Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive

“Work at Height and

Confined Spaces – a

regulators view point ”

Ian Whittles

HM Inspector of Health and

Safety

Introduction

• Welcome

• Work at Height

– Issues

– Overview of Regulations

– WAIT Tool

• Confined Spaces

– Definition

– Regulations

– Case Studies

• Questions

Work At Height

• Issue

– Most common cause of work fatality

• 35 in 08/09

– Major cause of injury

• 08/09 4654 major and 7065 over 3 day injuries

• The causes

– High Falls – roof, ladder, scaffold

– Low Falls – ladders, vehicles

– From all walks of life

• Majors (05/06) 54 vehicle lift platforms, 33 FLT’s & 96 sales assistants!

– Ladders – account for around 14 fatalities per year

• Annual ladder campaign replaced 7000 ladders since 2007

The Regulations

• The Work at Height Regulations 2005

– In force April 2005

– Consolidated various legislation

– Define a working platform in very broad terms

– Apply to self-employed and persons in control

of premises – landlords!

– Extensive schedules detailing requirements

– Require competence throughout the whole

procedure

• Planning, maintenance and undertaking

The Key Regulations?

• Competence would indicate good compliance with a number of key regulations

• 4 Organisation and planning

– Risk assessment

• 7 Selection of work equipment

– Collective over personal measures

– Covers things to take account of

• 12 Inspection of work equipment

– Installation & maintenance

• Can they identify hazards and defects appropriate to their role?

Organisation and Planning

• Need to ensure

– Work is properly planned and thought

through

– Appropriately Supervised

– Carried out Safely

– Covers Emergencies and Weather

– Proportionate measures

WAIT Tool – Regulation 7

• Interactive tool on HSE website to help

selection of access method

• Simple guide system

• Links to further guidance on suggested

solutions

Competence?

Confined Spaces

• Definition: Any place,

including any chamber,

tank, vat, silo, pit, trench,

pipe, sewer, flue, well or

other such similar place

in which by its enclosed

nature there arises a

reasonably

foreseeable specified

risk

Specified Risk

• Risk of:

– Serious injury due to fire or explosion

– Loss of consciousness due to increase in

body temperature or asphyxiation from gas,

fume, vapour or lack of Oxygen

– Drowning in a fluid due to an increase in the

level

– Asphyxiation or entrapment leading to inability

to reach a respirable environment in a free

flowing solid

Examples?

Regulations

• Confined Spaces Regulations 1997

• Refers back to Management Regs

– Avoid entry and undertake an assessment by a competent person if unavoidable

• Assessment required to develop the appropriate safe system of work

• Competent persons should be able to understand the risks associated with the prevailing conditions

– contents, residues, oxygen enrichment/deficiency

• Also those associated with the task or implications of the work

– Physical dimensions, cleaning chemicals, ignition sources, ingress of substances

Regulation 4

• Must not work in or leave a confined space (other than in the event of an emergency) otherwise than in accordance with a safe system of work

• Safe system of work must be developed by the competent person and cover an extensive range of topics

• Needs to take into account the specified risks and findings of the risk assessment

• Can be generic if the risks are consistently similar but relies heavily on competence and supervision systems in including PTW

Regulation 4 – safe system topics

• Supervision

– at a level appropriate to the risk

– likely to include a Permit to Work

– Need to make the local call

• Competence

– adequate generic training on risks

– include practical session

– site issues need to be considered

• Communications

– Clear, unambiguous and effective

• Atmospheric testing

– not just absence of O2 but presence of other gases to be considered

– method of testing to systematically and continuously ensure area is safe

Regulation 4 – safe system topics

• Gas purging/Ventilation

– Residual flammable gases may have been purged so is the air still breathable

– Prevention of build up of fumes from machinery/welding may require forced ventilation

– RPE would be a last resort other than for rescue work

– Petrol driven engines are not acceptable

• Residual residues and Isolation

– Residue may react with cleaning chemicals

– Systems need isolating correctly to prevent refilling or electrical issues - PTW

• Access/Egress

– Need to consider ease of access but also emergency rescue systems

• Lighting

– Suitable and sufficient

Regulation 5 - Emergency Procedures

• Rescue and Resuscitation

– May be self rescue including use of BA

– Need to consider the rescuers

– Avoid entry

– Need to consider lifting equipment to rescue unconscious casualty

• Fire safety

– inert gas systems likely to need disabling

• First Aid

– Appropriate to the level of risk for foreseeable injury

– “Top man” likely to be first aid trained as a minimum if not whole crew

Case Study

• Worker died in a silo whilst steam cleaning out

• Catalogue of failures identified

• Underlying issue?

– Competence

• Result

– Crown Court Appearance and the company since closed

Questions

Thank you for Listening

Ian Whittles

HM Inspector of Health and

Safety

The Pithay

Bristol

BS1 2ND

t. 0117 9886085

f. 0117 9262998

ian.whittles@hse.gsi.gov.uk