Working at Height Regulations
Today’s Health and Safety, LOLER and Working at Heights legislation requires that all personnel working in these potentially dangerous conditions are suitably trained and protected from falls from height. It is a legal requirement for employers to provide adequate health and safety training for their employees. Failure of an employer to provide adequate training can make them liable to prosecution, including heavy fines and even imprisonment. Whatever your requirements are, Urban Access can help, we can assist you in choosing the right type of safety training to relevant industry standards.
LOLER – Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment
The requirements imposed by the LOLER regulations on an employer in respect of lifting equipment apply in relation to lifting equipment provided for use or used by an employee of his at work.
The regulations state that the employer must ensure that:
- All lifting equipment must be of adequate strength and stability for each load having regard in particular to the stress induced at it’s mounting or fixed point and that every part of any load and anything attached to it and used in lifting it must be of adequate strength.
- Lifting equipment for lifting persons must be such that person(s) using it are prevented from being crushed, trapped or struck or falling even if they are carrying out activities from the carrier. Suitable devices to prevent the carrier falling must also be fitted.
- It must also allow persons to be freed and free from danger when trapped in the said carrier. Where for reason of siting problems or height differences this cannot be achieved the carrier must have a suspension rope or chain which has a better design safety limit than it would normally need and that rope or chain. This must also be inspected by a competent person every working day and records of the inspection kept.
- Lifting equipment must be positioned and installed in such a way so as to reduce to as low as reasonably practicable the risk of the equipment or the load striking any person; or of the load drifting or falling freely or being released unintentionally.
- There must always be suitable devices to prevent a person falling down a shaft or hoist way.
- Every lifting machine and any lifting accessories used for lifting loads must be clearly marked with their Safe Working Loads (SWL).
- If the SWL of any lifting machinery depends on the way it is set up or configured the SWL must be clearly marked for each possible configuration; or clear information about the SWL for each configuration must be kept with the machinery. Where the SWL can only be achieved by using lifting accessories in the correct manner this information must also be readily available.
- Lifting equipment which is designed for lifting persons must be clearly marked as such. Lifting equipment which is NOT designed for lifting persons but which might in error be used for that purpose must be clearly marked to show it is NOT designed for lifting persons.
- The employer must ensure that EVERY lifting operation which involves lifting equipment is properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised; and carried out in a safe manner.
- Before lifting equipment is put to use for the first time by an employer it must be thoroughly examined for any defect (unless the equipment is new).
This is only a part of the LOLER regulations and should not be taken as the full range of advice or requirements. Please contact Urban Access for further advice and training.