Controlling and assessing risk at heights

Liz Foster reminds readers that prevention is better than a cure when working at heights.

BEFORE any work is undertaken, whatever the industry, it makes sense to carry out a risk assessment to minimise or eliminate any risk of an accident or injury.

The Occupational Health & Safety Act is the legal requirement for companies to undertake hazard identification and risk assessment processes, and then formulate and implement a safe system of work according to the situation. In September this year, Booth Transport in SA was convicted and fined $18,750, when a B-double tanker’s driver, who was crouched on top of the tank, fell four metres onto concrete after the wire on the mid-rail of the safety handrail gave way.

SafeWork SA asserted that the accident was preventable if a more thorough maintenance and safety check had been in place, and in fact the company’s early guilty plea, cooperation, contrition and improved safety systems helped keep the fine from being any higher.

The process of risk assessment and control is made up of the following steps:

Identify the potential hazards;

Assess the risk(s) from the hazards, classifying them by severity and likelihood;

Use appropriate control measures to eliminate or control the risk, via the hierarchy of control (see below) and;

Review the control measures from time to time, to ensure their continued effectiveness.

Hierarchy of control measures

Whilst there are six levels of control, of paramount importance is the elimination of the hazard. This can be done by removing the need for the task or discontinuing the activity – for instance, replacing a manual valve in a hazardous position with a remotely controlled valve.

Where elimination is not possible, there are five lower levels of control that need to be considered.

Substituting the system of work or plant with something safer – for instance, using an elevated work platform for gutter cleaning rather than accessing the gutter from a roof mounted restraint system.

Isolating the hazard, such as installing lockable cabinets around hazardous electrical equipment.

Risk is eliminated here, for example, via the construction of guard rails to prevent access to an edge.

These may feature the introduction of special permits to work certain systems, or work method statements and operator training.

Personal protective equipment, such as safety eye and footwear, is a given.

Many situations require a combination of the above control measures. Once identified, those measures should be incorporated into the company’s safe work method statements and used in conjunction with formal operator training and certification.

Assessing risk and control measures

Whilst a specific Hierarchy of Control for Fall Protection is detailed in Australian Standards AS/NZS 1891.4 section 1.5, Gordon Cadzow of the FPMA cautions that prevention is always better than cure.

“Whilst the measures detailed in both the Occupational Health & Safety Act and the Australian Standard apply to a varying and wide range of situations, by far the most effective level of protection involving height safety is to prevent the need to work at height.”

He goes on to clarify that the first step in fall protection’s hierarchy of control is again Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment, including the likelihood and consequence of each hazard.

“Once the risk has been identified, the highest practical level of protection for the situation then needs to be employed.”

Of all the levels of control specified in the Standard, fall protection equipment is defined as the lowest form of absolute protection and should only be relied upon once all the other alternatives have been exhausted. Competency-based operator training in the use of the equipment is an additional requirement.

The Standard defines a further hierarchy of control once the equipment is in use:

Fall arrest equipment which will not allow the operator to reach a position at which there is a risk of a free or limited free fall.

Personal fall arrest equipment which the operator can adjust as necessary to prevent them reaching a point where a fall is possible (note, this technique requires advanced training).

Utilise work positioning devices such as elevating work platforms, swing stages or building maintenance units, or support the operator by means of an industrial rope access system so that the risk of a fall is minimised.

Personal fall arrest equipment for the operator which will not prevent a fall but will limit the distance and severity of the fall.

Personal fall arrest equipment which will not prevent a fall but will minimise the risk of injury in the event of a fall.

A rescue plan covering all potential hazardous also needs to be in place prior to utilising a fall arrest system, as serious injury or death can occur in a matter of minutes when an operator is suspended in a fall arrest harness.