Falls from heights

If you work in any of the building trades, then falls from heights are one of the major hazards in your job. We're talking about falls from ladders, scaffolding, roofs, suspended work platforms (gantries), and elevating work platforms ('cherry pickers'). We're talking about injuries that could range from a strain or sprain, to a broken arm or leg, to a fractured spine and brain injuries. We're talking about the prospect of spending the rest of your life life in a wheelchair - or of being killed.
There are some obvious ways you can avoid falls. For example, know how to use ladders correctly and safely. Do not work at heights if you're under the influence of alcohol or cannabis, or if you have a history of epilepsy or any medical condition (e.g. an inner ear infection) that might cause you to feel dizzy or black out. Realise too that if you've had an emotional upset you're more liable to make careless mistakes.

Even if you're fit and alert, it's still possible for your attention to lapse. You forget you're working on a scaffold six stories up, for instance, and step back to inspect your handiwork. That's why there needs to be physical safeguards in place. Such as guard rails on scaffolding and temporary fencing at the exposed edges of floors and around holes, e.g. for lift shafts. And wearing a safety harness connected to a fall arrestor device or a static point on the building.

The building trades have a macho image but deliberate risk-taking is not smart - you can be prosecuted for it under health and safety law.


Below a professional stuntman demonstrates how a safety harness and line could save your life if you fall from a height on a building site..

	A stuntman secures the safety line to a scaffold rail.
	Can you spot him suspended above the street after his 'fall'.