How to Choose the Right Height Safety Equipment for Your Worksite
On average, 26 Australian workers are killed each year due to falling from height. Even more are injured, many seriously, and so it is a serious problem that needs to be tackled with some urgency.
Many of these accidents, which have devastating impacts for those affected, can often be avoided if the correct measures are taken. Safework Australia stipulates that adequate safety measures must be put in place where work is undertaken more that two metres above the ground or within two metres of an edge from which workers can fall. Failure to comply can result in severe financial penalties as well as damage to your business.
Choosing the Right Safety Equipment
The most appropriate type of equipment will often depend on a number of factors:
- Working conditions, including the level of activity and the type of surface, which may be a steep slope or unstable or fragile areas where there are multiple obstacles.
- The frequency of working in an area, which may determine whether permanent or temporary safety equipment is needed.
- The distance to the ground, which may mean fall arrest systems may not be suitable for relatively short drops that give insufficient time to deploy correctly.
- Local laws and regulations, which may impose additional measures to national legislation and can change frequently.
- The ease of rescue and evacuation, which must not be obstructed by any safety equipment that is put in place.
Typical equipment to install includes:
- Roof access hatches that allow easy entry for authorised personnel but are lockable to prevent unauthorised access.
- Gangways and walkways for regular and safe movement around a roof while preventing movement outside specific areas.
- Access ladders that may be permanent with safety cages when used regularly or portable ladders attached to permanent brackets for stability when use is less frequent.
- Roof anchor points that can have fall arrest systems attached to minimise falls or have static lines that workers can connect to using harnesses and lanyards so they can move safely about a roof and work with little restriction.
- Guardrails that restrict access to particular areas of a roof.
- Signage that provides information on restrictions and safe use.
How to Select Equipment and Ensure its Safe Use
The consequences of failing to put effective fall protection in place cannot be overemphasised and so you need to take specific steps to protect your workers:
- Understand your legal obligations as well as the responsibility you have to keep all employees and contractors safe.
- Undertake a thorough risk assessment that will consider the tasks to be carried out, the features of the site and its particular hazards.
- Determine how best to eliminate hazards or, where that is not possible or practical, to prevent falls occurring or arrest them should they happen.
- Install the necessary equipment to ensure the highest level of safety by preventing access to unauthorised personnel and making sure workers are protected.
- Train all workers in the correct use of equipment so they can work safely and confidently.
- Create safe working procedures and rescue plans.
- Ensure all equipment is inspected and recertified at specified intervals.
Safety is too important to take lightly and regulations are constantly changing, making it difficult to keep up. So it is vital that all assessment, installation, training and maintenance are carried out by trained professionals. At Workplace Access & Safety, we are fully knowledgeable and experienced, and can handle all necessary aspects to ensure you are fully compliant and your workers are kept safe. Contact us to ensure you have effective safety equipment.
