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HSE press release:
E187:03 - 24 September 2003
ONE IN TEN LONDON WORKPLACES
FAILING TO PREVENT FALLS FROM HEIGHT
One in ten London workplaces were found to be failing
to prevent falls from height during the inspection initiative that took place
across the capital in the last two weeks. Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Inspectors served 47 enforcement notices aimed at improving work at height
practices at the 494 workplaces they visited.
Falls from height is the single biggest cause of death in British workplaces,
accounting for 69 deaths and 3996 major injuries of workers in 2001/2. In
London, in the same year, 9 workers died after a workplace fall from height
and 393 suffered major injuries.
During this two-week inspection campaign, Inspectors were checking to see
that employers and contractors were properly controlling the risks that arise
when people work at height. Workplaces visited included schools, bus garages,
factories and public and private hospitals.
Much of the enforcement action was taken on industrial estates, requiring
employers to undertake a risk assessment for work at height, improve problems
such as edge protection on mezzanine floors or to introduce appropriate safety
checks and maintenance for ladders. Some examples of poor practice identified
by HSE inspectors included:
A gang of roofing contractors who were working on a fragile roof without
any means of fall prevention, such as crawling boards, or fall arrest equipment
such as harnesses. This gang was immediately prohibited from working until
appropriate measures had been taken
A wooden ladder in a garage that was so badly damaged that the inspector
immediately prohibited its use.
One major focus of the fortnight was looking at work at height practices
on advertising hoardings. Twenty-two of the 47 notices were issued because
the access and work platform arrangements for poster hangers were poor or
non-existent.
Given the seriousness of this issue, Inspectors will be meeting the industry
trade association and key dutyholders over the next few weeks to ensure that
all companies working in this area are aware of the risks and that appropriate
standards are met.
Despite the problems identified, in the majority of cases, HSE Inspectors
found a considerable amount of good practice. Most employers had considered
the work both their employees and contractors carry out at height, had made
risk assessments and were putting their findings into practice.
During the workplace visits, Inspectors gave out a lot of advice where small
improvements were needed, such as marking the access to fragile roofs and
introducing a log of all ladders held on site.
Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) said: “It
was good to see during this inspection campaign that many people had taken
action to improve work at height practices. However one in ten London workplaces
did not understand their duties and were not managing the risks. This situation
must change if we are to reduce the rate of falls from height, which remains
the biggest cause of death in the UK.”
The preliminary results of the HSE London initiative on falls from height
were:
Number of notices served by London Borough
London Borough
Number of Notices
Number of Visits
City of London
0
0
Barking Dagenham
0
0
Barnet
0
8
Bexley
1
18
Brent
4
18
Bromley
0
12
Camden
1
14
Croydon
4
26
Ealing
4
14
Enfield
0
16
Greenwich
0
17
Hackney LB
0
7
Hammersmith
0
0
Haringey
0
0
Harrow
10
55
Havering
4
54
Hillingdon
0
8
Hounslow
3
88
Islington
0
2
Kensington + CHL
0
2
Kingston
5
8
Lambeth
0
1
Lewisham
0
5
Merton
5
16
Newham LB
0
9
Redbridge
0
21
Richmond
0
5
Southwark
1
6
Sutton
0
2
Tower Hamlets
0
9
Waltham Forest
3
13
Wandsworth
2
34
Westminster, City of
2
34
TOTAL
47
494
Number of notices served
by industry
Project
Number of Notices
Number of Visits
Bus Garages
0
1
Advertising banners and hoardings
22
54
Factories and workshops
23
261
Construction *
0
2
Hospitals
0
29
Schools
2
131
Airports
0
16
TOTAL
47
494
* This does not include inspection visits by the specialist construction
inspectors. Overall figures of the construction industry inspections will
be available on 2 October 2003.
Notes to editors:
1. In the last three years, from 1999/00 – 2001/02, 38 workers in London
died and 2,224 suffered a major injury as a result of a fall from height.
2. Falls from height are the most common cause of fatal injury and the second
most common cause of major injury to employees.
3. The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has included Falls from Height
in its eight Priority Programmes chosen to meet the Revitalising targets
for the reduction in injury rates in the workplace.
4. The London Division of HSE’s Field Operations Directorate was set up in
April 2002 with the aim of meeting the unique health and safety at work challenges
presented by the capital. This is the first such attempt at a pan-London
initiative. The intention is to achieve greater impact by focusing resources
on a single important issue.
PUBLIC ENQUIRIES: Call HSE's InfoLine, tel: 08701 545500, or write to: HSE
Information Services, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly CF83 3GG.
PRESS ENQUIRIES regarding this Press Release: Journalists only: Sarah Weston
020 7261 8733
Anita Gardner 020 7717 6918