According to the HSE, work at height means “work in any place where, if precautions were not taken, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury.” More specifically, you are working at height if you could fall from an edge, a fragile surface or an opening; you’re working above floor/ground level; you could fall from ground level into a hole or opening in the floor.
However, because a fall from height has to involve falling from one level to another, it doesn’t include a trip or slip on a high level or walking up and down a permanent staircase.
Working At Height Legislation: What You Need To Know
HSE, PUWER and LOLER are the legislative bodies which cover working at height solutions and equipment. Let’s take a look at these in more detail:
LOLER: The Lifting Operation and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) place responsibilities on companies and equipment managers who operate, own or control lifting equipment. Only applying to MEWPs, under LOLER, all operations involving lifting equipment must be planned by a competent person and the equipment must be fit for purpose. Any maintenance work and defects should also be reported.
HSE: The Health and Safety Executive is the government agency responsible for the regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare in the UK. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to all work at height where a fall could cause personal injury.
PUWER: The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 place duties on companies and people who operate, own or control work equipment. However, PUWER also places responsibility on organisations and businesses whose employees use work at height equipment, whether they own it or not.
Ability’s Working At Height Platforms
Here at Ability International, we have a range of high-quality working at height platforms. Manufactured in the UK using the latest technology, we offer bespoke, original products to help prevent workplace disruption. Our selection includes:
• Aluminium scaffold towers
• Desksurfers
• Desksurfer bridges
• CHAMPs
• Chimney access equipment
• Custom access solutions
• Components (spigots, hooks, frame catches etc.)
To find out more about the range of working at height solutions available at Ability International, contact a member of our team today. We are happy to talk in more detail about your specific requirements.
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