Data on fatalities needs to be more forensic demands PASMA

HSE Provisional Workplace Fatality Figures for 2011/12 need to be more forensic demands PASMA

A long-time time advocate of the need for more detailed data, the Association says the latest figures, although clearly important, do little or nothing to help identify the cause of these fatalities. Such data, claims PASMA, is essential to help target information and initiatives at those areas needing it most.

Firmly committed to advancing safety and best practice in the work at height sector – a major cause of workplace injuries and deaths – the Association says the need for in depth information is paramount in order to help influence future outcomes and enable all organisations who champion safety to focus their attention where it matters most.

Comments Neil Tomlinson, PASMA’s head of marketing and communications: “Only in this way will we be able to prioritise, direct and take the action necessary to influence the figures and be able to demonstrably show progress on significantly reducing accident statistics. Not only in the UK, but ultimately internationally.”

Ladder fall earns politician the nickname ‘Mr Bump’!

One thing that has become clear this summer is that politicians are not best suited to working at height. If stories about their above-ground exploits continue to pile up, they might start to feel the need for Ladder Association training.

First, Boris Johnson failed to quite make it all the way to the ground during an Olympic zip line stunt, being left dangling in the air shouting “get me a rope, get me a ladder”. Now, Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock has upped the ante to more dangerous levels.

The Labour MP and Shadow Transport Minister fell from a ladder at his home on Sunday while moving things into his attic. He described himself as “lucky” on Twitter after spending the night in hospital, not to mention “bashful”.

Rightly so, according to the Ladder Association’s Head of Communications, Neil Tomlinson. He said: “Ladders are great to have around the house as well as at work if used safely and correctly but with falls from height among the most common ways people seriously injure themselves at work, people at home also have to be aware of the dangers and make sure they minimise them.

“Fellow MPs now affectionately refer to him as Mr Bump, and Mr Woodcock has called himself an “eejit”. While the Ladder Association wouldn't want to disagree with him, we are pleased to see that he considers this accident a “valuable lesson”. Not everyone is lucky enough to have the chance to learn lessons after a fall from height, it is great news that nothing is broken and he is going home.”

The Ladder Association advocates the usefulness of ladders, stating that if it’s right to use a ladder, use the right ladder and get trained to use it safely. This incident comes less than a month before the start of the Association’s Ladder Exchange 2012 campaign, an ideal way to maximise ladder safety by trading in older ladders for discounted new ones.

Aside from considering such a trade-in, Mr Woodcock is also welcome to a complementary Ladder Association training course if he feels his skills at height could do with some work. Perhaps he will spread the word, and soon all politicians will be working safely at height.

Ladders in Scaffolding: New Guidance

Launched at the recent Safety & Health Expo, the Ladder Association has published new guidance when using ladders in scaffolding. It underlines the need to ensure that ladders used in scaffolding applications meet the requisite standards and are supplied complete with the relevant – and genuine – approvals mark and test certificate. Comments the Association’s Technical Director, Don Aers: ” This new document is designed to inform and guide anyone with the responsibility for specifying and purchasing ladders for use in scaffolding. Always use the right ladder, manufactured to the correct standard and use it safely.”Ignorance is no defence".

 Click here to download PDF version

Ladder Exchange Programme

The Ladder Exchange Programme is actively supported by the Ladder Association and Kentec Training who have made a firm commitment to work in partnership with HSE and the access industry. We support this programme as the 'Exchange' has also contributed to raising awareness and understanding of how to use ladders and stepladders safely. Under the scheme, suspect ladders can be exchanged for new, at a discounted price by Kentec Training.

The Ladder Exchange is a great example of how everyone in the health and safety system can share responsibility and work together towards a common goal; namely, reducing falls from height.

With immediate effect, the Ladder Association has assumed responsibility for delivering the annual Ladder Exchange. Since it was first launched in 2007, the Exchange has been responsible for removing over 10,000 broken, bented or damaged ladders from the workplace with the message ‘Don’t let a dodgy ladder shatter your life’. Cameron Clow, the new chairman of the Association has commented: “By entrusting the running and management of the Ladder Exchange to the Ladder Association, HSE is acknowledging the increasingly important role that the Association and member organisations of the Access Industry Forum (AIF) now play in advancing safety and best practice in the work at height sector.”

“The Ladder Association is the natural and logical new home for this landmark initiative, which, at launch, created a benchmark in collaboration between the industry trade body, ladder manufacturers and suppliers, and the regulatory body. As an organisation committed to advancing knowledge, skills and safety, we are proud and delighted to have the opportunity of taking over and developing this initiative.”

Paul Cook for HSE says: ”It is widely recognised that trade associations such as the Ladder Association are well placed to promote safety in their industries, given their long established cross-sector membership and contacts. We look forward to the Ladder Association making a real success of the Ladder Exchange as it develops in future years, helping to reduce serious risks that can cost people their livelihoods and  their lives.”

Falls from height:

Despite a steady decline, falls from height remain the most common kind of workplace fatality. In 2010/11, a total of 38 workers died and 4,327 employees suffered a major injury as a result of a fall from height in the workplace, with a further 10,232 employees suffering an ‘over 3 day’ injury. Many of these incidents could have been avoided by people with the right training using the correct equipment that had been properly inspected and maintained.