4 tips for height safety
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Whether you're tending to the gutters before the weather heads south or you're getting ready to install windows on a commercial building, height safety should always be a primary concern.
"Safe Work Australia reports 21 fall-related serious injuries per day in 2010-11."
According to a Safe Work Australia publication from 2013, a typical falls-related serious injury claim results in 6.2 weeks off work - something none of us can afford! How often do injuries occur from falling? An analysis of the 2010-11 financial year revealed 7730 claims for serious injuries related to falls from height - that's 21 a day!
So, to avoid becoming another statistic, stick to the following four tips for height safety.
1. Read the instructions
Every piece of equipment should have detailed instructions for it's safe operation. With Kennards, this is as easy as scanning the QR code on the tool or machine you have. You can get full access to service history and safety information. Check out the our TV ad below for a rundown on this!
2. Safety gear
When using cherry pickers or boom lifts, a harness is essential to safety. While you might not feel it's necessary inside the bucket, leaning too far to reach something or slipping on something underfoot could quickly turn things nasty.
There are also plenty of other times you could want a safety harness or hard hat, including working on scaffolding, scissor lifts, roofs or gantries.
Safety gear can be a lifesaver in many circumstances.3. Roofing on an angle
The national code of practice for the prevention of falls in housing construction lays out some very practical guidelines when it comes to height safety. One of the key features of the code is working on steep roofs - that is, a roof with an incline of greater than 35 degrees.
Where this is the case, the code requires a safety system for workers made of two or more of the following:
- A work positioning system
- A roof ladder
- A scaffold platform at the roof's edge
It's always worthwhile taking along a couple of roof harnesses to the job site, no matter the pitch of the roof.
Need help selecting the right scaffolding for your roofing job?4. Catch!
When all else fails, a safety net can literally be a lifesaver. These can be perfect for when you're working on angled overhangs, roof edges or bridges.
However, it's important to remember that there are a large amount of items to consider when erecting a safety net. For example, Safe Work Australia says that your net should be as close as is practical to the underside of the work area and no more than 2 metres away. This makes sense - even falling into a net can cause some serious injury if it's quite far from the work face.
If you're unsure of the safety equipment required for the job, make sure to stop into your local Kennards Hire - we'll sort you out!
