Are you scared of working at heights?

Falls from height are associated with more fatal and major/specified injuries to workers than any other kind of injury.In the UK in 2015/16 falls from height were the most common cause of fatalities, 37 dead, and the most common cause of major/specified injuries; accounting for some 156,000.

So this week I thought we would look at working at height looking at the areas of risk, the fears some people have and their reasons for hiding these fears from others. I also consider what employers could do to reduce the number of falls from height.

This week’s 2 recent HSE case look at:

• A worker was using a ladder to access the top of a fuel tank when he fell two and a half meters backwards, suffering fatal head injuries.
• A self-employed businessman has been prosecuted after his employee fell from the flat roof of a building and died from his injuries

As ever, if you have a subject that you would like us to cover one week, please contact us by phone 01458 253682, email or via our Facebook page or by Twitter

Are you scared of working at heights?

Falls from height are associated with more fatal and major/specified injuries to workers than any other kind of injury. In the UK in 2013/14 falls from height were the most common cause of fatalities, and the second most common cause of major/specified injuries; accounting for some 567,000 Lost Work Days.

Older males the most likely victims!

Most fatalities occurred in construction, agriculture, facilities maintenance, and manufacturing, with older male victims being dis-proportionally represented. Ok, so it is generally accepted that more men than women, work in the high risk industries for working at heights. But why the older male?

As part of our services I offer a scaffold inspection service, I know that it takes self-confidence to be able to work at a height. These days, even though I am still happy and able to walk scaffolds, I do not have that same level of confidence that I used to have, probably because it is not something I do every day.

In the workplace, it is also true that many people assigned to work at a height do not do it every day, which could mean their confidence levels are not that high, even if they are not scared of heights: those people who are fearful of heights are very unlikely to feel confident when placed in any height situation at any time.

Although not specified by HSE, the opportunities for a fall from height are greater when ladders are used, when people ascend/descend steps and stairways, when sheeting/roping on lorry trailers, climbing out of lorry cabs, and working on structures without leading edge protection.

Acrophobia

Most people are scared of something (spiders, snakes, etc.), with many people being scared of heights, and some being extremely fearful (Acrophobia from the Greek: ákron , meaning “peak, summit, edge” and phóbos, “fear”).

When someone is fearful, they tend to focus solely on the object or situation that is scaring them, to the exclusion of anything else. As long as the person holds the fear in check, it can lead to continuous risk assessment as they try to ensure their safety. If unchecked, the person’s estimate of the danger increases exponentially, to the point that anxiety and distress can cause them to freeze and/or become a danger to themselves and others such as running to escape even though high up on a scaffold.

This can manifest itself at any time. Indeed I know an ex roofer who, having worked happily on roofs all his working life, suddenly at age of 46 had an attack of acrophobia and froze on the roof and had to be helped down. He has never felt safe enough to return to roofs.

Hiding of fears

In the workplace, there are many social pressures that lead people to hide their fears. As such, it is highly likely that some fall victims are people who have hidden their fear of heights from their workmates and managers, perhaps because of ‘perceived mickey taking’ or fear of losing their job.

So what can you do to help?

One way that may help reduce the number of falls from height could be to identify those who are fearful of heights before allocating them to such tasks. This could be done by HR during selection tests, prior to hire, assuming detailed job descriptions are available. At the very least, simply asking people if they are comfortable working at a height should become a recognised part of a risk assessment or permit-to-work process, particularly if they are over 50 years of age. It could also prove useful for incident investigators to explicitly explore the possibility that a fall from height victim was height-fearful.

If you would like any further help or support, please please contact us by phone 01458 253682, email or via our Facebook page or by Twitter

We are exhibiting in 2017

As part of our 25th anniversary celebrations the Wilkins Safety Group are exhibiting at 3 Business Expos this year in Exeter, Swindon and Bristol.

The first of these is at the South West Business Expo on Thursday 30th March at the Matford Centre, Marsh Barton, Exeter EX2 8FD.

We are Stand 131 where you can meet members of our team and discuss your Health & Safety concerns and learn what we can do to takes the worry of dealing with Health & Safety regulations off your hands, leaving you free to concentrate on running your business the way you want to.

There will also be free to enter Prize Draw

Don’t miss your opportunity to visit over 170 exhibitors, be inspired by many Free Seminars and enjoy many Networking events through-out the Expo from Speed Networking to the Networking Cafe. There will also be Live Cookery Demonstrations with local chefs from restaurants showing off their skills.