WORKING at HEIGHTS

If only I was
wearing a
safety
harness !!

Working at Heights
Presentation Contents

Introduction
Ladder Safety
Safe Roofwork
Scaffolding
Mobile Scaffolds
Mobile Elevated Working Platforms
Fall Speed vs Reaction Time
Fall Protection

Falls are the number one cause of fatalities in the

construction industry accounting for approximately 56% of
all fatalities

THE PAST

All employees shall be protected from falls of 2m or more by

the use of an approved fall protection system

Railings are required at permanent elevated locations

greater than or equal to 1.3m

Lethal Ladders:
Make sure the ladder is:

Right for the job. Would

scaffolding or a cherry picker be
better?
In good shape.
Secured near the top.
On a firm base and footing: 4 up
1 out
Rising at least 1 meter beyond
the landing place OR that there is
a proper hand hold.
Always have a firm grip on the
ladder and keep a good balance.
Keep you hands free and tools in
a shoulder bag or belt attachment

Lethal Ladders:
Use of Ladders: Work should only be carried out
from a ladder when the job is of
short duration and can be carried
out safely.
For added safety the base of the
ladder should be staked or buried
to prevent slipping.
Ensure your footware is free
from excessive mud or grease
before you climb up the ladder.
ALWAYS Face the ladder.

Lethal Ladders:
Hazards of Ladders: Dont stand ladder on drum, box
or other unstable base
Never attempt to repair broken
ladders
Never carry loads up ladders
hoist it up
Ladder rungs must not be used as
improvised ramps
When using metel or metalreinforced ladders, make sure
there are no electrical hazards in
the near vicinity

Ladder Safety
No matter how quickly a job can be
done, there is always time to fall

Unsafe

Safe

The Roof: A Risky Place To Be

Before Working on Roofs: Fragile materials should be
identified and precautions decided
Roof edge barriers (or scaffolds)
must be erected tp prevent people
and materials falling
Access ladders must be a safe
distance above the stepping-off point
and must be secured
Where access ladders rise above
9meters a safe intermediate platform
must be provided

The Roof: A Risky Place To Be

Hazards of Working on Roofs:-

If you can fall more than 2 meters, guardrails and toe

boards must be erected
Hazards resulting from adverse weather conditions must
be anticipated, and suitable precautions taken
Wet windy or Icy
weather can seriously
affect safety

Scaffolding
Using ladders or scaffolding without proper fixing is
crazy
Putting up scaffolding, removing ties and taking it down
again is a job for trained and experienced scaffolders.
Leave it to them

Never use incomplete scaffolding

always inspect before use
Make sure there is safe access,
hand rails and toe boards at all
edges
Things fall on sites, wear your
helmet

Mobile Scaffold Towers

Before Erection:

Check all components are in good condition

Check wheels for effective rotation
Check brakes and locking devices work
correctly
Prior to erecting towers on suspended floors,
ensure bearing capacity of floor is sufficient
for the planned load

Before Use:

Ensure the tower is vertical and square

Towers must not be used unless the wheels are
locked
Check that outriggers are set correctly and
secured
Ensure the platform is fully boarded out and
guardrails and toe boards are fitted if working
platform is over 2 meters

Mobile Elevated Work Platforms

Do not operate without pre-use inspection and unless you are
trained
Check condition of tyres, toe boards and guardrails, look for
leaking hydraulic fluids
Look out for overhead obstructions such as power cables, unstable
ground, other equipment or personnel near-by
Only use on firm level ground, make sure outriggers are properly
extended and chocked before raising the platform
Always wear a safety harness secured to the platform by lanyard.
Safety means staying in the basket and not climbing on the
guardrails
Place barricades and warning signs around the planned working
radius
Traveling with a boom, is always in the direction of travel and at
creep speed and only if equipment is designed to allow this
Know what to do if machine fails with platform in raised position

FALL SPEED Vs REACTION TIME

In 1 second your body

will fall 10m
Good body reaction time
= 0.2 seconds
Travel distance in
0.2 seconds = 2m
By the time you react your body will be
2m below where you were standing

Fall Protection
Fall arrest:
Limits free fall to within 2 vertical
metres of the initiation point which
reduces force by decreasing fall
distance

Consists of a(n)

Lanyard
Anchorage Point
Full Body Harness
Attachment Strap

Fall Protection
Lanyard
A device made of rope, wire or nylon strap used to
connect the individual to an anchorage point and stop the
individual in the event of a fall

Lanyards should:

Be inspected prior to use

Be protected against being cut or abraded
Have a minimum breaking strength of 2270kg
Be the appropriate length
Be attached to an anchorage not to itself

Safety Equipment for Fall-Arrest

Shock Absorbing Lanyards:
Material in the pack tears
absorbing shock and reducing
risk of injury.
Available with web or rope
lanyards.

Expandable Lanyard:
Especially useful for
scaffolds, steel erectors
and construction
workers where tripping
might be a risk.

Twin Tailed Lanyard:

The expandable twin
tailed lanyard is an
ideal choice for
situations where
100% tie-off is
required.

Fall Protection
Anchorage Point

A secure point of attachment for

lifelines, lanyards or deceleration devices
Anchorage points used for attachment
personal fall arrest equipment must be:

of

Located at or above the employees waist

Capable of supporting more than 2270kg per
employee
Designed and built to hold the maximum force
of the fall arrest

Fall Protection
Full body harness:
The attachment point of a body harness is
located in the center of the wearers back
near shoulder level
Body belts are not allowed on sites
Snaphooks shall be a double locking-type

WHAT YOU NEED?

Full body harness complete with rear dorsal ring (EN 361)
1.75m fixed length lanyard (EN 362)

Shock absorbing device (EN 355)

55mm opening scaffold hook for one handed operation (EN
362)

Fall Protection
Care for fall arrest systems:
After a fall arrest, the equipment
will no longer be used (equipment
will be disposed of or destroyed)
Clean equipment after use

Air dry equipment, do not hang in

direct sunlight
Store equipment in a cool, dark, dry
well ventilated place

Working at Heights
No job is so important that it cannot be done safely

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE

PERSONS WORKING ON THIS SITE TO
PUT THEMSELVES IN DANGER

BEST - BE Safe Today