WHY FROM ZERO TO SAFETY
Whilst safety is at the forefront of everything that we do at Heightsafe, for a many of our customers, safety at height is a complicated, but critical, subject.
In our Zero to Safety series, we want to demonstrate that, with the correct processes and procedures, safety at height is straight forward. Throughout this content series, we will provide information, infographics, posters and informative white papers to help you create a safer working environment for yourself, your employees and external contractors.
Today marks the start of our twelve chapter series sharing our knowledge around height safety, continuing our goal to reduce the number of incidents when working at height.
FALL PROTECTION IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR BUSINESS
Falls from height are one of the most common causes of workplace accidents with 40 lives lost as a direct result of height-related incidents in 2019 alone. Bearing this in mind, we want to help you to improve the understanding of Height Safety for you and your colleagues, alongside highlighting the benefits that fall protection offers.
We understand that fall protection measures, both training and implementation, require a great deal of investment and scrutiny. It is often overlooked or misunderstood as a luxury rather than a necessity.
Ultimately, providing adequate height safety measures is a legal requirement for all building managers, owners and facility managers. Without the correct equipment and safety measures, heavy fines and legal prosecutions are a real threat.
FALL FROM HEIGHT STATISTICS
The approach to Height Safety across the country widely differs, depending on who you speak to, but that doesn’t avoid the fact that falls from height are still a major problem nationwide. In the UK, 8% of non-fatal and 27% of all fatal workplace accidents in 2018/2019 were falls from a height, with most of the fatal fall accidents taking place in the construction and agricultural industries.
Drilling down into detail, more than 60% of Work at Height related deaths involve falls from ladders, working platforms, scaffolds, roof edges and fragile roofs.
It has been found that there are an estimated 555,000 non-fatal work at height related injuries per year, with many being left unreported to RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). This figure is part of a larger picture as it is suspected that many Work at Height related accidents are left unreported for a variety of different reasons.
The Cost of Work at Height Safety
The monetary investment of a Work at Height system, and its subsequent compliance testing, can be a daunting thought when you avoid consideration of the bigger picture.
Fines issued as a result of work at height accidents have been known to be upwards of £250,000 and carry a hefty prison sentence for the building owner.
Unfortunately, these fines do not take account of the emotional distress that comes as a result of these accidents. Loss of limbs, paralysis and, in a worst-case scenario, loss of life are all considerations that need to be made when choosing not to implement Work at Height safety measures.
At Heightsafe, we pride ourselves on being disparate from the competition. Our bottom line is, and always will be, the safety and security of your personnel when working at height.
Our team of Work at Height specialists will coordinate with you and your team to arrange the most appropriate and cost-effective solution, ensuring that your requirements are at the helm of everything that we do. Contact us today and see how we can help you.