Guide to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application)

Guide to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application)
All passageways should be adequately lit, particularly:
• Near buildings
• In pedestrian areas
• At junctions
• Where there is regular movement of vehicles and other mobile plant.
Traffic routes should be suitably designed and maintained for the traffic to be carried:
• Roads or floor surfaces should be constructed and surfaced with suitable material and
surfaces should be even and properly drained
• Excessive gradients should be avoided
• Routes for pedestrians between floors should be by properly constructed stairs, elevators,
lifts or suitably constructed ramps
• The use of fixed ladders for access should be avoided unless access is not needed very often
and no other means is possible.
(g) if the places of work contain danger areas in which, owing to the nature of the work,
there is a risk of an employee or objects falling, these are—
(i) equipped, as far as possible, with devices preventing unauthorised employees from
entering those areas, and
(ii) clearly indicated, and
appropriate measures are taken to protect employees authorised to enter danger areas.
Ideally, people should not be working in areas where there is a risk from falling objects and, if
possible, these areas should be fenced off.
Secure fencing should be provided to prevent people falling from edges and the fencing should also be
adequate to prevent objects falling onto people. Where fencing cannot be provided, or must be
removed temporarily, other measures need to be taken to prevent falls.
Particular attention should be paid to those locations at a height to which forklift trucks deliver goods
for onward movement and where such openings can be left unprotected.
Pallets with loose goods or heavy unstable loads should not be stored at a height if the goods are liable
to fall whilst the pallet is being handled or if struck by an adjoining pallet.
If a passageway is located beside storage racking, it may be necessary to provide additional fencing to
reduce the risk of items falling into the passage.
Signs should be provided to warn employees entering such areas of the hazards.
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