With the worst of the winter weather out the way, and access to roofs and work at height likely to increase, now is the opportunity to begin testing and inspecting all of your height safety equipment to ensure it is compliant and more importantly, safe for your employees to use.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, over the last five years falls from height accounted for around 31% of all fatal injuries to workers in the UK. By ensuring your work at height equipment is tested and compliant with the latest legislations, you can help avoid a major injury or worse in your business.
If your work at height equipment and systems are not visibly tagged (confirming that they have been tested and certified at least every 12 months or more frequently with some work at height and PPE equipment), you not only invalidate your insurance, but you even risk facing prosecution, should an operative or contractor suffer injuries.
Only in June of last year, a coach company in Wrexham was fined £90,000 after repeatedly failing to comply with legal notices to have its lifting equipment examined. An investigation by the HSE revealed overdue Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) examinations on at least 14 items.
Work at Height Regulations state that all equipment used for work at height activities must be suitable, stable and strong enough for the job and should be checked and maintained regularly. Ideally, all equipment should be visually inspected every 6 months and fully inspected and certified every 12 months. But it’s not just work at height equipment that should be regularly checked and maintained. Other assets and aspects of your building such as Roofs, must be tested and inspected to ensure compliance with health and safety law.
Many businesses are now opting to use the services of a specialist work at height company that can carry out the testing and compliance requirements both safely and efficiently, to keep staff, operatives and contractors working in a safe and compliant environment.
Here at Heightsafe Systems, we offer a range of compliance testing services in which we can test and certify all manufacturers’ systems in line with BSEN795: ‘Protection Against Falls From Height- Anchorage Devices- Requirements and Testing’.
Our fully certified operatives regularly test and inspect the following:
- Guardrail edge protection
- Safety lines
- Access ladders
- Eyebolts
- Walkways
- Mobile man anchors
- PPE
- Festive light and chandelier anchors
- Roofs
- Internal work at height and PPE
- Plus others
Ensure that 2017 is a safe and compliant year on site by booking an annual inspection of your work at height equipment and other assets.
If you would like some more information on the compliance services that we provide, contact Heightsafe Systems on: 020 3819 7199.