2. What is working at height?
Working at height is any activity where the potential of a
fall exists
Falls from height can occur anywhere – even on the
ground
3. Working at height activities include:
Scaffolding
Wearing a harness
Using ladders /step ladders
Operating mobile elevated work
platforms (MEWPs)
4. What are the risks?
Unguarded platforms/openings leading to falls
Unstable ground conditions leading to structure collapse
Unsecured tools / equipment on lifts or working platforms
Unauthorised access to
Lack of barricading leading to people under suspended loads
Failure of lifting equipment
Overhead power lines or electrical conductors
Traffic /work near roads risk of persons being struck
Lack of training and competency leading to injury / fatality
Suspension trauma
5. What are the influences?
Equipment not used / unavailable
No physical barriers – barricades / fencing
Poor housekeeping
Inadequate / no exclusion zones (drop zones)
Inadequate / no Supervision
Insufficient / no planning & hazard ID
Insufficient training for the task
Incorrect protection / equipment choices
Incorrect use or set-up of equipment
Unwillingness to change the way a task is carried out
6. What are the potential consequences?
Serious life threatening injury / death
Permanent disability
Loss of income
Impact on family, friends, work colleagues
(Ripple effect)
Prosecution individual / company
7. What are our legal obligations?
Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 - Primary duty of care
Regulations
Notifiable Work
8. Key steps to managing risk
Identify scope of work
Identify task(s) to be done
Identify hazards associated with task(s)
Assess the initial risk
Develop controls
Assess residual risk
Monitor and review controls
9. Equipment – Best Practice Use
Consider the hierarchy of controls when selecting equipment.
10. Equipment – Best Practice Use
Group controls isolate multiple workers from the risk of
falling.
Examples include:
Scaffolding
Edge protection
Mechanical access plant
Safety mesh
11. Equipment – Best Practice Use
Personal controls should only be considered when group controls are not
practicable.
Examples include:
Harness systems
Temporary work platforms
Ladders and stepladders do not offer fall protection and should be the last form
of work access equipment to be considered.
12. Equipment – Best Practice Use
As equipment is identified, it is important to consider
the following:
Working conditions
Distances to be negotiated for access and egress
Distances and consequences of a fall
Duration and frequency of use
Rescue
Additional risk posed by the installation and
removal of work equipment
13. Inspection Frequencies of Equipment
Item Frequency
•Personal equipment including
harnesses, lanyards, connectors, fall
arrest devices including common
use devices
•Before and after each use.
•By a height safety operator or – if
not competent – by another
competent person.
•Harnesses, lanyards, associated
personal equipment.
•Fall arrest devices (external
inspection only)
•Ropes and slings
•6 monthly inspection.
•By a height safety equipment
inspector
14. •Anchorages –
Drilled in type or
attached to timber
frames
•Anchorages –
Other types
•12 monthly inspection
•As recommended by manufacturer to a maximum
of 5 years
•12 monthly inspection in the absence of such
recommendation
•By a height safety equipment inspector
Fall arrest devices
– Full service
•As recommended by manufacturer to a maximum
of 5 years
•12 monthly service in the absence of such
recommendation
•By a height safety equipment inspector
Item Frequency
15. Item Frequency
•Horizontal and Vertical Lifelines
– steel rope or rail
•As recommended by manufacturer to a
maximum of 5 years
•12 monthly service in the absence of
such recommendation
•By a height safety equipment inspector
•Horizontal and Vertical Lifelines
– Fibre rope / web
•6 monthly inspection
•By a height safety equipment inspector
•All items that have been
stressed as a result of a fall
•Check Manufacturer specifications and take
in to be checked by a height safety inspector.
16. Training – Competencies & Limitations
Harness work
All harness work requires training and competence.
WorkSafe NZ recommends NZQA Unit Standards for workers involved in
installing and using harness systems
Untrained personnel should be inducted and supervised by qualified
persons
Other training considerations
Scaffolding
Mechanical access plant
Rescue
17. Dropped Objects Management
Primary:
Tool lanyards 100% hook on or hard barrier platforms for drops
protection
Rated self closing tool bags to transport tools /equipment up stairs
Storage bins to hold tools / equipment
High standard of housekeeping
Secondary:
Hard barrier exclusion zones
Designated drop zones for lifting / scaffolding
Hard barrier protection over walkways
No-go zones
Never stand under suspended loads
18. Exclusion zones
Identify all possible simultaneous operations above
and/or below work area
If there is potential for objects to fall from height,
set up an exclusion zone to keep other people out of
the area
The radius of the exclusion zone should equal 33% of
the height from directly below/above the work area
( 𝑟 =
ℎ
30%
).
19. Getting equipment to height
Determine how tools/equipment will be lifted to height
during job planning stages.
Considerations:
Competent personnel
Rated lifting equipment
Area below lift
Don’t overload
20. Fall Arrest System Rescue Plan
Emergency Situations:
Sudden medical event, trip, or slip causing a
worker to fall and be suspended in a harness.
Requires rescue retrieval within minutes to
prevent suspension trauma.
Working at Height Rescue Plan – key elements:
JSA - Pre-planning
Communications – verbal / radio
Rescue plan discussed prior to work starting
Plan reviewed throughout job.
Equipment – Gotcha Kit (Photo) onsite
Competent personnel – NZQA 23229 / 15757
Prevention controls (suspension trauma straps)
21. Case Study 1 – Working at
Height with no Harness
• Scissor lift use for steel framing
inspection
• Individual identified unsecured
bolt
• Individual climbed out of EWP
without harness
• Potential for 10m fall onto
concrete
22. Case Study 2 - Scaffolding
ground support workers need to
be trained and assessed as
competent
Scaffold team erecting scaffold
Ground support worker rested 3m
scaffold ledger against scaffold in
readiness to pass up to
scaffolders
Scaffolder instead requested
more scaffold clips
Second ground support person
walked over to collect scaffold
clips
As ground support person lent
over to pick up clips, scaffold
ledger slid over sideways.
Scaffold ledger hit workers hip,
causing bruising.
Equipment not used / unavailable i.e., tool Lanyards/ fall arrest
No physical barriers – barricades / fencing
Poor housekeeping i.e., storage containers
Inadequate / no exclusion zones (drop zones)
Inadequate / no Supervision
Insufficient / no planning & hazard ID
Insufficient training for the task
Incorrect protection / equipment choices
Incorrect use or set-up of equipment including personal protective equipment
unwillingness to change the way a task is carried out when a safer alternative is identified
Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) is NZs key work health and safety legislation.
Primary duty of care:
A Person Conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of—
(a) workers who work for the PCBU, while the workers are at work in the business or undertaking; and
(b) workers whose activities in carrying out work are influenced or directed by the PCBU, while the workers are carrying out the work.
A PCBU must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the health and safety of other persons is not put at risk from work carried out as part of the conduct of the business or undertaking.
Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016
Duty to identify hazards
A PCBU, in managing risks to health and safety, must identify hazards that could give rise to reasonably foreseeable risks to health and safety.
S. 25 Managing risks associated with falling objects
(1) A PCBU must manage, in accordance with regulations 5 to 8, risks to health and safety associated with a falling object if the object is reasonably likely to fall on and injure a person.
(2) If it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate the risk referred to in subclause (1), the PCBU must minimise the risk by providing and maintaining a safe system of work that includes—
(a) measures for preventing an object from falling freely, so far as is reasonably practicable; or
(b) if it is not reasonably practicable to prevent the object from falling freely, a system to arrest the fall; or
(c) if it is not reasonably practicable to comply with paragraph (a) or (b), providing an exclusion zone that persons are prohibited from entering.
(3) A PCBU who contravenes this regulation commits an offence and is liable on conviction,—
(a) for an individual, to a fine not exceeding $10,000:
(b) for any other person, to a fine not exceeding $50,000
Health and Safety in Employment Regulations 1995 – Notifiable Work
These regulations require employers as well as the person who controls a place of work to provide at least 24 hours notice to WorkSafe of particularly hazardous work.
This includes:
Construction work with a risk of falling 5 metres or more
Erecting or dismantling scaffolding with a risk of falling 5 metres or more
Notes:
A PCBU is a ‘person conducting a business or undertaking’. A PCBU may be an individual person or an organisation.
Identify scope of work
E.g. inspect and replace roof iron
Identify task(s) to be done
E.g. Erect scaffolding to access roof to visually inspect roof iron and replace
Identify hazards associated with task(s)
i.e. potential to fall, failure of equipment, potential for dropped objects
Assess the initial risk
Using company risk matrix or Site Safe methodology.
Develop controls
To prevent exposure to risks - falls, falling/ dropped objects, injury to workers / public, exclusion zones, no-go zones i.e. overhead power lines, operating protocols within exclusion zone
Where the potential of a fall exists, consider hierarchy of controls –
Eliminate – can the job be done without exposing persons to the hazard? i.e. at ground level, using tools and equipment, safer design
Isolate – can people be isolated from the hazard? i.e. by using scaffolding, barriers, EWP
Minimise – if neither elimination nor isolation are practicable, minimise the likelihood of any harm resulting. i.e. safety harnesses, soft landing systems
Assess residual risk
Using company risk matrix or Site Safe methodology.
Monitor controls
Carry out regular inspections, discuss control measures at toolbox meetings, and actively supervise work to ensure controls are effective/fit for purpose.
Hierarchy of controls – Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016.
Group controls isolate multiple workers from the risk of falling – The best work methods are those that don’t require any active judgement by the workers to keep themselves safe, such as edge protection, scaffold, and elevating work platforms.
Personal controls provide a lesser form of protection, and should only be considered when group controls are not practicable – Personal controls only look after individuals and rely on active judgement by the user for them to work safely.
All equipment use should comply with relevant guidelines, standards, and inspection and maintenance requirements.
All operators of equipment should be trained and competent.
Working conditions, such as slopes, poor ground, obstructions, and traffic, can determine the suitability of work equipment.
Access/egress – Ladders are less likely to be suitable for higher access.
Fall distance/consequences – a fall arrest system would be ineffective if the deployment length was greater than the fall height.
Duration and frequency of use - longer duration, higher frequency work justifies a higher standard of fall protection.
Rescue – consider capabilities.
Additional risks during install/removal - i.e. an EWP used by one person vs a scaffold tower erected by 2-3 people for one person to work safely.
WorkSafe NZ recommends the following NZQA Unit Standards -
Fall Restraint Systems
For workers who are to complete basic work while under total restraint:
NZQA Unit Standard 23229 – Use a safety harness for personal fall prevention when working at height, or an equivalent or higher qualification.
Fall Arrest Systems
For workers who plan, install, operate and supervise workers using fall arrest systems;
NZQA Unit Standard 5757 – Use, install and disestablish proprietary fall arrest systems when working at height or an equivalent or higher level of qualification.
NZQA Unit Standard 23229 is a prerequisite for achieving US 15757.
Other examples of NZQA Unit Standards include:
17600 - Explain safe work practices for working at heights
25045 – Employ height safety equipment in the workplace
Installation and use of all equipment requires some level of training and competency. Refer to relevant guidelines for further information.
The establishment of an exclusion zone is the preferred method for managing dropped object hazards and required for all work at height where work below is not required to be undertaken at the same time.
When arriving at your workfront identify all possible simultaneous workfronts above and/or below your work area
In some instances, it may be required for a workgroup (x) to work within another workgroup’s (y) exclusion zone at the same time (JSEA Inclusion Zone). If this is the case then the supervisor of workgroup x is required to review workgroup y’s JSEA and if appropriate, accept their dropped object controls by signing onto their JSEA. The controls from workgroup y’s JSEA are to be noted on workgroup x’s JSEA and include any additional controls to better manage the dropped objects risk (i.e., construction of a habitat with a solid roof, etc.).
Competent personnel – are personnel trained and competent i.e. in the use of inertia reels, tying knots,
Rated lifting equipment – i.e. lift bags, baskets.
Area below lift – identify all simops, ensure no one stands below suspended load (spotter, lift/exclusion zone)
Don’t overload – do not exceed rated weight limits or overfill lift bags
Elements of rescue plan:
JSA - Pre-planning
Discussed prior to work starting and reviewed throughout job
Equipment – Gotcha Kit (Photo) onsite
Communications – verbal / radio
Trained personnel
Emergency Situations
Medical event, slip, fall - leading to suspension trauma.
Suspension trauma
What is it?
Suspension trauma is the development of life-threatening symptoms and loss of consciousness if the human body is held motionless in a vertical position for a period of time
Medical information post suspension trauma
Even if the victim is recued before respiratory / cardiac arrest occurs the danger of cardiac arrest still exists due to the toxic – highly acidic blood surging back to the heart (reflow syndrome). The danger delayed kidney failure exists if victim is not medically evaluated after prolonged suspension.
Timing of rescue is crucial to prevent suspension trauma - i.e. Timing of response 5-min window…
As a final check on the steel framing, before cladding and roofing was done, the contractor checked all the bolts in the steel framing. They did this using a scissor lift. There were two people in the lift.
Upon doing the inspection they saw that one of the bolts wasn’t secured correctly so one of the men opened the lift entry/exit gate, stepped out from the platform placing a foot on the framing so he could reach the bolt and proceeded to tighten it. In doing this he was spotted by one of our managers and asked to come down.
The contractor had failed to use a harness. This was ok while he was in the lift but the minute he went outside of it there was a problem. They were approximately 10 metres above the ground which was a concrete floor.
Scaffold team (including two ground support crew) were erecting scaffold.
One of the ground support workers stood a 3-metre scaffold ledger vertically up, rested one end on the ground and leaned it against the lower deck of the scaffold in readiness to pass it up to the scaffolders.
Rather than needing the ledger immediately, a request was instead made to the ground support team for more scaffold clips to be passed up. A second ground support person walked over to collect the additional scaffold clips from the side of the scaffold structure as requested. As the ground support person lent over to pick up the clips, the top end of the 3-metre scaffold ledger slid over sideways, striking the workers right hip as it fell causing bruising to the right hip.
Scaffold equipment (even at grade) must always be stowed securely to prevent the risk of equipment sliding/falling.
Scaffold ground support workers should be trained in the safe handling of scaffold equipment.
All workers should receive task specific training relevant to their role.
Take the time to Step back 5x5 to check for unsafe conditions.
