[Moderator David@stives]

i have just found this on the hse site and without trying to scare anyone i thought it may be of interest .i did use copy and paste

dave

Falls from ladders
Case study 1
A maintenance fitter lost his footing on the second rung of a ladder. His feet slipped through the rungs and he was killed when his head hit the floor as he fell backwards.

Case study 2
A maintenance fitter carrying out routine work was using a ladder to access a ventilation duct in a production area of a pharmaceutical company. The ladder was not secured but had suction pads attached to the feet to prevent slipping as it was thought that this would save having a second person present while the task was being undertaken.

However the ladder did slip down the wall and ended up flat on the ground. The employee broke both wrists, one had to be pinned. The accident investigation found that the smooth floor, necessary for hygiene standards in the production area, had compromised the performance of the grippers.

Case study 3
The supervisor of a team of shop fitters was concerned that the target date for completion of a project would be missed. On arriving on site to assess progress he became involved in helping to finish the job on time. He fell 2 m from an unsecured ladder after overreaching while trying to pull cabling through ductwork. He broke an ankle and a wrist in four places. The project was not completed to deadline.

Case study 4
During refurbishment of a warehouse a contractor placed a ladder between two stands of a pallet racking so that the bottom of the ladder was resting against one rack - so that it would not slip - and the top was leaning on the other. The ladder, which was wooden, was at an angle of about 45 degrees. It broke under his weight and he fractured his skull.

Case study 5
An electrical fitter, in trying to unscrew a stuck plastic cap off an infrared detector, got more than he bargained for. The force he was using caused the body of the fitting to fail and his hand grabbed hold of live metal whilst he was nearly 3 m up the ladder. He was thrown off suffering shock, burns and severe bruising.

Case study 6
A self-employed installer fitting cavity wall insulation was working off a ladder using a heavy diamond tube drill. The ladder was not tied and was in poor condition with loose and bent rungs. He overreached and the ladder fell causing the installer to fall 3 m on to the concrete floor below. He broke his right heel and various other bones in that foot. He has subsequently undergone several bouts of major surgery but is still unable to walk without crutches and he has not worked since the accident.

Case study 7
A window cleaner sustained broken ribs, fingers and a broken arm when he fell 2.3 m from his ladder while cleaning the windows of a show home on a new housing estate. The ladder was not secured or footed, the ground was dry but sloped gently away from the building. The construction company had not produced a method statement and the injured man had received no health and safety induction when he arrived on the site.

Case study 8
An employee of a construction and building services company was replacing house windows. He was carrying some silicon sealant up the ladder for a new window and had reached a height of about 3 m when the bottom of the ladder slipped out and the employee fell, badly fracturing his leg. The accident investigation found that the ladder had been resting on grass that sloped gently away from the building. It had been raining. The ladder was not footed as the injured man's colleague had been inside the building at the time and the ladder was not tied or secured by any other means.

Case study 9
A farm worker sustained serious leg injuries when he fell from a ladder. Under supervision, the 16 –year-old trainee was trying to fix a door runner about 4.5 m from the ground. A risk assessment had shown that a fork-lift cage or a tower scaffold should be used. However, the supervisor decided to use the ladder for the short job. The young worker overreached, slipped and fell.

[Moderator David@stives]

hse window cleaning information sheet




http://66.102.9.104/u/HSEC?q=cache:xc0kEaNdL6cJ:www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/misc613.pdf+window+cleaning&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

[Moderator David@stives]

Ladders are not banned – but they should be used sensibly
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) spoke on BBC’s Newsnight programme last Friday (9 September) to dispel the myth that window cleaners can no longer use ladders because they are banned by the Work at Height Regulations (WAHR). Sensible risk management is the key to securing compliance with health and safety regulations, including the WAHR.

Since the introduction of the WAHR there have been rumours in various industry sectors claiming that ladders are “illegal” or “banned by HSE”. The Newsnight piece gave HSE an opportunity to set the record straight for window cleaners.

Ian Greenwood, head of HSE’s Falls from Height Programme, said: “HSE champions sensible health and safety. These Regulations do not ban ladders but say they should be used only when all other safer alternatives for work at height have been ruled out. A risk assessment must show that the task is low risk and of short duration, or that there are site features that mean other equipment is not appropriate. If so, then ladders can be used.”

Falls from ladders resulted in 14 deaths at work last year. Every year falls at work cause some 4,000 major injuries (ranging from fractures to hospitalisations). Nearly a third (over 1,000) of these major injuries follow falls from ladders. HSE is planning a number of initiatives this year to promote safe, sensible ladder use, including the launch of a new guide, “Safe Use of Ladders and Stepladders”, in the autumn.

Notes to Editors
There were 53 deaths from falls at work in Great Britain last year. Many of those who died would still be alive today if sensible measures had been taken.
On average two window cleaners die each year following falls from ladders and many more suffer major injury.
Alternatives to using ladders to clean windows include: cleaning from the inside; using mobile elevated working platforms; using water-fed pole systems.
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 came into force on 6 April this year. They set out a simple hierarchy for managing and selecting work equipment for work at height. Duty holders must:
avoid work at height where they can;
use work equipment or other measurers to prevent falls where they cannot avoid work at height; and
where they cannot eliminate the risk of a fall, use work equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall should one occur.
HSE has published a brief guide to the Regulations on the HSE website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.pdf .

[williamx]

A good posting David

[Moderator David@stives]

i put this on here for information purposes so people are aware of the hse and possible risks

[williamx]

Alan

It might be a small amounts of accidents compared with the amount of ladder use, but surely 1 accident is 1 to many, and if it can be a way to prevent one surely this is a good thing, or is it ok that someone must pay the ultimate price so that the status quo always exists.

[Thecleanerservice]

Well done, making constructive use of your time mate.

i have just found this on the hse site and without trying to scare anyone i thought it may be of interest .i did use copy and paste

dave

Falls from ladders
Case study 1
A maintenance fitter lost his footing on the second rung of a ladder. His feet slipped through the rungs and he was killed when his head hit the floor as he fell backwards.

Case study 2
A maintenance fitter carrying out routine work was using a ladder to access a ventilation duct in a production area of a pharmaceutical company. The ladder was not secured but had suction pads attached to the feet to prevent slipping as it was thought that this would save having a second person present while the task was being undertaken.

However the ladder did slip down the wall and ended up flat on the ground. The employee broke both wrists, one had to be pinned. The accident investigation found that the smooth floor, necessary for hygiene standards in the production area, had compromised the performance of the grippers.

Case study 3
The supervisor of a team of shop fitters was concerned that the target date for completion of a project would be missed. On arriving on site to assess progress he became involved in helping to finish the job on time. He fell 2 m from an unsecured ladder after overreaching while trying to pull cabling through ductwork. He broke an ankle and a wrist in four places. The project was not completed to deadline.

Case study 4
During refurbishment of a warehouse a contractor placed a ladder between two stands of a pallet racking so that the bottom of the ladder was resting against one rack - so that it would not slip - and the top was leaning on the other. The ladder, which was wooden, was at an angle of about 45 degrees. It broke under his weight and he fractured his skull.

Case study 5
An electrical fitter, in trying to unscrew a stuck plastic cap off an infrared detector, got more than he bargained for. The force he was using caused the body of the fitting to fail and his hand grabbed hold of live metal whilst he was nearly 3 m up the ladder. He was thrown off suffering shock, burns and severe bruising.

Case study 6
A self-employed installer fitting cavity wall insulation was working off a ladder using a heavy diamond tube drill. The ladder was not tied and was in poor condition with loose and bent rungs. He overreached and the ladder fell causing the installer to fall 3 m on to the concrete floor below. He broke his right heel and various other bones in that foot. He has subsequently undergone several bouts of major surgery but is still unable to walk without crutches and he has not worked since the accident.

Case study 7
A window cleaner sustained broken ribs, fingers and a broken arm when he fell 2.3 m from his ladder while cleaning the windows of a show home on a new housing estate. The ladder was not secured or footed, the ground was dry but sloped gently away from the building. The construction company had not produced a method statement and the injured man had received no health and safety induction when he arrived on the site.

Case study 8
An employee of a construction and building services company was replacing house windows. He was carrying some silicon sealant up the ladder for a new window and had reached a height of about 3 m when the bottom of the ladder slipped out and the employee fell, badly fracturing his leg. The accident investigation found that the ladder had been resting on grass that sloped gently away from the building. It had been raining. The ladder was not footed as the injured man's colleague had been inside the building at the time and the ladder was not tied or secured by any other means.

Case study 9
A farm worker sustained serious leg injuries when he fell from a ladder. Under supervision, the 16 –year-old trainee was trying to fix a door runner about 4.5 m from the ground. A risk assessment had shown that a fork-lift cage or a tower scaffold should be used. However, the supervisor decided to use the ladder for the short job. The young worker overreached, slipped and fell.

Agreed, just for us to read, but...Only one out of the nine cases - a window cleaner..on a building site..on a slope..not recure...
Nothing wrong with the tool, but the way and place it was used.

Pj

[williamx]

Pj

Your are so right.

Why don't we lobby the goverment, so that instead of window cleaners having to use alternative tools for their trade, instead make it law that every building must have pegs installed into the walls so that ladders can be secured safely, that way the ladder man won't have to find the money to carry on their trade with a safer alternative, and the unemployment figures should go down as there are a lot of bulidings who will need these pegs.

 

[rosskesava]

make it law that every building must have pegs installed into the walls

The reason is simply the cost and logistics, enforcing it and then making sure all the work done is done to a safe standard and then all the question of inspection every few years or so to every building.

Also, believe it or not, in terms of H & S, there actually is an acceptable number of accidents. That is not often ever said but if you think about it, all rulings are to reduce accidents and injury.

[Moderator David@stives]

the HSE states that it intends to reduce falls from height by 5% by 2006

and by 10% by 2010.

a case of shirking responsibility by being  seen to be doing something.

why did they not go for 50% . by 2010 

[Thecleanerservice]

I've "fallen from many heights"

[rosskesava]

Hi david@ St-Ives

why did they not go for 50% . by 2010  HuhHuh

The H & S undertake many many studies and get info from loads of sources such as insurance companies, hospitals etc etc.

The also employ social scientists who study behavioural patterns and the effects of the media, word of mouth and so so on.

They also have a wealth of statistics about how the introduction of previous legislation influenced companies from the big to the small and they know the types of businesses they want to target.

In a former life, apart from other roles, I was a H & S rep on the railways and it is quiet an eye opener as to what they know and how they they slowly change things.

They only go for achievable targets because otherwise, H & S would not be respected and would lose authority. Apart from that, they don't have the man power.

Cheers