Working at height – safety is paramount
ACCORDING TO THE HEALTH & SAFETY EXECUTIVE (HSE) MORE WORKER DEATHS ARE CAUSED BY FALLS FROM HEIGHT THAN
ANY OTHER KIND OF WORK-RELATED INCIDENT IN THE UK. BELOW, ALASTAIR HOGG, SALES DIRECTOR AT MSA SAFETY, WHICH
WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1914, LOOKS BACK AT 2018 AND THE INFLUENCING FACTORS IN 2019
A trusted safety partner throughout the
construction, aerospace, oil, gas and utility
industries, 2018 was a busy year for MSA
Safety and the work-at-height industry.
In 2017 the All-Party Parliamentary Group
(APPG) for Working at Height – supported
by the Prefabricated Access Suppliers and
Manufacturers Association (PASMA) and the
Access Industry Forum (AIF) – was formed to
investigate serious injury and fatalities while
working at height.
accessindustryforum.org.uk
The APPG posed questions to leaders
across all industries of the health and safety
sector relating to standards, regulations,
reporting, primary reasons for falls, preventative
measures and suggestions for innovation with
live evidence sessions held in Spring 2018.
Over the last five years, the construction
industry accounted for half of all fall-from-
height deaths in the UK with an annual
average of 19 fatalities per year. Falls from a
height also accounted for 8% of employer-
reported non-fatal injuries in 2017/18, with the
highest percentage (18%) in the construction
industry.
Taking action in 2019
Brexit is, of course, at the centre of the work-
at-height industry’s radar with MSA Safety
keeping a close eye on testing standards. It is
not yet known if UK manufacturers of safety
products will continue to be able to use the
EU’s CE mark of safety standard compliance
or, if they will have to add a ‘UK’ mark to the
current CE mark, or if the UK will revert to BS/
UK standards only.
On a positive and encouraging note,
virtual reality (VR) training is expected to
spearhead innovation and rapidly influence
health and safety risk reduction strategies.
In September 2018, MSA Safety held a
press day where journalists could experience
working at height and fall arrest systems. This
VR ‘experience’ was developed for MSA by
immersive media agency Render and was put
to the test at the VR Hub in Intel’s offices in
Canary Wharf.
End users – the men and women who
work at height – are now able to experience a
simulated fall scenario, understand the effect
which fall protection equipment has and how it
can help prevent death or life-changing injuries.
The onus on being able to work safely lies
primarily with those specifying fall protection
equipment with the provision of a safe working
environment, along with the correct PPE and
training.
However, end users must also take their
safety responsibilities seriously. As an industry,
sending people who work at height safely
home to their families at the end of each day
must be a priority.
From MSA’s point of view, the company
will continue to innovate and develop great fall
protection systems, investing in our business
and our products to help make sure they meet
emerging standards. And, as always, we will
encourage the industry as a whole to keep
moving to ensure user safety is paramount.
After considering all evidence the APPG
is to report and recommend as to how the
frequency of serious injuries and fatalities can
be reduced with findings expected shortly.
MSA Safety will then analyse, distil
and present these findings along with the
company’s take on them.
The No Falls Foundation
A new charity dedicated to the work-at-
height sector was launched last year – the No
Falls Foundation, sponsored by PASMA and
the AIF, is supported by all 11 AIF member
organisations. The charity is dedicated to
preventing falls from height and to helping
people affected by the consequences of a fall.
nofallsfoundation.org
The charity reported that at least 34
million unsafe acts have been identified in the
last five years, and that falls from height have
caused almost 200 fatalities in that period.
MSA Safety expects ‘virtual reality training to spearhead innovation and
rapidly influence health and safety risk reduction strategies’
Fuel Oil News | April 2019 21