WernerCo has urged people to ensure that appropriate safety measures are taken on site and the correct equipment is also made available for workers.
This comes as recent news reports have highlighted cases of accidents when working at height. Most recently, a Lincolnshire construction company was fined £30,000 after an employee was hurt falling through a fragile roof. Following an investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), it was found that the use of safety-harnesses was not enforced and that the system of work in use to control risks from work at height was fundamentally unsuitable.
WernerCo has, therefore, issued a reminder to employers of their responsibility to provide suitable safety equipment, and of the ongoing duty to ensure that any equipment provided is up to standard and safe to use.
Paul Bruton, Product Development Director at WernerCo, commented: “It is disappointing to see that despite the frequent news stories about accidents that have occurred when working at height, employers are still failing to properly safeguard their workers. There are many safety solutions available on the market that meet the needs of different types of job – whether it be a fall protection system or access tower – so there should be no excuse for employees to be ill-equipped.
“When investing in any fall protection system, employers should ensure that any product supplied to workers meets the correct certification. Fall protection systems should be purchased from a reputable manufacturer and CE marked to guarantee safety, while full body harnesses should be certified to EN 361:2002.
“However, an employer’s duty does not end after purchase, and they must ensure that their workforce always uses the provided solutions when necessary and that regular inspections to check the integrity of the equipment is carried out. Those who are responsible for fall protection systems should refer to EN 365:2004, which sets out guidelines for the inspection of personal protective equipment against falls from height. This includes pre-use checks, detailed inspections and interim inspections as appropriate. All of these checks should be carried out by competent persons, to identify defects or damage that may affect safety.”
Werner Fall Protection kits have been designed with user safety in mind. Each of the four kits – Fall Arrest Kit, Professional Roofers Kit, Professional Construction Workers Kit and Work Restraint Kit – are said to be fully certified and feature additional measures, such as stitching patterns, to make any issues that would compromise user safety easy to spot.
To find out more information on the range of access solutions from WernerCo, visit www.wernerco.com/eu.
