safety - working at height

8/6/2019 Safety - Working at Height

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ANY HEIGHTS OVER

2METERS



WHO IS AT RISK ?

� Work near unprotected openedges or floors

� Work near unprotectedpenetrations or openings infloors or walls

� Work near unguarded shaftsor excavations

� Work near or from unstable

structures� Work where a person couldfall into water, acid or poisonous solutions.



WHO IS AT RISK ?

� Work on, or near, fragile or brittle surfaces

� Work where a person could

fall onto sharp or projectingobjects such as exposedreinforcing steel, a pickedfence, broken glass etc..

� Work where tools,equipment or material couldbe dropped to a personbelow.



HOW TO MANAGE THE RISKS OF FALLSFROM HEIGHTS

� Identify all tasks that could involve

someone falling� Idendify any objects that could fall ontosomeone

� Identify anything dangerous that anyonecould fall into or onto� Identify any other risks to workers� Identify any risks to the general public

What do I need first?



� Ladders

� Boards or similar equipment for use onroofs

� Electrical equipment,cables and other machinery tools


What equipment is generally involved?



Sc affolds or perimeter guardrailingO ther temporarywork platforms,

suc h as elevatedwork platforms


What equipment is generally involved?




H ow do I c ontrol the Risks?

S pot the H azards

A ssess the Risk

F ix the Problem

E valuate Results




Obstructions in the work area caused by equipment, buildingmaterials, tools and rubbish

Uneven work sufaces

Wet, oily, glazed or otherwise slippery work surfaces

The extent and type of work to be undertakenUnstable objects such as sheets of plaster that may be caught by the

wind

Large and heavy equipment that may need to be raised to the work surface

S pot the Hazards




The necessity to move from one height to anotherThe number and movement of everyone on site

Inadequate safety systems, e.g. No procedures for performing taskssafely or for using personal protective equipment

The possibility of debris or objects falling onto othersThe possibility of someone falling into or onto something dangerous

The lack of or inadequacy of warning notices

S pot the Hazards




A ssess The Risks

How likely is the hazard tocause harm to someone?

What is the worst possibledamage the hazard could causein terms of human suffering

and cost if you don¶t resolveproblem?



Some things to consider:

How many people are exposed to the risk?

Sometimes it may be the amount of time workers spend on an activitythat creates the safety risk, rather than the nature of the work task itself,e.g. prolonged exposure to hot sun could cause dizziness.

Everyone is different.A hazard may pose more risk to some people thanothers because of differnces in physical strength, experience, training etc..


A ssess The Risks




F ix the ProblemOnce hazards have been identified and the risk assessed, you

need to start thinking about how you can fix the cause of each

identified risk Some problems may be fixed easily, while others will require

more effort and planning to resolve.It is therefore important toconcentrate on the most urgent hazards without neglecting thesimpler ones.That is, don¶t focus on just the complex solutions, as

that could mean to overlook hazards that could be easily fixed, suchas rubbish that someone could trip over.

When it comes to controlling risk, some methods are moreeffective than others. For example, it is far better to make sure thereare no obvious objects that can fall onto people than to put up as sign

warning of ³falling objects´.




E valuate the Results

Hazards and risks need to be managed on an ongoing basis,especially where the weather is concerned.

Review your safety solutions regularly to make sure they areeffective. It is important to make sure your controls do not introducenew hazards.

To assess the success of your risk control methods, talk toeveryone involved and consider the types of accidents that haveoccurred in your industry. Be sure to seek advice from those affectedby the changes and include them in any modifications to their work orwork routines. It is also essential to consider training.




Ladders

Ladders will only beused for works of a minor nature. Ladders will not beused on elevated floor levels near the perimeter of the building where there is a

danger of a person falling.




GuardrailsGuard rails must be fitted

to all elevated workplatforms. The guard railsshould be of a height andconstruction to withstandloads which couldreasonably be expected to

be imposed on them. Wherespecifications areprescribed by localregulatory bodies for these,they will be observed




Fall Arrest SystemsIndividual fall arrest

systems are classified aspersonal protectiveequipment, which meansthese systems should beused only after other controls such as

elimination; isolation andsubstitution have beenconsidered. Theappropriate standards andcodes of practice should beapplied when using thissystem.




Fall Arrest Systems

You may want to apply a You may want to apply a³TOTAL TIE OFF´ or ³TOTAL TIE OFF´ or ³100% TIE OFF´ system³100% TIE OFF´ systemwhere the worker useswhere the worker usesTWO lanyards with oneTWO lanyards with one

ALWAYS tied onALWAYS tied onThe other used for toThe other used for tofacilitate movement.facilitate movement.




100% tie offs are used on this projectand the operations are closelymonitored .These are usually used at very highlocations but may also be used whereaccess/egress is limited or whereplatforms and guard rails are notpractical .




Roof workProtection must be provided for

all persons that are required to work

on roofs where there is a danger of persons falling including:

through the roofingmaterial;

from the edge of the roof;through skylights or

penetrations

while accessing a roof.




Methods of protection availableinclude:

scaffolding, guardrailscombined with existingsafety mesh where thesafety mesh is in soundcondition, purpose builtpurlin platforms or trolleys,purpose built roof ladders,

safety nets, catchplatforms.

Where none of the abovesystems are practicable,individual fall arrestsystems.




Protection of Openingsand Penetrations

Open sides of all floors,roofs stairwells, lightwells,lift shafts and any placefrom which a person or object could fall will besecurely covered with rigid

material or provided withguard rails and toe-boards.

safety - working at height

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