May 16, 2005—The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched two new publications concerning the new Work at Height Regulations (S.I.2005 No. 735 ) that came into effect on April 6, 2005. The new regulations apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury.
The “Question and Answer Brief for the Construction Industry on the Work at Height Regulations 2005” (.pdf file) explains what the new regulations mean in practice and the standards HSE expects the industry to meet.
The “Work at Height Regulations 2005—a brief guide“(.pdf file) gives a short introduction to the new regulations, designed for small businesses and those unfamiliar with the regulations. It explains what employers must do to comply with the new regulations, and gives advice for working at height safely.
According to HSE, falls from height remain the single biggest cause of workplace deaths and major injuries in the construction industry, responsible for some 40 percent of fatalities in 2004-05. A particular area of concern for HSE is the number of major injuries caused by low falls. HSE found that there are more major injuries resulting from low falls than from falls above two meters, so the new regulations remove the old division between low and high falls in an effort to place equal importance on safety at all heights.
