Following the recent HSE report of a fatality in Skegness in 2010, when a 26-year-old man fell from scaffolding that had not been fitted with guard rails, the launch of the NASC 2013 Safety Report further demonstrates the value of edge protection when working on scaffold structures.
NASC – the National Access & Scaffolding Confederation – has published statistics encompassing its 201 member contractors, and some 14,098 individual employees.
For the first time since 2004, there was a fatality among NASC’s membership in 2012, while 34% of all injuries and accidents were caused by trips, slips and falls – the tenth year in a row this has been the case.
Even bearing in mind the niche nature of NASC’s membership, it is still concerning to see that the majority of all accidents – 52% in all – involved scaffolders themselves, whereas 0% included managers.
The statistics are a reminder that it is those workers who scale elevated platforms who are still most at risk – and why guard rails remain an important element of edge protection, to help ensure there are no further fatalities in the years to come.