July/August 2022

Safety at Height
TRAINING UP
In the first of a new mini-series, Trevor Rabson, Training Manager at Werner, looks at why
training is so important when it comes to working at height safely, explains what installers
need to consider and outlines how best practice can make all the difference between safe
Werner, manufacturer and distributor
of ladders and access equipment, is
championing health and safety training
with the launch of its new campaign ‘Stepping up
to Safety’.
According to the latest reports from the Health
and Safety Executive (HSE), falls from height
accounted for 44% of all non-fatal injuries over
the past 5 years and 25% of all fatal injuries.
Therefore it’s crucial that installers top up their
training and follow best practice guidelines to
make working at height both easier and safer.
Education is a very real issue when it comes to
overcoming falls from height.
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR) are
very clear that anyone who works at height must
be ‘competent’ to do so.
However, there is a widespread perception that
working and potential injuries.
ladders and working at height equipment are
simple to use, so why would you need training?
It is this complacency that leads to falls from height
incidents and a mindset that needs to be changed.
But what regulations should be adhered to?
What are the Work at Height Regulations
(WAHR) 2005?
The WAHR are a set of rules that must be followed
when any work is undertaken at a height with the
aim of preventing deaths and injuries.
They are mandatory for all employers and people who
control work at height, and are enforceable by law.
The regulations define work at height as any task
where there is a risk of staff falling from one level
to another.
This includes work above the ground or floor,
near an edge where someone could fall through
an opening or surface, and at ground level where
someone could fall through an opening.
Employers and those in control of any work at
height activity must make sure work is properly
planned, supervised and carried out by competent
people.
This includes using the right type of equipment for
working at height.
The WAHR are also very clear that employees
have general legal duties to take reasonable care
of themselves and others who may be affected
by their actions, and to co-operate with their
employer to enable their health and safety duties
and requirements to be complied with.
However, to minimise any confusion, we’ve
busted some common myths surrounding the
WAHR, below.
•Ladders and stepladders are banned for
work at height: This isn’t true and both ladders
Continued on page 72
Falls from height accounted
for 44% of all non-fatal
injuries over the past 5 years
Continued on page 78
70 T I JULY/AUGUST 2022
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST