Given the risks, when required to work at heights it is important for the employer to take extra care & attention. Risk Assessments & Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) are required to be embedded as standard operating procedures. Failure to do can result in tragic events & fines.
Working At Heights – In 2018 a cabinet manufacturer instructed his workers to work at a 4.5 metre height without a formal risk assessment or safe work method statement. Wholesale Joinery was wanting to disassemble and take away a cool room that was no longer used on the premises. The company received a quote from a contractor and believed it was too high.
Later it was decided that the workers of Wholesale Joinery had the skills to take on the dissembling and removal of the cool room regardless of the company not being in the demolition or construction business.
The cool room was suspended on cables and had interlocked panels that had tongue and groove connections, which were inserted into aluminium tracking and riveted together. The panels had air-conditioning ducting attached and it was indicated on the panels that they could hold up to 150kgs.
All
persons involved in general construction work needs to comply with the OHS
legislation managed by state and territory Occupational Health and Safety
Authorities.
The employer did not perform a formal risk assessment prior to the employees
commencing work. Any high-risk work requires a Safe Work Method Statement which
this job was. There were no actions taken to manage the fall risk – no use of
lanyards/harnesses from anchor points on the ceiling or the elevated platform
which was owned.
An employee was performing the duties requested by the employer and stepped to the edge of one of the panels he had been walking on, where the panel gave way causing him to fall to the ground sustaining serious injuries.
Wholesale Joinery was hit with a $145k penalty for failing to protect the health and safety of their employee.
Irrespective of the Industry or business activity, risk prevention is pivotal as not only are employers responsible for proving a healthy and safe environment for their workers but also failing to do so could result in government fines or workers compensation claims that could be very costly to the business.
For all you’re your WHS or Workers Compensation needs, please contact our risk and safety specialists.
Source: SafeWork NSW
Title: Working At Heights
Read Time:
Source: NSW Government
Title: Central Coast company fined after worker injured in fall
Read Time: 2 minutes