How to Train Your Team on Proper Use of Height Safety Equipment

25 Mar How to Train Your Team on Proper Use of Height Safety Equipment

Did you know that, from 2019 to 2023, an average of 22 workers died each year as a result of falling from height? Even when fatality has not occurred, most workers with a workplace-related injury due to a fall are looking at around 6 weeks off work and a compensation payment of $140,000.

It’s an employer’s job to ensure that all of their workers are properly trained to do the job they’ve been employed for – even more so when that job involves working at height. But do you know how to provide them with appropriate training?

Partnering with a leading height safety solutions provider, like Australian Height Safety Services, will ensure that your workers are provided with the very best height safety equipment in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. Coupled with proper training, this will go a long way to keeping your team safe when working at height. Contact us for more information.

What Does Working at Height Actually Mean?

When we talk about working at height, we mean anything above ground level. This covers ladders, roofing, scaffolding, mobile elevated work platforms, staging, and even stairs (to name a few).

Any type of work where a worker needs to be off the ground requires proper training, safety equipment, and edge protection systems.

Why is Height Safety Training Important?

Working at height puts workers at greater risk of falling. Working with machinery or equipment at height further increases this risk. If workers aren’t properly trained…well, you can see where this is going.

Any workers that utilise height safety equipment need to be properly trained in its use and must understand the risks associated with working at height.

Are You Using the Right Height Safety Equipment?

While there is a range of equipment available, it’s important to remember that it’s not all suited to every type of task. To meet Australian standards, you need to ensure that your team is using the right height safety equipment in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.

Common equipment includes:

• Harnesses
• Anchor points
• Static lines
• Ladders
• Roof access hatches
• Guardrails

It should be a requirement that all personal protective equipment (PPE) be inspected before and after each use and all permanently installed equipment is inspected regularly to ensure it remains in good condition.

Providing Your Team with Training

Did you know that providing your workers with height safety training is actually essential for compliance and safety? Proper training will ensure that your team has the skills and knowledge on how to safely work at height, covering things like:

• The hierarchy of hazard control
• The forces generated in a fall
• Specific hazards that they may face (such as the pendulum effect, swing back, and suspension trauma)

Workers must also receive proper training on how to use the specific height safety equipment installed on their worksite/s.

Make the Training Fun and Engaging

Capturing and keeping the attention of your team can be challenging, so try to make the training seem fun and engaging. A focus on interactivity can help with this, as allowing workers to demonstrate what should and should not be done when working at height can really help to drive those lessons home.

Conduct Regular Refresher Training

It can be easy for workers to become a little complacent about proper height safety equipment use, particularly if they use it regularly and become overconfident or after extended periods of not working at height. Workers should regularly undergo refresher training to ensure that they’re on top of the latest standards and guidelines. Some employers like to conduct training every 6 to 12 months, whereas others are less strict with their timelines.

If you become aware that workers are not following the correct guidelines, you must intervene and ensure that they receive re-training to ensure their safety (and that of those around them).

Instill a Culture of Safety

You need to make it clear to your workers that safety is a priority for the business and that putting their own safety (or that of those around them) will not be tolerated.

This can be achieved by:

• Setting clear expectations of what is required
• Implementing strong company policies regarding working at height
• Providing regular training and retraining
• Implementing routine safety checks
• Holding regular meetings to review and discuss safety standards
• Encouraging workers to hold each other accountable

Partner with AHSS Today

At Australian Height Safety Services, we provide a range of roof safety solutions that meet or exceed standards for keeping workers safe when working at height. We can also handle installation, servicing, and certification of equipment to ensure that it continues to keep your team safe.

With a wide range of available height safety equipment in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, rest assured that we can design a system that perfectly meets the needs of your worksites and related tasks.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR HEIGHT SAFETY SERVICES 1300 941 211