Rescue at Height
WORKING AT HEIGHT AND THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING
Falls from height are the single biggest cause of workplace deaths and one of the main causes of major injury within the workplace. Steve Dawson, working at height expert at Arco Professional Safety Services, explains the importance of training for working at height and having the right equipment.
The most tragic consequences of not providing the right training and protective equipment to your work force, can be serious injury or even the death of an employee. In 2020/21, 35 fatal injuries were due to Falls from a height, accounting for 25% of all worker deaths over the year. [1] Add to this the 17 deaths caused from ‘Struck by moving’ (including flying/falling objects) statistics – which can often be related to Working at Height – and there continues to be a serious need for education and training.
Employers are bound by law under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and are required to eliminate or reduce the risks when working at height. Anyone in control of any work at height must ensure that the work is properly planned, and carried out by people who have sufficient skills, knowledge and experience. This must include appropriate training at all levels, from project managers to end users of critical safety equipment e.g. PPE & Rescue equipment.
In the first instance, employers should assess the risk and consider alternative methods for getting the job done without the need for working at height. However, if that is not practical, then it is their legal duty to make sure the requirements of the Regulations are met and their employees are kept safe. As one of the most common high-risk business environments, it is essential that people receive the proper training before commencing work at height. Training solutions can either be tailored to a particular need or provided through a number of off-the-shelf courses. Highly experienced trainers will work with you on or off-site to provide training at all levels of your business.
Why is training so important?
Most would agree that incidents on site start at the risk assessment and planning phase. The end user of PPE doesn’t stand much chance of staying safe if work planners do not have sufficient knowledge and experience to appropriately mitigate the risk in the first instance. Appropriate training at this level is vital and should help mitigate risk but can also result in a more efficient safe system of work.
If personal fall protection is required, it can only protect the worker if they are competent in its use, aware of why they must use it, and therefore properly trained. Experienced instructors can simulate realistic working environments and provide advice on the correct equipment to use, and how to use it, together with practical training which can be taken back to real life situations.
New and existing industry/trade bodies are acutely aware of the importance of standardised, quality training delivery for Working at Height. The recent release of the Rooftop Safety Training Standard by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is just one of many examples of industry bodies driving much needed and positive change in their respective sector. There is also an abundance of equipment now available from manufacturers which provides employers with cost effective, practical options to keep workers safe. Training is paramount to ensure end-users understand the advantages and limitations of this equipment when used in their work environment.
Continuing importance of training
Between April and June last year, 32 million working days were lost to COVID-19 related absences. Redundancies, movement restrictions and fluctuating guidelines have made it difficult for organisations to provide their workers with training. As restrictions are lifted and the country moves towards a return to ‘normal’, many businesses are trying to catch up but are struggling to keep up with training requirements.
Reduced training and a reduction in task-based activity will undoubtedly result in skills fade. The possible consequences in high-risk industries such as working at height, are plain. To maintain skill levels in industry, business leaders are looking at new ways of achieving this. Alongside contingency plans and ‘back to work’ responses, health and safety training must be boosted to ensure that a restructured workforce can cope with high-risk environments and inevitable skill gaps that can occur.
It’s vital that this training provides workers with the right balance of knowledge and practical skills to be able to deliver their work safely. It is all too tempting for companies to provide their workers with theory only training when social distancing and movement restrictions are in place; however, the shortfall in practical skills could have severe consequences. This is not to say that there is no place for training in the virtual world, there is a balance to be struck where it is safe to do so. The workforce needs the confidence to manage their daily tasks safely but also not to be exposed to the increasing risk of contracting COVID-19 by receiving training in the normal classroom setting. Arco Professional Safety Services has launched several video conference courses and are developing Virtual Reality tools to help organisations keep its workforce safe whilst also maintaining the recommended social distances measures on our practical training courses during COVID-19.
https://www.arcoservices.co.uk/training/course-finder/video-conference-training
Source:
[1] https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/pdf/fatalinjuries.pd
Rescue at Height
Firefighters have rescued two window cleaners who were stuck on scaffolding outside the 69th floor of One World Trade Center in New York City.
The nerve-wracking drama unfolded on Wednesday afternoon on the south side of America's tallest skyscraper.
Emergency officials cut through panes of glass to reach the workers while a second rig was lowered as a back-up option.
TV images showed one side of the scaffolding platform dangling
A cable on the scaffolding snapped shortly before 1pm (6pm GMT) and the workers were pulled to safety nearly 90 minutes later.
They were taken to hospital suffering from mild hypothermia, said officials.
The men's ordeal lasted about an hour and a half
The pair were named in local media as Juan Lizama and Juan Lopez.
Television images showed one side of the scaffolding platform dangling at a sharp angle.
Picture from FDNY of the window washer rescue
The workers were not at imminent risk of falling because they had been tethered by harnesses to the roof, said officials.
The building has 104 floors and is 1,776ft (541 metres) high, making it the tallest in the western hemisphere.
The $3.9bn skyscraper only opened for business last week for the first time since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Almost 200 employees of magazine publisher Conde Nast were the first to move in.
Total Access (UK) Ltd can offer Rope Access supervision rescue and standby teams to offer specialist cover all across the UK.
The Emergency Response Division of Total Access (UK) Ltd offers a complete solution for all Rescue at Height scenarios to ensure that our clients fully meet the requirements of the Working at Height Regulations.
Our highly trained and professional incident teams provide first responder emergency air to stabilise any casualties and are equipped to assist in a rescue.
Our Service includes:
- Project Planning Consultancy
- Provision of Professional Rescue staff
- Development of Project Rescue plans
- Technical Rope Rescue Services
- First Responder Emergency Aid
- Trauma and Incident Management
- Permit to Work Management
- Confined Spaces Entry Management and Supervision
- Top Man services
- 24 hour emergency standby cover
- IRATA specialist standby team
- Safety Systems
- Risk Assessments and Method Statements
Rescue at Height
Injured man rescued by fire fighters using aerial ladder platform
It has been reported by the BBC that a construction worker in Bournemouth has been rescued from height after suffering an injury whilst working on the 6th floor of a building under construction.
The road was closed following the incident in which the man “dislocated” his knee and the fire service used an aerial ladder platform to reach the casualty.
Medical staff treated him on the ground before taking him to hospital and South Western Ambulance Service said the man had been on scaffolding at the time of the incident.
The building is owned by Bournemouth University and will become its new International Centre when finished.
Follow the link below to see a video of the incident:
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/video/3831980909001/?ref=vidshare
Find out about our rescue at height services!
Head over to: http://www.totalaccess.co.uk/Site-Services/Rescue-at-Height
Total Access (UK) Ltd can offer Rope Access supervision rescue and standby teams to offer specialist cover all across the UK.
Our Service includes:
- Project Planning Consultancy
- Provision of Professional Rescue staff
- Development of Project Rescue plans
- Technical Rope Rescue Services
- First Responder Emergency Aid
- Trauma and Incident Management
- Permit to Work Management
- Confined Spaces Entry Management and Supervision
- Top Man services
- 24 hour emergency standby cover
- IRATA specialist standby team
- Safety Systems
- Risk Assessments and Method Statements
For more information or to talk about your rescue needs call our team on: 01785 850333
Rescue at Height
An injured workman has now been rescued from the roof of the National Museum in Cardiff.
Specialist rescue teams from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service brought the injured man down on a stretcher.
It is not believed the workman’s injuries are serious.
Rescuers said the man had been working on the roof of the museum, next to City Hall, when he fell around 7ft onto a different part of the roof.
He was put on a stretcher and carried around to the front of the museum roof, where he was carried down to safety on a hydraulic lift.
A spokeswoman for the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, said the man had been “undertaking maintenance” on the roof when he fell.
She added that the museum remained open throughout the rescue operation.
The man has now been taken to hospital by ambulance.
Two roads closed off around the museum are expected to be reopened soon.