While edge protection has clear applications in terms of preventing injuries – both to workers falling from height, and to passers-by who might be hit by falling objects – the HSE has recently pointed out the benefits in terms of profitability too. In once recent incident, a horrified member of the public made three separate […]
While many of the incidents we report feature life-changing injuries, it is particularly tragic when a simple lack of edge protection results in a fatality. That is what happened in Exeter in November 2011, in an incident that has recently reached the end of HSE prosecution proceedings. A subcontractor was working on the glass canopy […]
When sending workers up on to a fragile roof to carry out repairs, it’s wise to put your faith in walkovers and guardrails to prevent a fall, and not simply hoping for a miracle. That is what the judge in a recent HSE case said is the only thing that prevented a roofer from being […]
The long-term improvement seen in health and safety can continue with a focus on the biggest risk factors, such as preventing exposure to asbestos, and using guardrails to prevent falls from height. Both are still among the most common causes of workplace ill health and injury, and while little can be done about historical asbestos […]
A ‘grizzly’ conveyor – with vibrating feeders to help sort the material passing along it – was not fitted with essential edge protection, which ultimately allowed one worker to fall from height, the HSE has reported. The unnamed worker suffered a fall from a height of about eight feet on May 2nd 2014, sustaining life-altering […]
A fall of 2.5 metres might not sound like a ‘low’ height, but that’s how far a single-storey drop can be, and the possible outcomes make it clear that edge protection is still an essential precaution on roofs at this height. In one incident reported by the HSE, a 37-year-old man was re-covering the roof […]
For example, it’s fairly obvious that a property inland is likely to be much higher above sea level than one near the coast. But it might not always occur to contractors to install edge protection around excavations, such as when digging out a new basement. When you dig down one storey, it’s effectively the same […]
A trio of HSE incident reports since the start of April have highlighted the need for edge protection to protect passers-by, and safety ladders to provide safe access to elevated positions. In terms of safety ladders, two incidents involved workers falling from ladders; in the first, a Stockport man was installing an alarm system when […]
A new Met Office forecasting service could help to determine the need for edge protection on construction sites, both during the building work itself, and as a permanent fixture on the finished structure. Launched earlier this month, the forecasts cover 3,600 individual locations, and give details across up to 16 weather parameters, with wind singled […]
A roofing company has been fined £10,000 with nearly £5,000 costs for failing to install edge protection, safety ladders or walkovers on a site that ultimately led to a fatality. In June 2011, on the Earlstrees Industrial Estate in Corby, a 46-year-old worker fell through a fragile roof while replacing a rooflight, fracturing his skull […]