03 May Height safety regulations protect everyone – Not just workers
Height safety regulations are not just a formality, the risks of non-compliance are real.
Height safety regulations exist for a number of very good reasons. Everyone is entitled to a safe working environment.
People who work at heights are directly impacted by height safety compliance or non-compliance. Their physical safety is the most important reason to ensure your premises are safe.
There are also many other people who are indirectly affected by height safety regulations. Here’s what you need to know.
The importance of height safety compliance
If personnel must work at a height of two metres or higher, or within two metres of a fall edge, some form of height safety equipment must be in place.
Height safety compliance is an essential part of ensuring workers can do their jobs without the risk of injury and death, that much should be obvious. There are also a large number of people who are indirectly impacted by height safety, including:
- Workers’ families – The families of workers need to have just as much confidence that their loved one will come home at the end of the day as the workers themselves. Nobody should have to experience losing a loved one at work.
- The public – In some cases, non-compliant premises will be a risk to members of the public in the area. Height safety compliance is an important public liability issue as well as a worker safety concern.
- Employers – There are significant repercussions for employers if a worker injured or killed because of non-compliant height safety. Consequences can include criminal charges, fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and even jail terms.
- The community – The community at large reasonably expects that everyone should be able to do their job without the risk of injury or death. When people are injured or killed due to non-compliance, the entire community is damaged.
Businesses have a responsibility to their workers and everyone in the community to ensure their premises are height safety compliant.
What do the statistics say?
According to the WorkSafe Victoria 2016 Annual Report, the number of workplace injuries fell, despite employment growth. The rate of injuries in the workplace fell to 6.95 injury claims per million hours of work from 7.34 the previous year.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the rate of workplace injuries is decreasing on a national level as well.
This is an encouraging statistic, however, more can always be done to further reduce the likelihood of workplace injuries.
Is your workplace compliant?
If your workplace isn’t compliant, or you’re not sure if it is, you’re risking the lives of your employees. There is no reason why anyone should have to work in unsafe conditions.
At Australian Height Safety Services, we can inspect your premises and recommend and install compliant height safety equipment. Our installation technicians are all licensed and highly experienced in the industry.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.