No Falls Week 13th to 17th May 2024
No Falls Week is organised by the No Falls Foundation, the first and only UK-based charity devoted exclusively to the work at height sector.
Fall from Height
No Falls Week, running from 13th to 17th May 2024, is a campaign dedicated to promoting safe working at height
Falls from heights are consistently the leading cause of workplace fatalities in the U.K. The latest figures from the HSE show that 40 people lost their lives due to a fall from height in 2022-2023. Falls from height were responsible for 30% of all workplace deaths.
What you need to do
The law requires that employers and self-employed contractors assess the risk from work at height and to also plan the work so it is carried out safely.
Try avoiding work at height, if you can. You must otherwise prevent or arrest a fall and injury if work at height is necessary.
As an employer, you must instruct and train your employees in the precautions required. Method statements are widely used in the construction industry to help plan and manage the work and to communicate what is required to all those involved in the working at height task.
Key issues for all work at height are:
- Risk assessment
- Precautions required
- Method statements
Work at height is the biggest single cause of fatal and serious injury in the construction industry, particularly on smaller projects.
Over 60% of deaths during work at height involve falls:
- From ladders, scaffolds, working platforms and roof edges
- Through fragile roofs or rooflights
Risk assessment
Employers and self-employed contractors must:
- Assess the risks
- Decide on the precautions required
- Record the significant findings
- Review the assessment as necessary
Precautions required
The law on work at height requires that you take account of your risk assessment in organising and planning work and identifying the precautions required.
Your objective is to make sure work at height is properly planned, supervised and carried out in a safe manner.
The approach you can adopt for work at height is to follow the work at height hierarchy of controls (detailed below). The hierarchy must be followed systematically and only when one level is not reasonably practicable may the next level be considered.
It is not acceptable to select work equipment from lower down the hierarchy e.g. personal fall arrest, such as harnesses and lanyards in the first instance.
Before working at height, you must work through these simple steps:
The hierarchy of control measures with practical examples
- Avoid working at height unless it is essential
- Prevent falls by using an existing safe place of work that does not require the use or addition of work equipment to prevent a fall
- Prevent falls by using work equipment that protects all those at risk
- Prevent falls by using work equipment that protects the individual e.g. a harness with a short lanyard which makes it impossible for a person to get to a fall position (this is called work restraint)
- Mitigate falls by using work equipment to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall and protect all those at risk e.g. nets or soft-landing systems positioned close under the work surface
- Mitigate falls by using work equipment to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall and protect the individual
- Mitigate falls by using work equipment that minimises the consequences of a fall
- Mitigate falls through training, instruction or other means e.g. ensure ladders are inspected regularly and are used by competent people
Method statements
A method statement is a useful way of recording the hazards involved in specific work at height tasks and communicating the risk and precautions required to all those involved in the working at height task.
The method statement should be clear and illustrated by simple sketches where necessary. Avoid ambiguities or generalisations, which could lead to confusion. Statements are for the benefit of those carrying out the work and their immediate supervisors and should not be overcomplicated.
Equipment needed for safe working should be clearly identified and available before work starts. Workers should know what to do if the work method needs to be changed.