Safety & Health Expo 2008: Scaling new heights

Feature | HSW
01.05.2008

In March, the Court of Appeal upheld a £260,000 fine and costs of £80,000 imposed on the employer of a 22-year-old construction worker who fell 10 metres to his death after leaning on an unsecured handrail. That month the HSE completed an inspection blitz on refurbishment sites which focused on preventing falls, and on good order; inspectors visited 1100 sites across the country and served 400 enforcement orders. It seems the gloves are off when it comes to a category of accident that caused 23 deaths and almost 1000 major injuries in construction alone in 2006-07.

This message will be made clear at an Access Live demonstration at Safety & Health Expo that will focus on the challenges of working at height and how to cope with them. Using professional actors and taking the HSE's current Shattered Lives campaign as its theme, the presentation will act out various scenarios designed to reinforce the central message of the campaign: Don't chance it ... change it! Using mobile elevating work platforms, scaffolding, mobile access towers and ladders, the Access Industry Forum will demonstrate in an entertaining way the dos and don'ts of working at height.

Work at height has always been big at the exhibition, and the HSE crackdown may well increase interest in the harnesses, rope systems, work platforms and fall-arrest and prevention equipment which make up this sector. Escape and rescue are important, and Heightec is showcasing developments in height safety and personal rescue with a new personal evacuation micro-descender that allows controlled descent from a high level.

The product is called the Micron with good reason: it offers the functionality of a traditional full-sized system but is a fraction of the size. The tiny descender has a patented braking mechanism and high-strength, heat-resistant aramid cord as well as a dual locking system that engages if the user lets go of the handle or pulls it too hard in a panic.

Safe anchor

Anchoring fall-arrest equipment to the structure is often a problem. Capital Safety is introducing a non-penetrating anchor for fall protection from flat roofs and structures. The Freestanding Counterweight Anchor offers little possibility of damaging the anchoring structure and eliminates the need for costly installation. With a built-in shock-absorbing post, the device is fall-arrest rated for one user and has been approved for use on concrete, single-ply membrane, bitumen membrane and asphalt-sanded and asphalt stone chipping roofs. 

Total Access technicians silenced Big Ben last summer when they abseiled down to inspect, clean and repair the clock face in preparation for its 150th anniversary next year; the hourly chimes and quarter bells were quiet from 11 August to late September. Total Access provides height safety and support services around the world, including safety and rescue training. Its range of expertise includes industrial rope access, height safety system installation and testing, confined-space working and supervision, training course design and provision and geotechnical surveying and stabilisation.

The risk of suspension trauma is one of the most frightening aspects of work at height. When the harness and lanyard have prevented the worker from impact but leave them hanging, suspension trauma can happen as a result of the body being unable to provide normal blood flow due to the worker's inability to lie down. Several companies specialise in training for working at height as well as in conducting safe rescues when things go wrong. Catalis Training has 70 years' experience in delivering training, particularly to higher-risk areas such as the rail industry. Another training provider is Pammenter & Petrie with the P+P brand.

P+P is one of the leading manufacturers of height-safety and confined-space working equipment. Its range includes ropes, belts, harnesses, connectors, anchorages, lanyards and all the technology for height safety and rescue. The company also delivers wide-ranging courses on specific work situations and emergency rescues.

One example is Tower Crane Rescue, which is designed to give those who work on tower cranes the knowledge and ability to rescue a colleague safely after an arrested fall. The course will also enable the rescuer to help a crane operator who has become incapacitated due to a medical condition and cannot climb down the crane.

Another P+P course covers self-rescue using automatically controlled descent devices, and both cover the topics in depth, from the relevant legislation and safe working practices to post-fall suspension trauma.

The Access Live display and a Working at Height seminar programme will be in operation throughout the exhibition, and are free to all visitors.