Helping Your People Work Safely at Heights

We know we can work safely at heights, but how do we motivate, empower, and equip our employees to make this happen? It has been said that it isn't the height or even the fall that's the problem; it's the sudden stop at the end. So, how do we avoid those sudden stops?

Your people are more likely to work safely from heights when key considerations for height safety are known and responded to, when training and safety resources are well employed, and when management takes actionable culture-creating, supervisory, and accountability steps.

Therefore, this month, our exploration of working safely at heights will include:

• How bad is the problem of falling from heights?

• How much of a profit-thud can this become?

• What are good focus areas when working at heights?

• A group exercise to increase safety when working at height.

• More safe work at height resources.

Let's start by grasping the gravity of the situation. :)

How Bad is the Problem of Falling from Heights?

As mentioned last month and the month before that, Safe Work Australia's "Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2024" is our most recent wake-up call and guide — though most of us were already awake to this danger! This report tells us that falls from height were the second leading cause of traumatic fatalities overall, but in NSW, it is the number one cause of traumatic fatalities in the building and construction industry [1].

As a result, we have been warned that NSW SafeWork inspectors have work at heights safety as an enforcement focus. There is also little reason to believe the effort will be less focused or severe in other jurisdictions.

How Much of a Profit-Thud Can This Become?

Few business owners are callous or flippant about worker safety — very few! But sometimes, shareholders, business pressures, rising costs, decreasing contracts, and a multitude of other factors can make it easy to lose sight of the ball.

This is why it pays to remind yourself from time to time that employee work safety isn't just about complying with regulations; it's also about:

• Protecting your workers,

• Reducing downtime,

• Safeguarding your company's reputation,

• Avoiding a 'red flagging' of your business by safety regulators and inspectors,

• Avoiding insurance increases and other 3rd party financial penalties,

• Avoiding Crippling fines, and sometimes,

• Staying out of prison.

The simple truth is that business owners and supervisors are bound by various regulations under the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act. These include:

1. The comprehensive use of risk assessments and other safety resources and procedures,

2. The provision of safety equipment, training and ongoing supervision, and

3. A demonstrable and proactive commitment to worker well-being.

For these reasons and more, safety must never be treated as non-essential. It is a business priority!

When are Workers Considered to be 'Working at Height'?

Work activities are considered to be 'working at height' when:

1. A person is at risk of falling from one level to another, OR

2. When a fall could cause injury.

Note that height is NOT the deciding factor. In fact, height isn’t even mentioned. Rather it is the result of the fall that matters.

If that feels a little ‘squishy’ as legal definitions go, it is. To help reduce the ‘squish,’ a General Height Threshold is set by each state and territory, with the majority using a 2 metre standard. No jurisdiction uses a standard lower than 2 metres, so this is what we use in our resources. Once your workers move above this height, specific control measures, such as fall arrest systems or guardrails, MUST be used [2].

The practical implications are that the following all become all become work-at-height scenarios:

• Work on a roof or fragile surface (that you could fall off or through),

• Work involving a ladder, scaffolding, or Elevated Work Platform (that you could fall from),

• Work taking place near an excavation or trench (that you could fall into), AND

• Work done even at low heights where there is risk of falling and an injury occurring.

The key determinant is the RISK of what happens if they fall; not how far they fall.

What are Good Focus Areas When Working at Heights?

We'll focus on seven main risk areas.

1. Risk Assessment: Before any work at height begins, a detailed (and site specific) risk assessment should be carried out. This includes evaluating the nature of the work, the environment, and the workers' competence. Shortcuts in this area are a leading contributor to incidents and accidents.

2. Elimination and Minimisation: Where possible, eliminate work done at height. Do as much as possible while on the ground, and where this isn't feasible, minimise the risk through appropriate safety measures. It is impossible to measure how many accidents this action avoids, but we can be confident that the number is not small.

3. Equipment Use: Choose the right equipment for the job, whether it is scaffolding, ladders, mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), or fall arrest systems. Some of these get pricey, but keep in perspective the investment that is actually being made.

4. Training: Workers must be trained both to use this equipment and to recognise and manage the risks associated with working at heights. Plenty of accidents happen because safety equipment isn't used correctly. Just like poking your eyes when putting on safety glasses, it's 'eyeronic', but it does happen.

5. Emergency Response(s): Clear, known, and actionable procedures are essential. The seconds immediately after an accident can be the difference between life and death and major and minor injuries. Ensure your workers know how to handle emergencies!

6. Surfaces: Uneven, slippery, or insecure surfaces, especially those that people can fall through, are a significant risk.

7. Culture: If your safety commitment is workforce-wide, you have a better chance of success. If your people are aware, remind each other regularly, and do not fear speaking up when they see a problem, you are well on your way to creating a safe workplace.

8. "But It's Only… ": Many believe that falling from a low height is nothing to worry about, but this is naive. When you land the wrong way, on something, or especially have something crash on you afterwards, all these and more can have massive consequences. Even short falls can be devastating and fatal.

These eight focus areas can keep your people safe.

A Group Exercise to Increase Safety When Working at Height

When you're working with your teams next, consider asking the following questions to produce helpful discussion:

1. Are we providing adequate passive fall protection (guardrails, safety nets, and catch platforms)?

2. Are we providing adequate active fall protection (harnesses, guardrails, netting and rope access systems)?

3. Do we ever work on unstable or uneven surfaces? How must our ladders, scaffolding, and other platforms be adjusted, or how can we avoid this work?

4. Are we responding appropriately to poor weather conditions? Wind, rain, and extreme temperatures all increase the danger of falls.

5. How's our training? Do you understand how to identify working at height hazards and use equipment correctly?

6. How can you tell when a full-body harness, anchor point or personal fall limiter (PFL) might not work or needs repair?

Also, consider conducting some practical exercises. For example, you could get your workers to:

1. Inspect a full-body harness for signs of wear or damage.

2. Put on a full-body harness.

3. Check a peer for the correct wearing of a full-body harness

4. Identify the lanyard and anchor point and attach them.

More Resources to Work Safely at Heights

Just because Occupational Safety Systems is a business and sales are needed, it doesn't mean I hide the freebies and helpful items. SafeWork NSW provides codes of practice, checklists, video training resources, webinars, and workshops. You can access those here.

In terms of some of our worksite resources, you should find the SWMS resources particularly helpful. These pre-written templates provide the safety controls that help you identify hazards and attain your work safely at heights objectives. Ideally, these will be an integral part of your Safety Management System, but even as stand-alone resources, they can make a profound contribution.

If these situations or equipment relate to you, these items should be part of your safety resources.

Take a look at them to learn more:

1. SWMS - Working at Height

2. SWMS - Boom Lift

3. SWMS - Elevated Work Platforms

4. SWMS - Ladders

5. SWMS - Scaffold (Fixed)

6. SWMS - Scaffold (Mobile)

Also, enjoy our Construction Business Safety Introductory PDF. This one is free!

In Closing

Hopefully, these ideas have been helpful, and if you need any of the SWMS resources mentioned, you will surely be satisfied. I remember the oh so dry comedian Stephen Wright once quipping that he wasn't afraid of heights, he was afraid of widths. Well, as I started this article confessing, I'm afraid of the thud and consequences at the end of the fall. I hope you are, too. It's a reasonable fear to have!

If you're a business owner, especially in construction, ensuring that your employees work safely at heights isn't an option. It isn't just about compliance with safety regulations; it's also about protecting your workforce, reducing downtime, safeguarding your company's reputation, and more.

Like good scaffolding - and a potential spouse - your occupational safety resource provider should be balanced, stable, supportive and reliable under pressure. You'll find our service, resources and support to be all that and more... though we're not looking for a partner. To ask a question or inquire about a specific product, call 1800 304 336 or email. We won't disappoint!

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Footnotes:

[1]. https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/your-industry/construction/work-safely-at-heights-in-construction

[2]. https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/safety-and-prevention/hazards/workplace-hazards/dangers-in-your-workplace/work-at-heights