Here it is... hope you dont mind Trevor
Ref: OVAE-8BWLPM
Dear Mr Perry
Thank you for your enquiry regarding water fed poles.
There is nothing specific set down in HSE legislation in regards to using
water fed poles. As confirmed by our Working at Height policy team it would
be subject to the findings of the employers risk assessment.
Risk assessments are a legal requirement under the Management of Health and
Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Regulation 3 stipulates that:
Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of -
(a) the risks to the health and safety of his employees to which they are
exposed whilst they are at work; and
(b) the risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment
arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking.
The Approved Code of Practice goes on to say:
This regulation requires all employers and self-employed people to assess
the risks to workers and any others who may be affected by their work or
business. This will enable them to identify the measures they need to take
to comply with health and safety law. All employers should carry out a
systematic general examination of the effect of their undertaking, their
work activities and the condition of the premises. Those who employ five or
more employees should record the significant findings of that risk
assessment.
A risk assessment is carried out to identify the risks to health and safety
to any person arising out of, or in connection with, work or the conduct of
their undertaking. It should identify how the risks arise and how they
impact on those affected. This information is needed to make decisions on
how to manage those risks so that the decisions are made in an informed,
rational and structured manner, and the action taken is proportionate.
A risk assessment should usually involve identifying the hazards present in
any working environment or arising out of commercial activities and work
activities, and evaluating the extent of the risks involved, taking into
account existing precautions and their effectiveness. In this approved
code of practice:
(a) a hazard is something with the potential to cause harm (this can
include articles, substances, plant or machines, methods of work, the
working environment and other aspects of work organisation);
(b) a risk is the likelihood of potential harm from that hazard being
realised. The extent of the risk will depend on:
(i) the likelihood of that harm occurring;
(ii) the potential severity of that harm, i.e. of any resultant injury or
adverse health effect; and
(iii) the population which might be affected by the hazard, i.e. the number
of people who might be exposed.
Reference: L21: The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
1999: Approved Code of Practice and Guidance, ISBN 9780717624881, £8.00.
This can be downloaded online at the following web address:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l21.pdfThe HSE also produce the following publication on risk assessment:
INDG163, Five Steps to risk assessments, single copies are free. This can
be accessed online at the following web address:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg163.pdfIn addition, the HSE have produced example risk assessments to view online.
The web address is as follows:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/casestudies/index.htm