workplace access & safety’s height safety risk · 2019-04-05 · & safety will design a...

Workplace Access & Safety’s height safety risk assessment brings compliance, safety, prioritising, planning and budgeting together in one very. manageable package.

Safe work at heights laws are complex and the regulator understands that making rooftops safe is a job for specialists. So, when WorkCover NSW needed a height safety audit of its own site, it commissioned fall prevention experts, Workplace Access & Safety.

The auditor’s report provided WorkCover NSW with an overview of its compliance and risk ratings for each hazard. It also showed how WorkCover NSW could achieve compliance with a prioritised and costed list of works.

Based on the height safety audit report, WorkCover NSW engaged Workplace Access & Safety to install:

> Step-type ladders for access to the roof.

> A maintenance-free sliding access hatch, so that users can always maintain three points of contact while getting on and off the roof.

> A fully engineered static line system and anchorage points that allow contractors to safely clean the windows from an open ledge.

The site-specific costings contained in the audit report meant work fell within budget, while delivering a safe workplace for WorkCover NSW employees and contractors.

WorkCover NSW trusts Workplace Access & Safety with its own height safety program. To find out how Workplace Access & Safety can make your site safe and compliant, call 1300 552 984.

Case study: Audit of a WorkCover Site

1. Height safety risk assessmentThe law says Persons Conducting a Business Undertaking (PCBU) and company officers have an obligation under the Work Health and Safety Act to carry out ‘due diligence’ and ensure workplaces are safe.

A risk assessment based on the unique hierarchy of controls for fall prevention is the first step towards ensuring safety and minimising liability.

Complex regulations, codes and standards make it a job for specialists and your Workplace Access & Safety report cuts through with plain English advice. OHS qualified tradespeople will consult with your staff so the risk assessment is both thorough and realistic.

2. A design for safety and complianceWith your site needs understood, Workplace Access & Safety will design a fall prevention system to suit with an emphasis on safety, affordability, compliance and manageability.

The recommendations are comprehensively illustrated with photographs of your site so everyone can see what’s needed without having to climb on the roof.

3. A prioritised and practical planBased on the risk assessment, your height safety report will detail a step-by-step plan towards fall prevention compliance.

A risk matrix illustrates the areas of highest priority to make planning simple.

And because our height safety experts are both trade and OHS-qualified, we deliver recommendations that are dedicated to reducing risk and yet intensely practical. They explain what needs to be done and how to do it with minimum disruption.

4. Budget costings that put you in controlEvery recommendation in your risk assessment report is costed specifically for your site to assist with budgeting. It even comes with an electronic flexible reporting tool that allows you to dissect the recommendations by state, site or priority ranking.

Workplace Access & Safety: delivering the fall prevention risk assessment that makes compliance and safety straightforward.

AS1657 Product Certification

AS1657 equipment (guardrail, staircases, ladders, platforms and walkways) is independently certified to Australian standard by SAI Global, and products are individually labelled with the “5 tick” certification. It provides you with third party assurance that our product meets the product standard, guaranteeing you with reliability, quality assurance and safety.

OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety and AS 4801 Occupational Health and Safety

Just like you do, we care about the safety of our people and OHS is more than skin deep at Workplace Access & Safety. Be confident your fall prevention installation is compliant and low-risk, with our systematic and professional OHS procedures.

ISO 9001 Quality

ISO 9001 is by far the world’s most established quality framework, currently being used by over 750,000 organisations in 161 countries. This is the standard that underpins Workplace Access & Safety’s performance.

ISO 14001 Environment

International Standard ISO 14001 is the basis of Workplace Access & Safety’s Environmental Management System (EMS), so you can be sure your fall prevention equipment is green and safe.

CodeMark - BCA approval

The CodeMark scheme assures you of compliance with the BCA (Building Code of Australia) and that our products meet the National Construction Code.

Like to know more about height safety audits?Call 1300 552 984, email [email protected] or visit www.workplaceaccess.com.au

Victoria9-11 Shearson Crescent Mentone, VIC 3194

New South Wales Unit 5, 57a Rhodes Street Hillsdale, NSW 2036

Queensland17 Matheson Street Virginia, QLD 4014

South Australia 84E Stanbel Road Salisbury Plains, SA 5109

Western Australia2-92 Forsyth Street O’Connor, WA 6163

You’re invited to check the details of Workplace Access & Safety’s credentials – all verified by SAI Global – any time. Workplace Access & Safety is dedicated to safety and making your business compliance easier

Hierarchy of controls Some of our many customers

Quality Assurance ISO

Fall prevention equipment compliance

Anchors, static lines, harness and ladders

There’s only one way to be sure your roof anchors, static lines and harnesses are ready to save a life. And, by law, roof anchors and static lines need to be tested and recertified every six to 12 months, depending on your state.

“Workplace Access & Safety went through our competitive tendering process and their price, together with their methodology, won them the tender. I’m glad they did because their knowledge and skills are good. They surveyed about 100 buildings for us and overall, they did a good job. They are very good and I would recommend them to anyone.”

- G. Gunachandran, Building Facilities Co-ordinator, Fairfield City Council

Appropriately qualified and competent technicians must carry out the tests and the results recorded so Work-Cover inspectors can verify your equipment’s status.

The requirements are in tandem with those of the Work Health and Safety Act for Persons Conducting a Business Undertaking (PCBU) and company officers to carry out “due diligence” and ensure workplaces are safe.

Be sure of your testing and recertification

Your inspections and certification can deliver so much more than a tick-list.

Proof of your compliance

Whenever your risk management systems come under scrutiny, you’ll be prepared. Certified anchorage points are individually tagged on site.

Workplace Access & Safety’s auditors photograph and catalogue the status of each system component to build an electronic database that makes compliance reporting effortless. You can even log into your asset register online for fast, accurate real-time reporting.

Make existing anchors and static lines compliant

If your anchors are not already matched with certification documents and compliance plates, Workplace Access & Safety can bring them into compliance. We will provide testing, certification, compliance plates and user manuals.

Routine testing to maintain compliance

Each anchor and the static line system must be inspected. Chemically set and friction set anchors must be tested to 50% of their load limits. The cable of the static line needs to be load tested every six to 12 months, depending on your state’s regulations.

Design check to avoid disaster

The correct layout is critical to the performance of safety anchors and static lines. Too close to the edge and your people risk the lethal pendulum effect, too far from the edge and gutters are inaccessible. Workplace Access & Safety will design and assess your fall prevention positioning for user-friendly and safe operation to ensure that the “restraint technique” can be applied.

Rescue plans that comply and really work

If the unthinkable happens and somebody falls from your roof, every moment counts. Even in a harness, there’s only 10 to 15 minutes before the potentially lethal suspension trauma takes its toll. Ask Workplace Access & Safety for a rescue plan that complies with fall prevention standards and could save a life.

Documentation done!

Streamline your administration with fall prevention documentation and a roof access permit written by Workplace Access & Safety. User manuals, site induction, roof layout plans and roof access permits will have your administration in order quickly and efficiently – everything you need for mandatory contractor inductions!

National service for consistent compliance

Workplace Access & Safety’s own OHS-trained trades-people service sites right around Australia, so you can standardise – and simplify – your safety management while being guaranteed a professional approach to every one of your sites.

Systematic and cost-effective

Because fall prevention is Workplace Access & Safety’s specialty, your anchor and static line inspection will be conducted with efficiency and care.

Automated data capture technology means our height safety experts can provide you with accurate and detailed reports in the shortest possible turnaround times.

Database and automatic scheduling tools

To keep you on top of compliance, Workplace Access & Safety provides a reminder service that alerts you to important dates and keeps your systems up to date.

Everything you need in fall prevention

Workplace Access & Safety has you covered when it comes to safe work at heights: ask about our ladder inspections, risk assessment, audits and installations.

Workplace Access & Safety: OHS purity, transparency and real practicality.

What to watch out for: six common failure points

1. Designed and positioned incorrectly

The right equipment needs to be in the right configuration to save lives. For example: don’t allow abseil and fall prevention anchors to be confused. Do a design check.

2. System not certified

Components not identifiable and no history of product or installers, no load rating information.

3. Designed for fall arrest

A technique of work positioning rather than fall arrest must be arranged wherever practicable. Workplace Access & Safety investigates safer, low cost measures that may even avoid roof access.

4. Equipment not matched to users

Consider the resources and skills of the people using the equipment. A vertical ladder line may suit a telecommunications environment where two riggers are working, trained in rescue and doing this on a daily basis. Not so for a school where teachers or grounds staff climb on the roof to retrieve balls. We’ll consult and provide solutions that suit your site and people.

5. Untrained supervisors

Are your people equipped to supervise the management of the system, including the induction of contractors? We will train your people and provide them with the systems they need.

6. Incorrect installation

Safety anchors look like glorified eyebolts but need to save lives. Incorrectly fixed or oriented anchors can fail with tragic consequences. Talk to us to get it right.

Pendulum Effect





ISO 9001 Quality













Some of our many customers


Ladder safety inspectionsKeep it simple with a ladder audit by Workplace Access & Safety

Case study: Concrete, cranes and compliance

What the law saysThe national fall prevention regulations and Code of Practice for Managing The Risk Of Falls At Workplaces mandate the regular inspection of ladders. Fixed ladders must comply with AS1657, while portable ladders must meet the requirements of AS/NZS 1892.

The requirements are in tandem with those of the Work Health and Safety Act for Persons Conducting a Business Undertaking (PCBU) and company officers to carry out “due diligence” and ensure workplaces are safe.

Ladders of all shapes and sizes, portable and fixed, are in the regulator’s spotlight after new regulations and a national code of practice mandated regular inspections in line with Australian Standards. Keep it simple with a ladder audit by Workplace Access & Safety.

High above sites buzzing with dozens of concrete trucks, steel access ladders on Excel Concrete silos came under the spotlight during a ladder safety audit by Workplace Access & Safety.

The audit revealed Holcim subsidiary Excel could lift safety standards with a shift from vertical ladders to those with a 75-degree gradient, uniform rung spacings and flatter, more comfortable treads. Eleven ladders were identified for replacement.

Up to 8 metres in length, the steel ladders were so heavy that cranes were needed to carry out the demolition. Careful scheduling and some unusual working hours saw the project completed without affecting the operation of the site.

Result: Reduced liability, conformance with Australian Standards and easier access to plant for staff members and contractors – all without site disruption.

Workplace Access & Safety are experts in the design, specification, fabrication and construction of access equipment for working at heights.

Proof of your complianceWhenever your risk management systems come under scrutiny, you’ll be prepared. Certified ladders are tagged on site. Workplace Access & Safety’s auditors photograph and catalogue the status of each ladder using PDAs to build an electronic database that makes compliance reporting effortless. You can even log into your asset register online for fast, accurate real-time reporting.

A 36-point checkAmong the most common reasons for non-conformance are the placement of the top rung and the clearances behind and in front of the rungs. Among the checks we’ll make for you are:

> installation clearance

> damage, wear and tear

> fixings and dimensional check to AS1657

> suitability for use

Making existing ladders safeAsk Workplace Access & Safety to assess whether your ladder lines to reduce the risk of falls. Our height safety experts will explain the impact on risk, usability and compliance.

They will also produce a plain English report setting out and prioritising what needs to be done to make your ladders safe and compliant.

National service for consistent compliancWorkplace Access & Safety services sites right around Australia, so you can standardise – and simplify – your safety management.

A prioritised and practical planBased on the risk assessment, Workplace Access & Safety will detail a step-by-step plan towards fall prevention compliance.

A risk matrix illustrates the areas of highest priority to make planning simple.

And because our auditors are both trade and OHS-qualified, we deliver recommendations that are dedicated to reducing risk and yet intensely practical.

Budget costingsEvery recommendation by Workplace Access & Safety is costed specifically for your site to assist with budgeting.

Systematic and cost-effectiveBecause fall prevention is Workplace Access & Safety’s specialty, your ladder inspection will be conducted with efficiency and care.

Workplace Access & Safety: OHS purity and real practicality.

Limits of slope





ISO 9001 Quality













Some of our many customers


workplace access & safety’s height safety risk · 2019-04-05 · & safety will design a...

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