7.0
General
7.1
Safety Information
In order to reduce the number of fatalities and major accidents
attributable to work at height, the Health and Safety Executive
has introduced comprehensive regulations and guidance that
should be followed by all businesses working at height.
We consider in the following paragraphs some of the main
features of the regulations and guidance.This is, however, only a
limited summary and it is recommended that all businesses
planning on undertaking solar water heating installations obtain
a copy of the regulations and guidance issued by the Health
and Safety Executive and carefully consider the contents.
The regulations and guidance state that you are required to
carry out a risk assessment for all work conducted at
height and to put in place arrangements for:
•
Eliminating or minimising risks from work at height.
•
Safe systems of work for organising and performing work
at height.
•
Safe systems for selecting suitable work equipment.
•
Safe systems for protecting people from the consequences
of work at height.
The regulations and guidance highlight a hierarchy for safe
work at height:
•
Avoid
the risk by not working at height if practicable.
•
Prevent
falls, where it is not reasonably practicable to
avoid work at height; you are required to take suitable and
sufficient steps to prevent the risk of a fall including
selecting the most suitable work equipment
(in accordance with the regulations).
•
Mitigate
the consequences of a fall; where the risk of a
person or object falling still remains, take suitable and
sufficient measures to minimise the distance and
consequences of any fall.
Collective protection measures, such as guard rails on scaffold,
should be given priority over personal protection measures,
such as safety harnesses.
Within the regulations’ framework, you are required to:
1) Assess the risk to help you decide how to work safely.
2) Follow the hierarchy for safe work at height (i.e. avoid,
prevent and mitigate).
3) Plan and organise your work properly, taking account of
weather conditions and the possibility of emergencies.
4) Make sure those working at height are competent.
5) Make use of appropriate work equipment.
6) Manage the risks from working on or around fragile surfaces
and from falling objects.
7) Inspect and maintain the work equipment to be used and
inspect the place where the work will be carried out
(including access and egress).
When preparing to install a solar water heating system, it is
required that you perform a risk assessment in relation
to work at height and plan how you will organise your work,
taking into account the site, the weather conditions
and the experience and competence of colleagues or
contractors who may be working at height with you.
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© Baxi Heating UK Ltd 2008
