Work at Height Safety Regulations 2005 and your Responsibility

The Height Regulations 2005 is applicable to all the works that are done at the height. The Work at height safety regulations state the precautions that has to be taken at the positions where there is a risk of falling from height because the falling can cause personal injury. These regulations have placed duties on employers, besides those who control or supervises the work at height activities. These persons include facilities managers or building owners who may contract others to work at height. Providing security to the workers who are working at height is their primary duty as per the regulation acts.

Height Safety

As part of the Regulations, the employer must ensure:

• All work at height are accordingly planned and organized
• That workers involved in working at height are competent enough and well trained to carry out the job
• To assess the risk and  accordingly deploy the appropriate equipment.
• The fragile surfaces are properly assessed, and managerial capacities are organized to avoid accidents.
• The equipment used for this purpose are properly inspected and well maintained.

 ‘Work at height’ - Defined

The concept of ‘Work at height’ implies working in places where working should be continued with proper protection. Else, falling from a distance might cause personal injury to the worker.

You will be considered to be working at height only when:

• You are working above the ground or floor level
• You might fall from an edge, through an opening or fragile surface.

Or

• You can fall into an opening in a floor or in the ground.

This means that a fall from height has to involve a fall from higher level to a lower level. It will never include any walking up and down through a permanent staircase in a building.

Provisions in the Regulation Regarding Working Platform

The Work at height safety Regulations 2005 requires that, for continuing any construction work, handrails should have a minimum height of 950 mm. It also included that any gap between the top rail and any other intermediate rail should not exceed 470 mm. The Regulations also require that the toe boards should be suitable and sufficient. For instance, the toe board with a minimum 100 mm height would be acceptable.

Height of Guardrails in Non-Constructive Activities

The Work at height safety Regulations 2005 has left no prescriptive dimension for the non-construction works. Yet it never fails to mention that the guard rails, toe boards, barriers, and other collective means of protection should be of sufficient dimension. These will be there to ensure a person cannot fall through or over them.

In the absence of any standards regarding non-constructive activities, the HSE operational guidance suggests that guard rail heights in such activities should be under the range of 950 mm only.

For the proposed or continued construction works in buildings, factories, warehouses, offices, public buildings, and retail premises, sufficient dimensions for guard rails or similar barriers will be achieved through compliance with the Building Regulations. The required height of the guard rails is to be maintained at 1100 mm.

For plant, machinery, and equipment as well as similar other devices, sufficient dimensions will be achieved by complying with the persisted relevant EN standard. As for example, the BS EN 14122-3:2013 that covers the safety of machinery access has specified the height of top guard rail to be steadied at 1100 mm. On the converse, the essential health and safety requirement of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 1992 has recommended designing and construction of such equipment in accordance with the safety requirements.

If the proper measures are taken in this regards lives of many can be saved.