work at height

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Working at
Height Training

2. • Fire alarm/exits
• Toilets
• Smoking
• Drinks
• Breaks
• Lunch
• Questions
• Mutual Respect
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House Rules:

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As a courtesy to others
please set your phone to
SILENT MODE.
House Rules:

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Course Content
• Introduction
• Working at Height
• Hazards Associated with Working at Heights
• Control Hazards
• Steps for Safe Working at Height
• Fall Prevention
• Permit to Work
• Emergency Rescue Plan
• Local Application
• Summary

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Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this training module the participants
will understand and state the following;
• What is working at height
• Hazards related to working at height
• Safety working on ladders, scaffolds, work platforms and
roof
• The hierarchy of measures to be taken when working at
height
• The key element of safe working at height
• The technique and equipment to be used
• Emergency rescue

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Introduction
• The content is based on the guidelines and procedures
of the Corporate EHS Management System and has
been edited for the purpose of training.

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What is Working at Height
 Work at Height is work in any place, including a place at,
above or below ground.
 Access and egress to a place of work can also be work at
height.
 It does not include stairways or slips or trips to the level

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Any person involved with the design or erection of
fall prevention or fall protection equipment must be
subject to formal competence checks in order to
ensure that they possess the necessary training,
competence and qualifications to perform those
tasks before being allowed to work on site.

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Examples of Working at Height
• Working on roof
• Working on ladders
• Working at ground level adjacent to an open
excavation.
• Working from temporary work platforms, scaffolds,
MEWP, tanks etc.

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 Work at Height must be:
 Properly planned and communicated
to all, including contractors before work commences.
 Appropriately supervised by competent people.
 Not carried out if weather conditions jeopardise safety.
 Those working at height must be:
 Competent and entered onto a register.
 Or, if being trained, supervised by a competent person.
Planning, Organizing and
Competence

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Whilst passing this training module
counts towards proving competence,
annual practical training, experience
and attendance at induction training,
toolbox talks and risk assessment
meetings provides further evidence
towards proof of competence.

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Hazards Associated with Working at Heights

13. Working on roofs
 Fall Occurs
 from the edges of roofs
 through gaps or holes in roof
 through fragile roof materials and roof
lights
 injuries by material falling or thrown from
roofs.
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Working on Ladders
 Ladder should be used for short-term & light work.
Types of Ladders
 Extension Ladder
 Step Ladder
 Rolling Ladder
 Fixed Ladder
 Rope Ladder

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Working on Ladders
Hazards associated with Ladders:
• falls from ladders
• struck by falling ladders
• struck by materials falling from
ladders
• tripping over ladders striking persons
or objects when carrying ladders
• contact with electrical equipment

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Working at ground level adjacent to an open excavation
Hazards while working at ground level
adjacent to an open excavation.
• Falls
• Falling object
• Falling mobile equipment
• Access/Egress
• Collapse

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Working from Temporary Work Platforms- Scaffolds
Hazards while working from scaffolds.
 fall from scaffolding.
 electric shock .
 scaffold collapse.
 falling object.

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Working from Temporary Work Platforms- MEWP
MEWP
(Mobile Elevating Work Platforms)
A general term used for scissor lift,
aerial platform, or an extensible or
articulating boom aerial device
(either self-propelled or vehicle-
mounted) used for the purpose of
positioning personnel, their tools and
necessary materials to elevated work
locations.

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Working from Temporary Work Platforms- MEWP
Hazard while working from MEWP:
• Tip/roll-over
• Collapses
• Personnel being thrown from the basket
• Falling or pinned by a nearby structure.
• Contact with electrical lines or equipment.

20. Control of Hazards
Working on roofs
 When working on sloping roofs:
 Use proper roof ladders.
 Wear a safety harness.
 When working on fragile roofs:
 Use crawling boards.
 Ensure a warning sign is
displayed at all access points.
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21. Control of Hazards
Ladder Safety
 May be used for light tasks of low risk and short
duration (in conjunction with a safety harness);
or access and egress to a work platform.
 Must be secured to prevent slipping– sideways
and outwards.
 Should be Installed at an angle of 4:1 (or 75°).
 Must extend approx. 1 m above working platform
(if applicable).
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23. Control of Hazards
Ladder Safety
 Must not be painted.
 Should be placed on a register and
inspected at least once per week.
 Vertical ladders installed for construction purposes, at
a height where a person can fall more than 3 m, must be
fitted with a cage / hoops and a vertical lifeline.
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 Vertical ladders
over 9 m high must
have platform every
9 m and be offset
at every platform.

25. Control of Hazards
Ladder Safety
 Always maintain a 3-point (two hands and a
foot, or two feet and a hand) contact on the
ladder when climbing.
 Use non conductive ladders around exposed
wires or while working with electricity.
 Secure your tools & materials to prevent fall.
 Never use a damaged ladder (tag & remove
it from service).
 Do not over-reach in getting parts, material,
etc
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27. Control of Hazards
Scaffolds
All scaffolds must be designed, erected, altered and
dismantled by a competent person.
Once erected, scaffolds must be inspected by a
competent person:
 Before first use.
 After substantial alteration.
 After any event likely to have affected its stability e.g.
after strong winds.
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 At least once every 7 days
inspections must be
recorded and a Scaf-tag
system or equivalent used
to indicate inspection status.
In the event that faults are
found, the tag must be
pulled and the scaffold taken
out of use until repaired.

29. Control of Hazards
Scaffolds
All scaffolds must have a top guardrail fixed at a
height of 1.1 m, an intermediate guardrail & toe
boards to all sides from where a person or material
can fall.
Scaffolds and ladders must not be erected close to
ejectors, blow-off valves or live power lines / cables /
conductors.
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Scaffolds erected around
structures that may have
electrical services, and
where electrical
equipment is to be used,
must be earthed.

31. Control of Hazards
Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWP)
MEWP can provide safe access and safe working at
heights, and are often safer than ladders or other
access equipment.
Equipment must be inspected daily by operators /
users and repaired if defects found.
 Operators must be trained in its use, inspection and
emergency procedures.
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Baskets must have barriers
/ boards (approx. 1.1 m in
height and toe boards / kick-
plates).
Operators must wear a
safety harness - attached
to the basket.
Equipment must be
thoroughly tested &
examined by a competent
person before first use & at
least once every six months.

33. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Steps:
1: Risk Assessment.
2: Hierarchy for Safe Working at Height.
3: Planning and Organizing.
4: Ensure that those working at height are
competent.
5: Use appropriate Work Equipment.
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 6: Manage the Risk
from Falling Objects.
 7: Inspect and Maintain
the Work Equipment and
Workplace.

35. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 1: Risk Assessment
 Prior to any person working at height, a risk assessment
must be carried out and properly communicated in order to
identify the risks and the safety measures needed to
eliminate or reduce the risk.
 The first question should always be, “can the need for work
at height be eliminated or minimised”.
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 A person who is sufficiently
experienced to be able to identify
competently the health and safety
risks arising out of the work should
carry out the assessment. The
assessment must be reviewed by
Alstom.
 In those cases where it is not
reasonably practicable to provide a
safe working platform and a person
has to rely on the use of a safety
harness, a suitable rescue plan
must also be considered.

37. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 1: Risk Assessment
Each assessment should be proportionate to the risks
involved but factors to consider include:
 Environment and conditions – location, access,
egress, weather and ground conditions, other activities.
 Task to be performed - extent of the task, its
complexity, duration, frequency
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 People involved - numbers, degree of exposure to
the risk, competence of workers involved, (including
Contractors),levels of supervision required.
 The quality of the site induction program, were
Alstom’s expectations for working at height explained
adequately?

39. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 1: Risk Assessment
Also, consider risks to or presented by those not
directly involved in the work, work equipment and / or
other structures to be used.
Whatever action is taken to control the risk(s), it should
be proportionate to the risk of harm and reflect what is
reasonably practicable.
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but remember, serious injuries can be caused by
falls from relatively low heights (injury statistics show
that falls from below 2 m account for two thirds of
all major accidents); don’t assume that little or
nothing need be done to prevent them. A height of
500mm should set the need for risk assessment.

41. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 2: Hierarchy for Safe Working at Height
 Avoid – Prevent – Mitigate
 Avoid working at height.
- If you don’t have to go up there DON’T.
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 It may be possible
to assemble a
structure on the
ground and then lift it
into place using the
appropriate lifting
equipment.

43. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 2: Hierarchy for Safe Working at Height
Prevent falls
 Where working at height is absolutely necessary, the first
consideration must be to provide a safe working
platform, so far as is reasonably practicable.
 This could be a permanent structure such as a building,
or an industrial plant, the top of a piece of machinery or a
vehicle or an item of work equipment, such as a scaffold
or a MEWP (mobile elevating working platform).
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 In all, cases it must be safe
i.e. there is no foreseeable risk
of a person falling from it.
Work platforms must be
strong and rigid enough to
prevent people from falling,
have no gaps in the flooring or
toe boards and be able to
withstand other loads likely
to be placed on them.

45. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 2: Hierarchy for Safe Working at Height
 Prevent falls
 Edge protection must be provided.
 Barriers other than guardrails and toe boards can be
used, as long as they are at least 1.1 m high, secure and
provide an equivalent standard of protection against falls and
materials rolling, or being kicked, from any edges.
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 If the risk comes from falling through openings or
fragile material an alternative to guard rails or a barrier
is to cover the opening or material. Any covering should
be.
Strong enough to support any loads likely to be placed
on it (including the weight of a person); and
Fixed in position to prevent accidental dislodgement. To
prevent people removing coverings, mark them with a
warning (e.g.‘Hole below - do not remove’)

47. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 2: Hierarchy for Safe Working at Height
 Mitigate the consequences of a fall.
 Where the risk of people or objects falling still remains
you should take steps to minimize the distance and
consequences of such falls.
 Give collective protective measures (e.g.
guardrails, nets, airbags, MEWP etc.) precedence over
personal measures.
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 Equipment chosen should minimize injury, but you must
also consider
 Work location e.g. trailing lanyards can cause a
significant tripping hazard and are rarely suitable at a
height below 4 m.
 Consequences of falls - including the effects of the
equipment used e.g. injury caused by deceleration
and from hanging motionless in harness after the fall.

49. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 3: Planning and Organizing
 Consider the effects of adverse weather conditions
 Suitable and sufficient lighting should be provided.
 Lightning, wind, rain, snow, ice, temperature and sun will
affect working conditions.
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 MWEP cannot be used in strong winds.
 Bulky clothing could get caught up in machinery or
make access more dangerous.
 Build-up of mud on ladders will make them less safe, as
would placing them on a surface that may have become
slippery.
 Extreme heat can make people exhausted more quickly
and may increase likelihood of human error - regular
work breaks may be necessary.

51. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 3: Planning and Organizing
Plan the work and use suitable work equipment.
Provide appropriate supervision proportionate to the risks
and the experience and capability of the people involved in
the work.
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Make sure those affected
understand the risk
assessment and what they
must do to comply with it.
Plan for emergencies and
rescue, taking account of
possible risks to rescuers.

53. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 4: Ensure that those working at height are competent
 Competence is a combination of appropriate practical
and theoretical knowledge, training and experience that
collectively should enable a person to:
 Undertake safely their specified activity at their level of
responsibility.
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 Understand fully any potential
risks related to the work
activity (tasks and equipment).
 Detect any defects or
omissions and recognize any
implications for health and
safety with the aim of
specifying appropriate
remedial actions that may be
required in relation to their
particular work activity.

55. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 5: Use appropriate Work Equipment
 The choice of equipment:
 Will depend on the risk assessment and envisaged
usage.
 Involves “reasonable practicability”.
 Must prevent a person falling or minimize risk of
doing so.
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 A ladder may reach the
workplace but if workers
need to climb it for long
durations or with heavy
or bulky equipment,
scaffolding is likely to be
more appropriate.

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Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 5: Use appropriate Work Equipment
 However, if a scaffold is to be in place for some time, the
erection of a staircase with handrails would be more
appropriate than a ladder tied in place.
 On the other hand, the risks of installing scaffolding
should be considered, especially for work of short
duration, where a MEWP might be more appropriate.

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 However, MEWP should
not generally be used as a
means of access to and
egress from work
platforms – the necessity
to climb out of MEWP
should be avoided.

59. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 6: Manage the Risk from Falling Objects
 Precautions must be taken to ensure that
portable tools, hand tools, materials etc. cannot
fall onto people below.
 Consider the use of collective protection
measures such as safety nets, plastic sheeting
and toe boards.
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 Where reasonably
practicable, erect barriers
below the work platform to
prevent people walking
below and / or erect
warning signs.
 Consider attaching tools to
straps / lanyards fixed to
anchor points, but bear in
mind this may introduce
additional tripping hazards.

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Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 6: Manage the Risk from Falling Objects
 Never throw or drop tools,
materials etc. below.
 Consider the use of
enclosed rubbish chutes or
lower debris in containers.

62. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 7: Inspect and Maintain the Work Equipment and
Workplace
 Inspection of Equipment
 A competent person should determine the nature,
frequency and extent of any inspection taking account of
such factors as the type of equipment, how and where it is
used, its likelihood to deteriorate, etc..
 Formal thorough examinations are not a substitute for any
pre-use checks or routine maintenance.
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Inspection of the Workplace
Surface conditions and other
permanent features where
work at height will be taking
place should be checked
each time before work starts
in order to identify whether
there are any obvious
defects

64. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 7: Inspect and Maintain the Work Equipment
and Workplace
Maintenance
 Frequency of maintenance will depend on the equipment,
the conditions in which it is used and the manufacturer’s
instructions.
 Planned preventive maintenance involves replacing parts
or making necessary adjustments at pre-set intervals.
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 Condition-based
maintenance involves
monitoring the condition
of safety-critical parts
and carrying out
maintenance whenever
necessary e.g. hydraulic
systems in a MEWP.

66. Steps for Safe Working at Height
Step 7: Inspect and Maintain the Work Equipment and
Workplace
 Competence
 All personnel must be competent in the
inspection and maintenance tasks they are
required to perform.
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 Hired Equipment
 Where work equipment is
hired, it is important that both
the hire company and the
person responsible for hiring
the equipment agree upon
which party will carry out
safety-related inspection and
maintenance. This
arrangement must be
documented.

68. Fall Prevention
Fall Protection Equipment
When an elevated work location cannot be accessed
safely from a ladder or protected work platform or
when the installation of guardrails is infeasible, fall
restraint or fall arrest systems may be used.
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Personal fall-arrest system arrests a fall.
Personal fall-restraint system prevents a fall.

70. Fall Prevention
Fall Protection Equipment
A personal fall-arrest system consists of an
anchorage, connectors, and a full-body harness that
work together to stop a fall and to minimize the arrest
force. Other parts of the system will include a lanyard, a
deceleration device, and may include a lifeline.
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A personal fall-
restraint system
prevents a worker from
reaching an unprotected
edge and thus prevents
a fall from occurring.
The system consists of
an anchorage point,
connectors and a body
harness.

72. Fall Prevention
Fall Distance Calculation
When using a fall arrest system, the fall distance
calculation must account for the length of lanyard,
deceleration distance, the height of the person wearing the
equipment (or the height of the D-ring attached to the back
of the harness), the position of the anchorage point,
lanyard or rope elongation and a safety factor.
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74. Fall Prevention
Fall Protection Equipment- Safety Harness,
Lanyards, Fall Arrestor
Safety harnesses and associated equipment must be
inspected daily or before each use by the user and
every three months by a competent person.
Harness used in a fall arrest situation must be withdrawn
from service and not re-used until a full examination has
been performed.
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Records of thorough examinations must be maintained.
All lanyards should be made from flame resistant
materials.
Inertia reels may be used to enable safer movement in
certain areas.

76. Fall Prevention
Fall Protection Equipment- Safety Harness,
Lanyards, Fall Arrestor
Lifelines used for the attachment of safety harnesses must
be:
 Made from steel rope – standard 12 mm .
 Installed and validated by a competent person.
 Tensioned by turnbuckle or similar.
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 Designed to support the
maximum number of
workers – standard three
people.
 Securely anchored a
both ends with triplicate
wire rope clamps, at
points able to withstand
the dynamic load
generated by a fall.

78. Control of Hazards
Guardrails (Edge protection)
A Guardrails should be used in situations when it is not
reasonably practicable to use temporary work platforms.
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79. Permit to Work
Work Permit
A well designed ‘Permit to Work System’ is always
useful & additional control to check safety points
particularly while working on roof.
 A permit to work may be required for
 All work on roofs within 2 metres of an unprotected
or inadequately protected:
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Edge or where there is a risk of falls from height.
 All work on fragile roofs or within 2 metres of fragile
material, including:skylights.
 All work above extraction stack fan level.
Any work at height where collective prevention
methods could not be used.

81. Permit to Work
Management Control
In addition to a permit to work system, management
must place strict controls over working at height
activities which will include:.
Weekly inspection by Alstom management of all
working at height activities.
 Findings, statistics, actions and management of
change issues relating to working at height activities
will be discussed at weekly operational meetings.
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• All contractors to be subject to a regular inspection
regime by Alstom management and taking contractual
measures against any contractor company for
significant or repetitive deviations from Alstom
standards.
• Disciplinary measures against persons who deliberately
deviated from Alstom standards or line management
who allowed such deviations. Such disciplinary
measures will reflect the importance that Alstom attach
to working at height and may include a charge of gross
misconduct.

83. Emergency Rescue Plan
Rescue Plan
A rescue plan must be developed where a safety harness
is being used as a control measure & when personnel
may not able to self Rescue.
A person suspended in a harness may be unconscious
within five minutes and dead within fifteen minutes if help
is not immediately available.
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Any method statement
must include a rescue
plan that considers how an
injured worker could be
safely recovered. Speed of
response is an essential
consideration.
The emergency plan must
be simulated annually.

85. Summary
Work at height is work in any place, including a place at,
above or below ground level, where a person could be
injured if they fell from that place.
Working at height include working on ladder, roof, adjacent to
excavations etc.
Ladder should be used for short-term & light work.
Hazards while working on height include fall, trip, strike,
Electrical, falling object, collapse
Use roof ladder, crawling board & safety harness.
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Ladder should be secured & installed at an angle of 4:1
All scaffolds must be designed, erected, altered and
dismantled by a competent person with adequate guardrails.
MEWP can provide safe access and safe working at heights,
Perform a Risk Assessment and implement controls
proportionate to the risks.
Adopt the Hierarchy of Risk Management. Avoid – Prevent –
Mitigate.

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Always opt for collective protection in preference to
personal protection.
Plan and Organize for adverse weather conditions,
adequate supervision & emergencies
Inspect and maintain the workplace equipment to ensure
its continued safety.
Personal fall-arrest system arrests a fall.
Personal fall-restraint system prevents a fall.
 A Guardrails should be used in situations when it is not
reasonably practicable to use temporary work platforms

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