Work at heights
(excluding work on ladders or trestle ladder platforms and scaffolding work)
Risks must be managed if a person could fall less than 3 metres (housing construction), 2 metres (other construction) or if work is on a roof pitch not more than 26°. Hazards that may present a risk from a fall include:
- vertical reinforcing steel, the edge of a rubbish skip, a picket fence, or a stack of bricks below workers
- unsheeted floor bearers and joists 2 metres below workers
- work on a brittle roof.
Factors such as the type of activity being carried out should be taken into consideration to establish the degree of risk.
Control measures used to manage risks must comply with regulatory requirements.
Relevant people carrying out work above these heights or on a roof pitch more than 26° must:
- prevent a fall; or
- if prevention is not possible, arrest the fall and prevent or minimise the risk of death or injury from the arrest of the fall.
The controls could include:
Edge protection systems around elevated work areas must:
- be erected and used in accordance with the instructions of the manufacturer, supplier, engineer or competent person
- be designed to withstand a force which may reasonably be expected to fall against it
- be at least 900 mm high.
A fall protection cover placed over holes and openings must be:
- able to withstand the impact of a fall onto it of any person who may reasonably be expected to fall onto it
- be securely fixed in place to prevent it being moved or removed accidentally.
A travel restraint system is a personal fall prevention device and must:
- not allow a free fall either from an edge or through the work surface
- be installed by a competent person and be inspected by a competent person at least every six months (a written record of the inspection must be obtained)
- have an anchorage point with a capacity to withstand any load that could be exerted on it in its normal operation
- only be used by a person who has been trained in the safe and correct use of the system
- not to be used if a component of the system shows evidence of wear or weakness to an extent that may affect the system’s safety.
A fall arrest system consisting of harnesses or ladder belts attached by lanyards to a suitable anchor point must:
- have each anchorage point:
- designed by an engineer and inspected and approved by a competent person before it is first used
- with a capacity of 12 kN, if only 1 person is using the anchorage point and the person could have a limited free fall
- with a capacity of 15 kN, if only 1 person is using the anchorage point and the person could have a free fall
- with a capacity of 21 kN, if 2 people are using the anchorage point
- have each anchorage point located so that the person using the system can attach a lanyard without the risk of falling
- limit the force applied to a person by a fall to not more than 6 kN by the use of a personal energy absorber
- be installed and maintained in accordance with the instructions of the manufacturer, supplier, engineer or competent person
- have sufficient free fall distance taking into consideration:
- the person’s height
- the height and position of the anchorage point
- the length of the lanyard
- any slack in the static line
- any stretching of the lanyard or static line when extended by a fall
- the length of the energy absorber when extended by a fall
- any other relevant factor
- have no part of the system come into contact with anything that could affect the safe use of the system
- only be used by a person trained in the safe and correct use of the system
- have written safe rescue procedures
- not to be used if a component of the system shows evidence of wear or weakness to an extent that may affect the system’s safety
- be inspected by a competent person at least every 6 months (a written record of the inspection must be obtained)
- not be used after a fall unless its manufacturer or a competent person has inspected it and decided that it is fit for safe use
- not be used by a person working alone.
Twin tail fall arrest lanyards failure can be fatal - recommendations for design and lanyard assembly.
An industrial safety net must:
- be designed by an engineer or competent person
- be made of material designed to minimise injury to a person falling into the net
- have energy absorbing characteristics to reduce the shock or injury to a person falling into the net
- be installed so that a person falling into the net will not hit anything below the net
- be installed as close as possible below to where the person is working but not more than the distance specified by the manufacturer, supplier, engineer or competent person
- be installed, used, installed and maintained in accordance with the instructions of the manufacturer, supplier, engineer or competent person.
Refer to Part 17 of the Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 2008 for more information on the requirements for these controls.
Last updated August 17, 2006