Preventing Falls with Risk Assessment

28 Sep Preventing Falls with Risk Assessment

A risk is anything that exposes someone to danger. In a height safety setting, assessing and reducing risks is critical, as not doing so can lead to injury or even death. This article discusses risk in a height safety setting, including how to reduce risk practically and safely.

How to assess risk?

When assessing risk, it is vital to consider all aspects of worker, staff, and public safety. This includes ensuring that height safety equipment is compliant and used according to training and guidelines.

Assessing risk includes:

–   Identifying whether height safety equipment is necessary.

–   Knowing which height safety equipment suits your worksite.

–   Having clear safety procedures for all employees.

–   Training workers to safely and correctly use height safety equipment.

–   Ensuring all equipment is compliant and free from damage.

–   Assessing the risk to the public, including pedestrians.

This list is not exhaustive. There are numerous risk assessment procedures that should be carefully completed. If you are seeking further clarification about selecting or using height safety equipment, contact our team. 

Who is responsible for assessing risk?

The responsibility lies with the employer or supervisor in charge to assess risk. It is the responsibility of the duty holder, who may be an occupier, building owner or facilities management company, to ensure the contractors have the equipment they need to work from a height safely.

What to do if you identify risk?

If you identify a height safety risk, it is important to install the correct equipment and complete the necessary worker training. If you want to ensure your height safety equipment and procedures are compliant, call Australian Height Safety Services to learn more.

Numerous height safety measures can prevent accidents and protect workers on construction and commercial sites. These include:

• Roof Guardrails: Roof guardrails are an essential component of making a roof safe and can ensure work safety in fall risk areas.
• Roof Anchor Points: Correctly installed roof anchor points allow workers at heights to attach themselves to a secure spot on the roof
• Static Lines: Workers can secure themselves to Static lines and move safely along the line.
• Roof Walkways: Roof walkway systems eliminate slip and trip hazards and protect roof sheeting when contractors need to walk over roofs.
• Roof Access Ladders: Our roof access ladders are guaranteed to be height safety compliant. Our expert installers use quality products to maximise safety.
• Roof Access Hatches: Our roof access hatches in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne are among the safest and most compliant solutions for roof access.

Risks after installation

While some supervisors may believe that a risk assessment is complete once they have installed height safety equipment, to stop looking for risks after installation is dangerous and careless. Even with height safety equipment, no working from a height setting is entirely risk-free.

For example, if workers are not trained to use height safety equipment correctly and safely, this could be a risk. Old or damaged equipment can also present a risk to workers as it can no longer fulfil its purpose. Falling objects and hazardous weather conditions can also cause accidents. In every situation, risk should be assessed and mitigated. If it cannot be lessened, the supervisor must ask themselves- should we postpone this job to ensure the safety of height safety workers?

Call Australian Height Safety Services

At Australian Height Safety Services, we do more than just ensure regulatory compliance. We are committed to protecting the safety and well-being of all workers and personnel that use our fall prevention systems. For expert advice, call our team on 1800 850 121 or contact us for more.