. Teachers can minimise risk and offer more protection to themselves by bearing in mind the following guidelines.
Working at Height: Important Points to Consider
· Displays: prepare displays as far as possible before putting them up. It is important to note however, that the NUT advises you to use your professional judgement in deciding whether the setting up and maintenance of displays is a task which should be transferred to support staff under the terms of the Workforce Agreement, or whether it is a task which requires your professional skills. It is important to note that taking down displays and putting coloured paper on the wall, prior to setting up the display, should not be viewed as part of your role.
· Use suitable equipment: school furniture is not suitable for standing on and all schools should have suitable equipment for working at height, e.g. `kick-step’ type stools, properly designed and maintained low steps and poles for opening high windows. If you cannot reach without over-stretching, you should ask for help from a premises manager or caretaker. If there are insufficient numbers of window poles or ‘kick-step’ stools in your school, ask for more. Staff meetings are a good opportunity to raise issues such as lack of equipment or lack of access to equipment.
· Maintenance/lack of equipment: poor maintenance, such as damaged window mechanisms, could create hazards and should be reported. If you are worried about the lack of equipment or its poor quality, you should inform your head teacher or NUT safety representative.
· Footwear: wear suitable footwear.
Stairways and Slopes
· Flooring: floor surfaces should be suitable. Floors should be regularly checked for damage and problems dealt with immediately. Any mats should be securely fixed.
· Obstructions: obstructions should be removed or suitable barriers and/or warning notices used.
· Lighting: lighting should be sufficient. Handrails and floor markings should be available where necessary.
· Spillages: work methods should minimise slippages. Spills should be cleaned up immediately. Alternative routes should be available or warning signs used when the stairs or slope is wet and slippery.
Reporting and Investigating Accidents
Where accidents do occur, it is essential that they are immediately reported to the school’s management and the causes of every accident are investigated. In this way, lessons can be learned for the future and steps taken to improve procedures and precautions where appropriate. Safety representatives may also wish to exercise their statutory rights to investigate health and safety issues where accidents occur.
Accidents should be reported externally to the local authority and, in the case of accidents which result in death or major injury or which result in an employee being off work for more than seven days, the HSE. This can be done online at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/when-do-i-report.htm. This is a change from pre-2013 RIDDOR regulations, as previously, any work related injuries which caused 3 or more days absence from work needed to be reported. Now such injuries must be recorded by the employer, and reported to the HSE if the absence reaches 7 days.
NUT members who are involved in accidents should also contact the NUT regional office for advice on steps to be taken in case any claim is later necessary for industrial injury benefits or damages. In Wales, contact NUT Cymru. Full advice on this area is set out in the NUT health and safety briefing “Accidents and Injuries”, available from the health and safety section of the NUT website at http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/12488.
Action Points for Safety Reps
Make sure that:
· appropriate measures are in place in the school to reduce falls from height accidents and that procedures are known to all staff and pupils;
· appropriate arrangements are also in place for the reporting and investigation of accidents which do occur.
Further Guidance
The HSE has produced Working at Height: A brief guide which is available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.pdf.
HSE website ‘Working from Height’ pages can be accessed at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm
The HSE website also provides guidance on ‘Slips and trips in education’ which is available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/services/education/slips-in-education.htm. This has information for employers on their requirements under the law, causes of and solutions to slips and trips in education.
NUT Health and Safety Briefing
Revised April 2015
NUT Health & Safety Briefing: Falls from Height
[1] For the purposes of these statistics, ‘education sector’ includes primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities
[2] In 2008/09, there was a change in the way that injuries involving falls from height were coded. Injuries formerly classified as slips and trips on stairs were classed as falls from height.
[3] The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2013 introduced a change whereby injuries in the workplace now only need to be notified after 7 days absence, rather than 3. Therefore this will have an impact on future statistics.
[4] Teachers who work in a local authority-maintained community school or voluntary controlled school are employed by the local authority. The local authority is responsible for complying with the legal duties which the Act places on employers. (Although the governing body is not employer in these instances, it does however carry some responsibilities as a result of its delegated powers of management).
Teachers who work in a foundation school or voluntary aided school are employed by the governing body of the school rather than the local authority. If you work in a sixth form college, you are employed by the college corporation. If you work in an academy chain, your employer is the academy trust, and in stand alone academies the employer is the governing body. It is those bodies which carry the legal duties of employers under the Act.