Ladder is fit for the job on Home Services

Jan

Ladder is fit for the job

posted by admin in home cleaning service

The Health %26 Safety Executive is reminding businesses - no matter where your ladder is being used - make sure it is up to the job and safe to use. As the Museum in Docklands gets one of its galleries ready for a new exhibition - London, Sugar and Slavery - HSE’s Programme Manager for Falls from Height, Eddie Bailey highlighted good practices followed by maintenance staff at the museum and urged London businesses to ditch their dodgy ladders.

Visiting the museum Eddie Bailey said: “The maintenance staff at the museum have been using well-maintained ladders for short duration work to get the gallery ready in time for the opening in November.

“Every month nearly 100 people fall off a ladder at work and suffer serious injuries costing the economy ï¿½60 million each year. We want anyone working at height to use the right ladder for the job and to use it safely. HSE’s Ladder Exchange aims to remove dodgy ladders from workplaces in Great Britain.”

In 2005/06 a total of 46 workers died and a further 3,351 employees suffered major injury as a result of a fall from height in the workplace. Many of these incidents could have been avoided by using the right equipment and taking simple precautions. HSE is working in close partnership with industry to ensure that anyone involved in working at height uses the right equipment for the job and uses it safely.

When it comes to increasing ladder safety, always ask yourself three simple questions:

* Do you need a ladder or should you use something different?

* Is it the right ladder?

* Are you using the ladder safely?

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 introduced a hierarchy for use when planning and risk assessing work at height. Duty holders should consider how to avoid work at height. If this is not possible, they should take steps to prevent a fall occurring. Where they cannot prevent a fall, they should take steps to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall.

A ladder should only be used where a risk assessment demonstrates that the task is low risk and of short duration, or where there are existing features on site that cannot be altered and the use of other equipment is not practical. Such features include restricted space preventing other equipment from being put in place correctly or ground conditions that mean that there is no suitable area to set up alternative equipment.

HSE has published a brief guide to the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.pdf) and guidance specifically for employers and workers who use ladders:

* Safe use of ladder and stepladders - an employers guide http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg402.pdf

* Top tips for ladder safety http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg405.pdf

W: www.hse.gov.uk/falls/index.htm

Photo shows left to right Eddie Bailey from the HSE and Tim Free from The Museum in Docklands

This press release/article submitted to cleaning43 by CLE@NZINE to place a press release or article online with cleaning43.com contact Jan Hobbs Publishing Editor Direct Tel: +44 (0)1372 811 307 janhobbs@ntlworld.com or John Austen Publishing Director Tel:+44 (0)1580 755 863 Fax: +44 (0)1580 754 669 Mobile 07766 707 888 johnausten@mac.com