www.ajax.eu.com

WHITEPAPER - Compliance issues regarding working at heightBy Derrick Hulett Phd, BSC(Hons), NEBOSH, Grad IOSH (Group Compliance Manager)

Contents

Page 3. Compliance issues when working at height

Page 4. The work at height regulations 2005

Page 5. BS EN 1SO 14122-3 2016 Stairs, stepladders and guard rails

Pages 6-7. BS 5395-1:2010 Code of practice for the design of stairs with straight flights and winders

Page 8. BS EN 131-7:2013 Mobile ladders and platform

Ajax Safe Access by Canal Engineering

This whitepaper has been written to provide guidance on the compliance issues regarding Working at Height By Derrick Hulett PHD, Bsc(Hons), NEBOSH, Grad IOSH (Group Compliance Manager at Canal Engineering)

Ajax, a division of Canal Engineering Ltd has a heritage of design innovation, quality metal manufacture and efficient installation. Ajax have developed an extensive range of products to support safer working environments. Our barriers, gates, platforms, and step units have a proven track record for being easy to operate, and the superior quality of our products ensures a long working life cycle.

Safety in the workplace is of the upmost importance and the Ajax range works in compliance with Working at Height Regulations 2005 and Safety of Machinery BS EN ISO 14122-3:2016.

2. ajax.eu.com

Compliance issues when working at heightWhen working at height, employers, self employed and those controlling the work of others must take into account of and comply with the work at height regulations 2005 and any of the applicable standards highlighted below:

The standards to consider:

• BS EN ISO 14122-3 2016 Stairs, stepladders and guard rails• BS 5395-1:2010 Code of practice for the design of stairs with straight flights and winders• BS EN 131-7:2013 Mobile ladders with platform

A person would be classed as working at height if there is a risk of personal injury through falling from the place of work to a lower level. This would include falling from ground level into an excavation or to a lower level through an access (stair well, manhole etc)

Leading British safety access solutions

The work at height regulations 2005All work at height must be risk assessed. The duty to perform the risk assessment lies with:

• An employer of the individual(s) who will be carrying out the work• A self-employed person carrying out the work• A person controlling the work of others

The risk assesment must take account of the hierachy of risk control measures when working at height.

Hierachy of risk control measures

1. Avoid working at height if it is reasonably practicable to achieve the objective without working at height

2. If work at height is essential and unavoidable, the duty holder should firstly try to carry out the work from an existing safe place of work such as a fixed platform with suitable balustrade or other fall protection de-vices. In carrying out the work from an existing safe place the employee must be able to easily carry out the work in an ergonomically safe way without the need to take risks such as leaning over, or climbing on to, edge protection.

3. If no existing safe place of work is available, collective fall prevention measures such as barriers or scaf-folds should be installed and used.

4. If not reasonable practicable to install collective fall prevention measures, individual fall prevention measures such as harnesses with fixed lanyards should be used. Before this control is used the user must be trained and competent and the harness must be correctly fitted and anchored. It is essential to have an adequate rescue plan in place when using harnesses to protect against suspension trauma, which can be fatal.

5. If collective or individual fall prevention is not possible at the point of work, access work equipment may be used but the equipment selected must adequately prevent falls. When providing work equipment to pre-vent falls it is essential to prioritise collective fall prevention over individual fall prevention. 6. If fall prevention measures are not reasonably practicable, measures must be employed to mitigate the distance and consequence of any fall. Measures would include crash decks, air bags and safety nets.

7. Fall arrest systems which allow a person to fall but stop the fall before the person can collide with a sur-face or object, must only be used as a last resort once all previous control measures have been considered. Whenever such a control measure is used, all persons involved must be fully trained in the use and rescue. (Pic of fall restraint system in use example from web)

8. Whatever measures are used to protect employees, the employees must be trained and competent to safely use them. In addition they should be trained on all of the hazards associated with working at height and how to control them.

4. ajax.eu.com

BS EN ISO 14122-3:2016 Stairs, stepladders and guard railsThis is part of the BS EN ISO 14122 “Safety of Machinery – Permanent Means of Access” range of stand-ards and is harmonised as part of the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

The key requirements of the standard with regard to protection against fall from working at height and protection against materials falling from height are:

• Stairs, step ladders and guard-rails — including fittings, hinges, anchorage points, supports and mountings — shall be designed and constructed and the materials selected so that they with stand the foreseeable conditions of use.• Guard-rails shall be designed and constructed to prevent objects falling.• Opening or closing of moving parts (gates), of adjustable parts (e.g. foldable, slidable) and of movable parts shall not cause further hazards (for example by shearing or by falling) to users and other persons in the vicinity.• The dimensions for the going and rise of stairs must fall between stated requirements to prevent falls.• The uppermost step of a flight of stairs must be level with the landing.• A guard rail must be installed if the height of a possible fall exceeds 500mm.• A guard rail must be installed if the gap between a platform and the structure of a machine or wall is greater than 180 mm or if the protection of the structure is not equivalent to a guardrail.• The minimum height of any guard-rail must be 1100mm. If a hand rail is fitted, the height of the handrail must be ≤1100mm. The handrail must also be parallel to the walking line.• The guard-rail must include at least one intermediate knee rail or any other equivalent protection. • The clear space between the handrail and the knee rail, as well as between the knee rail and the toe-plate, must not exceed 500mm.• When vertical uprights are used instead of a knee rail, the clear horizontal distance between those uprights must be 180mm maximum.• A toe-plate with a minimum upstand of 100mm must be placed 12mm maximum from the walking level and the edge of the platform, as well as stair landings.• If there is a gap between the toe-plates of adjacent guard rail segments, this gap must be not more than 20mm.

5. ajax.eu.com

Leading British safety access solutions

BS 5395-1:2010 Code of practice for the design of stairs with straight flights and windersThis part of BS 5395 gives recommendations for the design of stairs with straight flights, including landings and winders for all types of building and industrial walkways.

The key requirements of the standard with regard to protection against fall from height are:

Handrails

• Should be fixed at a vertical height to the top of the handrail above the pitch line between 900mm and 1000mm.• Should continue across intermediate landings at a vertical height to the top of the handrail above the landing between 900mm and 1100mm (not across doorways or obstructing adjacent circulation routes).• Should be fixed parallel to the pitch line over steps, or horizontal over landings.• Should be rigid and strong enough to provide adequate support for users.• Should be comfortable to grip and without sharp surfaces, yet able to provide adequate resistance to hand slippage.• Should allow the entire hand to form a grip around the handrail, rather than a less secure pinch grip which uses just the fingers. This requires a clear mounting distance between the bottom of the handrail and the top of the stair balustrade of at least 50mm.• Should be continuously graspable along their entire length (except where brackets are joined, provided that they do not project horizontally beyond the sides of the handrail within 50mm of the bottom of the handrail)• Should be a poor conductor of heat, if exposure to heat or temperatures below 0°C is likely.• Should be finished so as to provide visual contrast with the surroundings against which it is seen.• Should be the same height on both sides of the flight of stairs.

Guarding

• Where there is a change in height of 600mm or more, stairs and landings should be fitted with guarding to prevent users falling over the edge. • The height of the guarding should be not less than 900mm above the pitch line of stairs, and not less than 1100mm above landings. • Where children are likely to use the stairs, the guarding must be designed to prevent children falling through it or becoming trapped in it. The gaps should therefore be below 100mm. The guarding must also be designed to prevent or discourage children from climbing up it

6. ajax.eu.com

BS 5395-1:2010 Code of practice for the design of stairs with straight flights and winders (cont’d)

Steps • Single steps are trip hazards and should generally be avoided• The surface of treads (or coverings) should be designed so that they can easily be seen and not mis taken for surrounding areas.• The tread size should be sufficient to provide adequate support to the shod foot. It should allow at least part of the heel, when ascending the stair, to rest firmly on each step, and should permit descent without the need to place the foot at an awkward angle.• The tread width should not be less than the going.• Treads and landings should be horizontal and firmly fixed. • A step with a shallow rise can be a trip hazard. The maximum rise that can be negotiated safely and easily is 200 mm.• Treads and risers in a flight should be of similar dimensions. For private stairs a variation of ±1% of the going from the design going is permitted, and a variation of ±1% of the rise from the design rise is permitted. For normal-use stairs a variation of ±1.5% of the going from the design going is permitted, and a variation of ±1% of the rise from the design rise is permitted.

7. ajax.eu.com

Leading British safety access solutions

BS EN 131-7:2013 Mobile ladders and platforms

This standard specifies design characteristics of mobile ladders with fixed platforms. The standard covers platforms with a maximum area of 1m2 and a maximum height of 5m.

• The key requirements of the standard with regard to protection against fall from height are:• The ladders are to be used by only one person at a time.• The maximum combined weight of the user and tools / materials must not exceed 150Kg.• The surface of the treads and platform must be designed so as to prevent slips.• The platform must be permanently fixed to the ladder and must be equipped with a toe board on all sides were access to the platform is not required.• The height of the toe board must be at least 50mm above the platform level.• The length and width of the platform must be between 400mm and 1000mm.• Measures must be in place to ensure that there is no movement of the ladder and platform when in the position of use.• The height of the guard rail must be at least 950mm above the platform level.• The gaps between the guard rail and any middle rails must be below 470mm.• If the angle of the fixed ladder is between 45o and 60o, a hand rail must be fitted.

8. ajax.eu.com