Following the correct safety protocol is essential while working at height. Whether working at height daily or only on occasion, it is up to the employer to ensure safety is the top priority for all workers. Taking shortcuts with health and safety can have dire consequences for workers.
Below is a breakdown of the specifics of working at height and how to properly manage work health and safety when on site.
Defining Height
Working at height covers any type of work at an elevated position where the worker is at risk of falling and injury. This is most often due to insufficient or non-existing safety precautions. Whether working on a ladder, a roof edge, an opening in the floor, or even a loading dock, working at height can mean a lot of different things.
In Australia, working at 2 metres or higher is required to have the proper fall protection equipment that fits the relevant types of fall hazards in the working area.
It is the employer’s responsibility to provide safe ways to enter and exit workplaces, especially in areas where there is risk of fall. If at all possible, any work must be done on the ground or a solid construction.
Jobs that are considered working at height:
- Roof work and activities on fragile surfaces
- Work with the use of ladders
- Activities near an excavation or trench
- Work that involves scaffolding
- Jobs that require being on scissor lifts and other similar Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPs)
- Maintenance work or any job at an elevation that requires the use of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) such as a harness
Assess the Risks
Working at height is considered one of the most dangerous types of work, recognised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as one of the leading causes of injuries and fatalities in the workplace.
13% of all Australian work fatalities were related to working at height between 2013 and 2019. WorkSafe recorded 16 fatalities and 1,983 fall-related claims in the construction industry between 2019 and 2023. The main age group affected by height-related injuries are 20-29 years.
Below are some common causes of accidents when working at height:
- Slippery or unstable surfaces that can lead to slips or falls after certain weather conditions
- Incorrect use of ladders or ladders that are not in good working order
- Using unsafe or incomplete scaffolds
- Accessing shelving or mezzanine areas
- Falling from trucks
- Overreaching while working at heights
- Lack of training and experience
- Platform collapse
- Falling objects
- Fragile surfaces like roofs that might fail if there is too much load
- Failure of tools or equipment like MEWPs
- Losing balance while elevated
- Lack of handrails around walkways and other unprotected edges
- Insufficient or absent PPE
Conducting risk assessments is always recommended to determine the likelihood and severity of risks when working at height. Risk assessments work to pinpoint dangerous areas in the workplace and offer ways to mitigate any safety risks.
After a risk assessment is complete and before work commences on site, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must fill out a safe work method statement (SWMS). This document is necessary for all work considered high-risk construction work according to the Work Health and Safety (WHS) regulation 2017. They are site-specific and must be made available to everyone so they can understand all risks and safety controls used to keep workers safe.
How to Manage Safety Standards and Prevent Injuries
Understanding fall distance is important to ensure you get the correct equipment. Without understanding the fall distance, it is hard to gauge what the correct equipment may be for the height being worked at.
Correctly identify the equipment needed for working at heights. In some instances, a scaffold might be best to work with while painting a house or washing a low level window. There may be other times when edge protection is better suited to the worksites needs. Some projects only require ladders. Evaluating which equipment is needed for the type of work you are doing is a key step when assessing risks.
Ladder injuries are some of the most common in the workplace so workers need to use ladders properly and only when necessary. They should not be used as a first resort, but if they are, workers need to be trained how to use them properly to mitigate any possible risks.
Australian safe ladder handling has a few simple concepts:
- Only one person can be on the ladder at any one time.
- Follow the 4:1 rule. For every four metres of the ladder rising, place the base one metre away from the structure.
- Ensure three points of contact with the ladder at all times. Combinations are two legs and one hand, or two hands and one leg.
- Never use a tool on a ladder that requires two hands to operate.
- Never over-reach, always reposition the ladder to where you need it.
- Never straddle the ladder.
- Make sure the ladder is clear of people underneath.
- Never stand on a rung that is less than 900mm from the top of a straight or extension ladder (this is state dependent).
Knowing when and what type of fall protection is needed is essential to maintaining proper work safety standards. Work Safe states fall prevention must be used when there is a risk of falling from 2 metres or more. When this is the case, they state employers must:
- Identify any task that involves fall hazards and assess the risks associated with these hazards.
- Control the risks as far as reasonably possible following the fall prevention hierarchy of control
- Review and revise any implemented fall risk measures when necessary
The fall prevention hierarchy of control is as follows:
- Level 1: Work from the ground or solid platform.
- Level 2: Use a passive fall prevention device (i.e., scaffolding).
- Level 3: Use a work positioning system (i.e., industrial rope access systems or travel restraint systems).
- Level 4: Use a fall arrest system (i.e., industrial safety net, catch platform, or safety harness system other than travel restraint systems).
- Level 5: Use an appropriate fixed or portable ladder or administrative controls.
While working at heights training is not required by law, Work Safe states employees should only use ladders if they are trained on how to set up and use the ladder safely and are supervised if necessary. It is a helpful step towards workers taking responsibility for their own work health and safety, and it helps employers protect the health and safety of their staff. Workers and employers both share equal responsibility for keeping the workplace safe.
How SafeSmart Exceeds Safety Standards when Working at Heights
Working at height is dangerous and should be undertaken only when needed. Working at height requires proper safety precautions, focus, and training. When shortcuts are taken, that only leads to unnecessary risk in the workplace. At SafeSmart Access, we pride ourselves on supplying only the best safety solutions for construction worksites.
We supply products that mitigate the live edge risks that come with working at heights with our cutting-edge edge protection systems such as the I-Klamp and the AdaptaPanel. Replace flimsy handrails and warning signs that are easy to ignore, and opt for these heavy-duty options that are guaranteed to keep your worksite safe.
Forget harnesses and fall arrest systems. Instead, opt for our surround guard rails, like the EasyRail, which are off-the-shelf solutions or are fully customisable. The ease with which you can use the EasyRail fixing-free safety rail is incredible, the ultimate safety solution for any low-level roof edge protection.
Reduce your scaffolding risks by browsing our wide range of purpose-built stair platforms. From our AdjustaStair hanging landing stairs for pit and shaft maintenance to our craneable stair towers for the hard-to-reach places, we have temporary stair solutions for almost any project.
SafeSmart Access ensures fast delivery of materials, making sure a workplace is ready with all equipment needed for all requirements. On-site installation and unmatched project support makes sure all jobs are perfectly executed. SafeSmart Access guarantees lasting safety, reviewing the worksite for optimum WorkSafe compliance.
Start the conversation with the leaders in construction safety and protection, SafeSmart Access. If you’d like to learn more about what we can do to safeguard your worksite, get in touch today and together, we can reach new heights!
