At Ability International, we’re all about working and height safety. If you work in Construction and you’re worried that your workers may not adequately be protected, we’ve put together a rundown of 4 things you should not do when working height. So before you check out our solution for work at height, the Desksurfer, read on to find out more…
How Can You Ensure Work At Height Safety?
1. Avoid Excess Weight On Your Ladder
When working at height in construction, you’re using many different tools and pieces of equipment and it can be an inconvenience to run back and forth to use them individually. But as tempting as it is to just keep everything you need on your person while you’re halfway up a ladder, think again. Excess weight can increase the risk of ladder slippage, or the person using the ladder losing their own balance and falling off. Keep the ladder loads to a minimum when working at height in construction.
2. Avoid Weak Surfaces
As mentioned previously, ladder slippage is something to avoid at all costs, and while excess weight can greatly contribute to the risk of a ladder slipping, so can a weak surface that the ladder rests against. Secure a surface before resting a ladder against it to minimise the risk if the surface doesn’t provide enough support.
3. Be Careful Who Carries Out The Work When Working At Height
Only your team members who are fully trained to work at height should be carrying out works at height. New members of your team must be briefed and completely prepared for what to do in an emergency, and that includes a fall from height, so no matter how urgent a job is, do not send anyone un-prepared on a job that involves working at height.
4. Use Ladders Sparingly
Ladders are suitable for short duration jobs and very light work. If a task is extensive and requires your employee to be working at height for a sustained length of time, it would be far better to utilise a more secure, appropriate means of reaching that height. In place of a ladder we recommend the Desksurfer where possible.
Learn More About The Risks Of Working At Height
Working at height is a dangerous task, which is why many people fall and seriously hurt themselves, companies face massive fines if they’re proven to have failed in providing the right training and support, and why we stress the importance of using the right equipment. Browse our blog to learn more about working at height risks and safety protocols or make an enquiry to speak to a member of our team about what you can do to mitigate the risks for working at height.
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