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Still one of the major causes of injury and death, use our range of articles to keep up-to-date on regulations and best practice advice

Recent articles

PREVENTING SCAFFOLDING ACCIDENTS: ‘Safety Guidance Note’ SG4 from the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) has become the established minimum standard for fall prevention in the scaffolding industry.

March 2011. Volume 34. Number 3

SCISSOR LIFT ALERT HIGHLIGHTS FATAL ACCIDENTS: Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) must be regularly maintained, inspected and tested. An HSE Safety Alert highlights the need to follow the instructions for daily inspection and testing in the current Operation and Safety Manual for JLG Model 500RTS and 400RTS scissor lifts (scissor lifts are a type of MEWP).

February 2011. Volume 34. Number 2

£300,000 FINE FOR BT AFTER FALL DEATH: Southwark Crown Court has fined communications company British Telecommunications Plc (BT) £300,000 following the death of a worker after he fell from a ladder while carrying out installation works.

February 2011. Volume 34. Number 2

HIERARCHY IS THE RIGHT APPROACH FOR WORK AT HEIGHT: The Court of Appeal has confirmed that the risk of working at height should first be avoided altogether before looking at whether the working methods devised are suitable. The judgment (Bhatt v Fontain Motors Limited) is the first time that the court has considered the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR).

September 2010. Volume 33. Number 9

SAFE ROOF WORK: KEY ISSUES

HSE guide offers extensive 'good practice' advice on safe roof working
Covers building and maintenance issues
Outlines content of method statements and more

LOCATING EMERGENCY DESCENT CONTROLS: The International Powered Access Federation has produced a new symbol that may be used to signpost the location of emergency descent controls on mobile elevating work platforms.

GUIDE TO MOBILE WORK PLATFORMS: The HSE has issued a helpful leaflet on mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs). On the important subject of competency, it says that all MEWP operators are required to pass a recognised operator training course (e.g. to obtain IPAF’s Powered Access Licence (PAL) or Construction Skills’ CPCS card).

WORKING SAFELY WITH (OR WITHOUT) LADDERS: Since 2005 there has been a popluar myth that the Work at Height Regulations 2005 have banned the use of ladders or stepladders (‘steps’) outright. The fact is that neither the HSE or the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAH 2005) have totally banned the use of ladders and steps at work. In this Montior feature, we will discuss compliance with WAH 2005, how to use ladders and steps safely and when not to choose them at all ...

IMPACT OF THE WORK AT HEIGHT REGULATIONS: The Work at Height (WAH) Regulations were introduced in Great Britain in April 2005, and HSE recently commissioned a study into how effective the new rules have been. The results, stacked up in a remarkably repetitive 350 pages, suggests that the Work at Height Regulations “have started to have an impact” in a number of areas.