Interpretation Of The HSE Enforcement Policy

As It Affects Rescue When Working at Height&

How to Discharge Your Legal Responsibilities

 

It’s important before we look at specific legislation for rescue, that we consider what the HSE is trying to achieve and how it goes about doing this.

The way rescue legislation impacts your business is relative to the way the HSE enforces legislation and what the HSE is trying to achieve with its enforcement policy.

HSE Enforcement Policy

The appropriate use of enforcement powers, including prosecution, is important, both to:

• · Secure compliance with the law, and to:
• · Ensure that those who have duties under it may be held to account for failures to safeguard health, safety and welfare.

 

We can see here that the HSE are using their powers of enforcement including their power to prosecute to achieve two primary aims, one being to make you comply with the law and secondly to hold to account those of you who have responsibility and duty of care in these areas.

 

HSE The purpose and method of enforcement

1. The ultimate purpose of the enforcing authorities is to ensure that duty holders manage and control risks effectively, thus preventing harm.

2 The purpose of enforcement is to:

• Ensure that duty holders take action to deal immediately with serious risks
• Promote and achieve sustained compliance with the law
• Ensure that duty holders who breach health and safety requirements, and directors or managers who fail in their responsibilities, may be held to account, which may include bringing alleged offenders before the courts in England and Wales, or recommending prosecution in Scotland, in the circumstances set out later in this policy.

 

Enforcement is distinct from civil claims for compensation

 

What we see here is the HSE using enforcement of the legislation to create the necessary pressure to make you focus on what you have to do to manage and control risks on your site, and so prevent harm to your operatives.

Also to force you to take action immediately where there is a serious risk.

In other words it’s not acceptable to sit on your hands pondering the meaning of life while your operative’s lives are at risk. As soon as you are aware of the risk you must take action immediately, or the HSE will come  and get you.

It’s also worth noting that HSE enforcement is separate and distinct from any civil actions that may be taken against you for compensation.

 

 

HSE Proportionality

• In practice, applying the principle of proportionality means that enforcing authorities should take particular account of how far the duty holder has fallen short of what the law requires, and the extent of the risks to people arising from the breach.
• Some health and safety duties are specific and absolute. Others require action so far as is reasonably practicable. Enforcing authorities should apply the principle of proportionality in relation to both kinds of duty.

 

As we go through the Rescue Regulations it is important to consider Proportionality, by considering the extent of the risks and how far short of the law you may be presently operating.

And in doing this we will consider regulations which are:

1. Specific and absolute (you must do exactly as legislation says) and

2. Those which require action as far is reasonably practical.

Deciding what is reasonably practicable to control risks involves the exercise of judgment, that is, what’s the best and most reasonable you can do to comply with this regulation given your current circumstances and resources.

An example of specific and absolute would be: The Work Height Regulations 2005 Regulation 4 (1) & (2) which says, “Every employer shall ensure that all work at height includes planning for emergencies and rescue”. You’ve got to do that exactly, there is no room for flexibility.

An example of reasonable and practical would be: The Work at Height Regulations 2005 Regulation Schedule 5 part 1 (1) (b) which says, “The user and a sufficient number of available persons have received competent training specific to the operations envisaged, including rescue procedures”.

In this instance the HSE are expecting you to use reasonable judgment in two areas:

1. sufficient number of trained operatives (how many is sufficient? giving consideration to things like absenteeism and holidays) and

2. Competent training – specific in this instance to your operations and the provision for rescue. So how do you decide what is competent?

It would be very beneficial for management and those responsible for employees working at height to go through the WAH 2005 regulations and consider whether they are:

• Specific and Absolute
• Reasonable and Practical

This is about discharging your LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Further guidance can be found in BS 8437: 2005

Consideration should also be given to Moral and ethical obligations

The Grounds on which The HSE will normally prosecute or recommend prosecution are:

Enforcing authorities should normally prosecute, or recommend prosecution, where, following an investigation or other regulatory contact, one or more of the following circumstances apply. Where:

• Death was a result of a breach of the legislation.
• The gravity of an alleged offense, taken together with the seriousness of any actual or potential harm, or the general record and approach  he offender warrants it.
• There has been reckless disregard of health and safety requirements.
• There have been repeated breaches which give rise to significant risk, or persistent and significant poor compliance.
• Work has been carried out without or in serious non-compliance with an appropriate license or safety case.
• A duty holder’s standard of managing health and safety is found to be far below what is required by health and safety law and to be giving rise to significant risk.
• There has been a failure to comply with an improvement or prohibition notice; or there has been a repetition of a breach that was subject to a formal caution.
• False information has been supplied willfully, or there has been an intent to deceive, in relation to a matter which gives rise to significant risk.
• Inspectors have been intentionally obstructed in the lawful course of their duties.

Enforcing authorities should identify and prosecute or recommend prosecution of individuals if they consider that a prosecution is warranted.

In particular, they should consider the management chain and the role played by individual directors and managers, and should take action against them where the inspection or investigation reveals that the offense was committed with their consent or connivance or to have been attributable to neglect on their part.

(Connivance = Knowledge of, and active or passive consent to wrongdoing)

Where appropriate, enforcing authorities should seek disqualification of directors under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.

It’s clear that the HSE looks at the role played by individual directors and managers whether the offence was with your consent or simply passive neglect.

 

Action by the courts

Health and safety law gives the courts considerable scope to punish offenders and to deter others, including imprisonment for some offenses.

Unlimited fines may be imposed by higher courts. HSE will continue to seek to raise the courts’ awareness of the gravity of health and safety offenses and of the full extent of their sentencing powers, while recognizing that it is for the courts to decide whether or not someone is guilty and what penalty if any to impose on conviction.

Death at Work

Where there has been a breach of the law leading to a work-related death, enforcing authorities need to consider whether the circumstances of the case might justify a charge of manslaughter (culpable homicide in Scotland).

The police are responsible for deciding whether to pursue a manslaughter investigation and whether to refer a case to the CPS to consider possible manslaughter charges.

The enforcing authorities are responsible for investigating possible health and safety offenses. If in the course of their health and safety investigation, the enforcing authorities find evidence suggesting manslaughter, they should pass it on to the police. If the police or the CPS decides not to pursue a manslaughter case, the enforcing authorities will normally bring a health and safety prosecution in accordance with this policy.

In Scotland, responsibility for investigating sudden or suspicious deaths rests with the Procurator Fiscal. Unless a prosecution takes place in the same circumstances, the Procurator Fiscal is required to hold a Fatal Accident Inquiry into the circumstances of a death resulting from a work related accident.

Penalties for Health and Safety Offences

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (the HSW Act), section 33 (as amended) sets out the offences and maximum penalties under health and safety legislation.

Failing to comply with an improvement or prohibition notice, or a court remedy order (issued under the HSW Act sections 21, 22 and 42 respectively):

• Lower court maximum £20 000 and/or 6 months’ imprisonment
• Higher court maximum Unlimited fine and/or 2 years’ imprisonment

Breach of sections 2-6 of the HSW Act, which set out the general duties of employers, self-employed persons, manufacturers and suppliers to safeguard the health and safety of workers and members of the public who may be affected by work activities:

• Lower court maximum £20 000
• Higher court maximum Unlimited fine

Other breaches of the HSW Act, and breaches of ‘relevant statutory provisions’

Under the Act, which include all health and safety regulations. These impose both general and more specific requirements, such as requirements to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment or to provide suitable personal protective equipment:

• Lower court maximum £5000
• Higher court maximum Unlimited fine

Summary

We have now covered how rescue legislation impacts your business and how the HSE plans to enforce to enforce legislation and by now you should have an idea of what’s required to discharge your legal responsibilities.

From time to time we are asked if we can provide method statement templates. Unfortunately these have to be unique and created by yourselves as is applicable to your site, working conditions, equipment and operatives capabilities. It just isn’t possible to have a one size fits all generic method statement.

However we have tried to help by taking the frame work from the planning section of our (73 page) Red Rescue Book and created a guide template for rescue planning, this we hope will get your creative juices flowing. At worst if you use this template as is, it will be better than having nothing planned in the event of needing to carry out a rescue at height.

Get your free rescue method statement template  and guide here.

It may come as a shock to some that their workers face considerable danger after a fall. As a result many companies are lacking a “thought-out, detailed and fully implemented rescue plan.”

Harnesses can become deadly whenever a worker is suspended for durations over five minutes in an upright posture, with the legs relaxed straight beneath the body. After five minutes they will likely be unconscious, by 10 minutes there is a strong possibility that their brain and other organs will begin to fail or even death occur due to lack of oxygen as blood is prevented from circulating. The cause of this problem is called ’suspension trauma’.

It is now a legal requirement to have a rescue plan.

In general, whether it is construction or general industry, employers are not really prepared for rescue, though they probably would say they are. The best rescue strategy is to take every possible precaution to prevent operatives from falling in the first place.

But the reality is that falls happen, even on the work sites of the most safety conscious employers, and a rescue plan is an essential component of a company’s overall fall protection method statement and risk assessment. The lack of any form of a pre-conceived post-fall rescue plan, not only puts the fall victim at risk, but also puts rescuers in harms way. Whenever you have unplanned attempts to rescue, second or third injuries or fatalities are not uncommon.

It is with these issues in mind that the HSE introduced The Work at Height Regulations: 2005

Are you breaking the law on your sites without knowing it?

Before any work at height can commence on site the following provisions must be in place as a minimum legal requirement:
· There must be a rescue plan and procedure
· The operatives are trained and competent in use of rescue equipment
· Sufficient number of trained and competent personnel on site
· The rescue procedure in place is practiced on a regular basis and competence is maintained on record
· The selection of rescue equipment needs to be appropriate for the nature of work

3 Things You Must Do To Comply With Legislation and Discharge Your Legal Responsibilities.

1. Plan For Rescue - You need to prepare a well thought out plan. It doesn’t need to be complex but it does need to be detailed. This should be done following a risk assessment and embodied in a Method Statement.
The HSE says” If a person falls while using a fall arrest system, it is not acceptable just to rely on the emergency services, it needs to be covered in the risk assessment and planned prior to the work activity being carried out.” Often we think of the word ‘rescue’ as calling 999, but calling the local fire brigade does not constitute an effective rescue plan. Response times can be too slow, and not all fire brigades have the capability to rescue from height. Equally ‘crane man baskets’ and ‘MEWPS’ are too restrictive to be considered adequate for rescue.

2. Provide Rescue Equipment - The rescue equipment selection should have been an integral part of planning. It’s important that the equipment is easy to use and fast to deploy as time is a critical element and it goes without saying that the equipment must be there, on site, ready for use.

3. Training and Practice - Legislation requires that those working at height must be competently trained to rescue. Safety of the casualty and the rescuers is paramount and training for all eventualities is essential as is the need to practice and keep records of competence.

Rescue occurs in an environment of tension, pressure and stress, what would happen on your site following a fall? Would rescue be carried out in an orderly way, with the correct response, or would there be a degree of panic and chaos.

Ultimately legislation is there to provide the correct framework and guidance to ensure the adequate care and wellbeing of operatives on site.

For more information visit: http://www.leadingedgesafety.co.uk/at-height-rescue-gs.php

working at height

working at height training

How Does Rescue Legislation Impact on You and Your Company

Author: Drew Beardmore
Managing Director Leading Edge Safety

Leading Edge Supplies are providers of Working at Height Rescue Training and Equipment. Training courses are available for operatives and management levels. Leading edge guarantees operatives trained on their equipment will be able to carry out a rescue on both conscious and unconscious casualties in less than five minutes.

For more information visit: http://www.leadingedgesafety.co.uk/at-height-rescue-gs.php

Rescue plans don’t have to be complex.
Employers should implement a rescue plan that includes procedures for:
· Preventing prolonged suspension
· Performing rescue and treatment as quickly as possible
· Identifying orthostatic intolerance signs and symptoms

Management’s responsibility for safety needs to give careful consideration to the methodology of rescuing a fallen operative. Such considerations might include:

Dialing 999 - Often we think of the word ‘rescue’ as calling 999, but calling the local fire brigade does not constitute an effective rescue plan. Response times can be too slow, and not all fire brigades have the capability to rescue from height.

Crane Man Basket - This option has severe limitations, the main one being time. Target time from ‘Man Down’ to being recovered needs to be no more than five minutes. Other restrictions and shortcomings that make this a less than ideal solution are:

MEWP’s – This option for rescue can have its limitations such as available access and height restriction as the casualty may be at a height greater than the reach of the MEWP.

Rope Access Rescue - Rope rescue requires a technical competency which demands a high level of training and re-training to acquire and retain this skill set. Given the limited time to complete a rescue, trained rope rescue personnel would need to be on stand-by and within close proximity to any incident. Donning the necessary kit to carry out a rope rescue can also be time consuming given that every minute the casualty is hanging is critical. Perhaps the greatest restriction is that it is a skill to which only a few would, or could, be trained.

Third Party Rescue Systems - There are a number of considerations to take into account when considering third part rescue systems. In every consideration TIME is the critical factor. The speed with which the system can be deployed and the rescue carried out is vitally important, as is the SIMPLICITY and EASE of use so that a typical operative can deploy and carry out a rescue after being trained.
Remember: whichever methodology you choose, the target time should be to rescue the casualty in under ten minutes.

Planning for Fall Protection must include Rescue
Having a rescue plan is just as important as having a fall protection plan. No site should have one without the other. Just putting together a fall protection program without rescue is only doing half the job.
The onus is on the employer to ensure that the suspended operative is rescued quickly. That means ensuring that for anyone who works at height, there’s a rescue plan. Fall protection must include an emergency rescue plan.

How will you rescue an operative who has fallen and is suspended in a fall-arrest system? Answering some basic questions can help in developing a rescue plan.

Developing a Rescue Plan

Rescue plan requires answers to the following questions

If an operative’s fall is arrested can they be rescued in under five minutes?

How will you know that someone has fallen?
· Will someone see it happen?
· Co-workers
· Other trades
· Plant personnel
· Members of the public

What communication systems will be used between the suspended operative and the rescue team?
· How will the operative call for help?
· Voice
· Whistle
· Mobile Phone

Who will the Co-worker call?
· Nearest co-workers
· Supervisor
· Site Management
· 999 Fire /ambulance where available

Is information available? Who and how will it be communicated?
· Emergency phone numbers
· Site address
· Directions and access for ambulance/fire vehicle or other emergency services
· Which floor/how high up
· Operative’s condition after fall

How will the safety of the rescuers be assured, as well as that of the suspended operative?
· Are operatives trained and competent in the use of rescue equipment?
· Is there sufficient number of trained personnel onsite?
· Are rescue-training records kept up-to-date including any re-assessments?

· Is the rescue equipment selected appropriate for the nature of the work?
· What obstructions are in the way reaching the suspended operative?
· Have assessments been made of anchor points?
· Has consideration been given to the method of attaching to the casualty?

How will rescue workers get to the casualty?
· Rescue Ladder System
· Rescue Haul System
· Keys to building and roof
· Elevator
· Pull casualty in through window or balcony
· Pull casualty up to floor/slab/roof
· Climb/abseil down the building/structure
· Aerial equipment from ground
· Suspended access equipment
· Crane Man Basket

How will rescue be assured within five minutes of the occurrence of a fall to minimize the risk of further injury or death due to suspension trauma? And, what rescue equipment is needed?
· Rescue Ladder
· Rescue Haul System
· Toxic shock strap
· Suspended access equipment
· Ropes
· Aerial ladder truck
· MEWPS or scissor lift
· Climbing/rope rescue equipment
· Crane Man Basket
· First aid kit
· Stretcher available should casualty be seriously injured

What if the operative is injured?
· Can the casualty still be rescued within five minutes?
· Is there a qualified first-aider who understands suspension trauma and knows how to treat it?
· Who and how will the emergency services and hospital be alerted?

How will the public be protected?
· Assign someone to direct traffic
· Set up barriers

How will the accident scene be protected?
· Prevent further injury or damage
· Set up barriers
· Preserve wreckage
· Aid investigation later

Are there other considerations?
· Working alone
· Language barrier
· Unusual features of building/structure
· Wind
· Other hazards
· No emergency services nearby
· Distance from rescue teams

WARNING! An operative who has suffered a fall and is suspended in his harness is a true medical emergency. Just because they are hanging in a harness doesn’t mean you have all day to perform the rescue. Rescue has to be planned, practiced and performed quickly and effectively or the victim may very well die before the rescue finally occurs.

“If you’re not going to give your employees the skills to perform rescue, then you might as well not even put them in the harness at all.”

Practice can save lives

Perhaps just as important as having a rescue plan in place is practicing the plan before a real-life fall occurs.

Working at Height

Safety at Height

Working at Height Training

Leading Edge

Leading EdgeRescue at Height training courses have been designed with our extensive knowledge and experience of construction sites. We understand the operative capabilities, the scope of works involved in a project package and the constraints on access and restrictions and we have developed our training course accordingly.Being aware of the demands for fast, simple and effective rescue,when working at height Leading Edge Safety have developed a range of products and courses specifically designed for rescue at height in the construction industry, allowing typical site operatives to rescue conscious and unconscious casualties in under ten minutes.

Recommendations for Height Safety Rescue

It is essential that people who work at height together with their co‐workers and are at risk of falling have the capacity to perform rescue for their co‐workers quickly, whilst being safe, minimising the effects of suspension trauma in the critical time it takes to recover someone.

Many safety professionals naturally assume that once a fall has been arrested then the fall protection system has successfully completed its job. Unfortunately, this is not the case. An operative suspended in an upright position with the legs dangling in a harness of any type is subject to suspension trauma and orthostatic intolerance.
Fall victims can slow the onset of suspension trauma by pushing down vigorously with the legs, by positioning their body in a slight leg-high position or, by standing up using a rescue step. Harness design and fall injuries may prevent these actions.

Danger for those providing rescue
In any intense stressful situations the “mind fog” settles in, depriving us of the ability to think straight and potentially putting ourselves in a position of extreme risk. The number of people who are killed or injured as a result of trying to help a colleague or friend who has fallen from height almost exceeds the original number of casualties in the first place.

1. Don’t start work without a rescue plan. – BS8437:2005 -11.1.1

2. Have a Rescue Method Statement available and read by the relevant management. (Free Method Statement template is available with all rescue training and equipment purchases from Leading Edge.)

3. All operatives working at height should be trained for rescue.
BS8437:2005 -15.2.4

4. Practice the training – the time it takes to rescue is critical.
BS8437:2005 -11.4.1

5. Keep records of an individuals training. BS8437:2005 15.2.5

6. Suitable rescue and first aid equipment available at each worksite
BS8437:2005 -11.5.1 and BS8437:2005 -11.7

7. All operatives should carry a rescue ticket and on this card should be instructions that can be given to emergency personnel to warn and instruct them how to avoid the casualty suffering Toxic Shock.

If there is any way we can help you to discharge your legal and moral responsibilities for providing height safety and rescue on your sites, please do not hesitate to contact us at 01329827997

Leading Edge Safety

Working at Height

Fall Arrest

Our Height Safety Rescue training courses have been designed with our extensive knowledge and experience of construction sites. We understand the operative capabilities, the scope of works involved in a project package and the constraints on access and restrictions and we have developed our training course accordingly.

Being aware of the demands for fast, simple and effective rescue,when working at height Leading Edge Safety have developed a range of products and courses specifically designed for rescue at height in the construction industry, allowing typical site operatives to rescue conscious and unconscious casualties in under five minutes.

The responsibility to have a post-fall rescue system in place lies with the employer, so below are the four critical phases of rescuing a suspended operative:

1. Before the fall
2. At fall arrest
3. Suspension
4. Post-fall rescue

Each phase presents unique safety challenges. Suspension trauma can be influenced by all aspects of the fall, so they are all equally important.

As with many aspects of safety, increasing the safety in one phase can compromise safety in the others. Whatever training operatives have received will determine how they respond to different phases.

Before the fall
The key issue of fall protection prior to a fall is compliance. If a harness is too uncomfortable, too inconvenient or interferes too much with task completion, operatives may not use the equipment or may modify it (illegally) to make it more tolerable.

A second major point is how far an operative falls before his fall is arrested. The greater the fall, the greater the stress on the body when the fall is arrested. The longer the lanyard the longer the fall distance, however, the shorter the lanyard, the more often it will have to be repositioned when operatives are mobile. It is with this in mind that Leading Edge Safety developed restraint lifelines as the preferred method of working because it allows maximum flexibility. Working in restraint prevents the operative from falling, yet should a fall occur the arrest distance is kept to a minimum (limited fall).

Fall Arrest
The whole concept of fall protection is that operatives who fall will be stopped by a tethering system. Unfortunately, the posture of the falling operative is unpredictable.

Depending on the harness attachment point and the position of the operative’s body at fall arrest, different harness attachments offer different advantages. An attachment near the shoulders means that any drag from the lanyard will serve to position the operative’s body in an upright position so the forces are distributed from head to foot. The head is somewhat protected if the legs and body precede it in the fall, but this offers some disadvantages after the fall arrest is completed.

Suspension
Many safety professionals naturally assume that once a fall has been arrested then the fall protection system has successfully completed its job. Unfortunately, this is not the case. An operative suspended in an upright position with the legs dangling in a harness of any type is subject to suspension trauma and orthostatic intolerance.
Fall victims can slow the onset of suspension trauma by pushing down vigorously with the legs, by positioning their body in a slight leg-high position or, by standing up. Harness design and fall injuries may prevent these actions.

Rescue
Rescue must come rapidly to minimise the dangers of suspension trauma. The circumstances together with the lanyard attachment point will determine the possibility of self-rescue.

In situations where self-rescue is not possible, operatives must be supervised at all times. Regardless of whether an operative can self-rescue or must rely on others, time is of the essence because an operative may lose consciousness in only a few minutes.

For conscious casualties Leading Edge recommends (where possible) that those suspended keep their legs moving to keep the blood pumping and reduce the risk of venous pooling, whilst deploying a casualty ladder”.

For unconscious casualties a winch or hauling system is recommended and should facilitate the rescue of an unconscious casualty in less than ten minutes to prevent the onset of suspension trauma.

Being aware of the demands for fast, simple and effective rescue,when working at height Leading Edge Safety have developed a range of products and courses specifically designed for at height rescue allowing typical workers to rescue conscious and unconscious casualties in under ten minutes. For more information and guidance on working at height and rescue from height visit working at height rescue

working at height

working at height training

height safety training

Will Your Safety Harness Kill You

Harnesses can become deadly whenever an operative is suspended for durations of over five minutes in an upright posture with the legs relaxed straight beneath the body. After five minutes they are highly likely to be unconscious – but operatives attending the scene often don’t realise the seriousness of the situation and, 15 minutes later a dead body is hauled up. The cause of this problem is called ’suspension trauma’.

Suspension Trauma – Orthostatic Intolerance
Unless the operative is rescued promptly using established safe procedures, suspension trauma caused by orthostatic intolerance could occur and result in serious or fatal injury as the brain, kidneys and other organs are deprived of oxygen.
Most users of fall protection equipment, as well as rescue personnel and health and safety professionals are unaware of the hazard of suspension trauma.

Venous pooling – The need to faint and fall over
Death from suspension trauma is caused by orthostatic intolerance and is the result of venous pooling. This can occur any time a person is required to stand still for prolonged periods and may be worsened by heat and dehydration. A well-known example of orthostatic intolerance is that of the soldier who faints while standing to attention for any length of time.

Major blood vessels pass through the muscles in the legs. The movement of these muscles assists circulation by squeezing the blood back up towards the heart. If the muscles stop moving, as in the case of the soldier, gravity pulls the blood down into the legs.

Eventually, enough blood accumulates (venous pooling) so that return blood flow to the right chamber of the heart is reduced as the heart can only pump the blood available, so its output begins to fall. The heart then speeds up to maintain sufficient blood flow to the brain but, if the blood supply to the heart is restricted enough, the higher pulse and faster breathing is ineffective and the body abruptly slows the heart. The result is fainting.

The moment the soldier loses consciousness he collapses and becomes horizontal so the time spent in a vertical position while unconscious is minimal and, as blood flow improves – the result of being horizontal – the soldier returns to consciousness and recovery is likely to be rapid.

When a person is suspended in a harness in which their legs are immobile, unlike the fainting soldier the person does not or cannot naturally move into a horizontal position, then gravity pulls blood into the lower legs.

In a harness, the operative can’t fall into a horizontal posture, so the reduced heart rate causes the brain’s blood supply to fall below the critical level. During excessive venous pooling, cardiac output and arterial pressure fall to levels which can critically reduce the quantity and/or the quality of oxygenated blood flowing to the brain.

What to look out for – If a worker is suspended in a harness
The possible signs and symptoms of orthostatic intolerance can start to be seen in 2/3 minutes and can include:

• faintness
• Nausea
• Breathlessness
• Dizziness
• Sweating
• Unusually low heart rate
• Unusually low blood pressure
• Paleness
• Hot flushes
• Graying
• Loss of vision
• Increased heart rate

Owing to the possibility of damage to vital organs – the result of suspension trauma – it is recommended that all recovered casualties should be taken to their nearest Accident & Emergency Unit for examination and observation.

Being aware of the demands for fast, simple and effective rescue, Leading Edge Supplies Ltd have developed a range of products and courses specifically designed for rescue in the construction industry, allowing typical site operatives to rescue conscious and unconscious casualties in under five minutes.

Leading Edge Rescue at Height training courses have been designed with our extensive knowledge and experience of construction sites. We understand the operative capabilities, the scope of works involved in a project package and the constraints on access and restrictions and we have developed our training course accordingly.

Being aware of the demands for fast, simple and effective rescue,when working at height Leading Edge Safety have developed a range of products and courses specifically designed for at height rescue in the construction industry, allowing typical site operatives to rescue conscious and unconscious casualties in under five minutes.

For more information visit: LeadingEdgeSafety.co.uk

After the fall – Suspension Trauma / orthostatic intolerance – the need for a plan to rescue  a fallen operative

Leading Edge stresses the importance of thorough planning for rescue

Planning for rescue and emergencies when employees work at height is a legal and moral responsibility for all employers.

Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 obliges employers to ensure all work at height is properly planned, and Regulation 4(2) notes that “planning of work includes planning for emergencies and rescue”.

Often we think of rescue as simply a matter of dialling 999, but calling the local fire brigade does not add up to an effective rescue plan. Response times can be too long and not all brigades have the capability to rescue from height.

Even in the most safety conscious employers’ workplaces accidents happen, so a rescue plan is an essential component of working at height and should be managed via a working at height method statement and risk assessment, and be ingrained through training and practice.

The absence of any form of post-fall rescue plan – relying on employees to improvise the rescue of a colleague – not only puts the victim at risk, but also puts rescuers in harm’s way. Unplanned attempts at rescue often result in secondary and tertiary injuries or deaths.

In intense, stressful and life threatening situations many individuals will suffer an onset of panic after the initial adrenaline rush. A panicked state damages the thought processes and the affected person will be unable to make logical or considered decisions. This puts both the casualty and the rescuer at risk as the panic can interfere with the rescue operation.
In fact, the number of people who are killed or injured as a result of trying to help a colleague or friend who has fallen from height almost exceeds the number of original casualties. This is why adequate operative training is essential not only for those who have fallen from height but also for the operatives attempting the rescue.

Time is short
The reason planned rescue by trained people is so important is that the danger is far from over when the fall arrest equipment does its job. Anyone hanging in a harness is at risk of suspension trauma; as the blood drains from the top half of their body, depriving the brain of oxygen. The critical thing is to get them to the ground as quickly as possible – any more than 10 minutes in suspension and the risk of irreparable damage increases rapidly.

The rescue plan must provide for self-rescue by employees who remain conscious after a fall, where their equipment allows them to get to safety. Workers must be trained and practised in self rescue.
But even where a fallen worker appears to be able to help themselves, the plan must require colleagues to act as though they are incapable, since the situation might change and time is at a premium.

The plan must give clear direction for anyone who witnesses a fall to know who on site at the time is responsible for rescue and to alert them immediately, plus the emergency services where available. This means ensuring every worker has emergency phone numbers to hand and knows the site location to direct third parties.

The plan must set out the hierarchy of rescue options available on site for getting employees to safety – from dedicated rescue equipment, such as additional harnesses, controlled descent devices, winches and hauling devices, to retrieve the fallen worker, plus locations of first aid equipment and any rescue-specific items.

Though speed is of the essence, the plan must make co-workers responsibilities clear and emphasise the importance of not endangering themselves during the rescue.

Death by Rescue
It used to be thought (following industry research) that as the casualty is returned to the level, the fallen worker must not be laid flat because of the risk of stale blood from the legs rushing back through the body poisoning their major organs and causing potentially fatal toxic shock. Operatives were encouraged to put the casualty into a sitting “W” position with their legs bent, unless they are suspected of having a spinal injury.
The HSE following further research has clarified their guidance on the treatment of a casualty following a fall and having been suspended by a harness and may have developed suspension trauma. The HSE recommendation now is:
“Not to place casualty in the “W” position, but to place the casualty in a horizontal position.”

Other Considerations
Other considerations for a plan include how to ensure any wreckage/equipment is set aside to help later investigation, allowing for unusual structural features that might complicate a rescue and ensuring materials are provided in translation where large numbers of migrant workers are on site.

However well thought out, a rescue plan (like a risk assessment) is useless if it is filed away and forgotten. You need to ensure that everyone who could be involved in a rescue: managers; supervisors; and workers are fully trained in the types of situation that might call for a rescue, what their roles are and how to use the equipment you provide.
Rescue operations are carried out under extreme pressure, whatever training your employees have had or are yet to have, will determine how they react.
The training should be kept topped up with regular practice sessions or drills, keeping employees on their toes but also checking that they can act inside the necessary ten-minute window. Just as the plan needs updating with any change of circumstances, personnel or equipment, so does the training.

Being aware of the demands for fast, simple and effective rescue,when working at height Leading Edge Safety have developed a range of products and courses specifically designed for working at height rescue allowing typical workers to rescue conscious and unconscious casualties in under ten minutes. For more information and guidance on working at height and rescue from height visit working at height rescue

working at height

working at height training

height safety training

Fred has been assigned to carry out work in an elevated work location. Because Fred’s employer is conscientious about safety, he has been equipped and trained to use a fall-arrest harness with a 2m shock-absorbing lanyard.

After fastening his lanyard to a secure anchorage, Fred begins his tasks. Suddenly, a pigeon, disturbed by Fred’s work activities, flies out of a small area and startles him. He steps back suddenly and falls from the platform where he is working.

The shock absorber on his lanyard extends to reduce the impact forces on his body, although it is still a hard fall, and Fred is left dangling in an area where he can’t reach any of the structure to be able to perform self-rescue. All he can do is yell for help and wait while the harness binds painfully around his thighs.

The construction company that employs Fred does not have a trained rescue team. The management had previously decided that the cost of equipping, training and maintaining an in-house team was prohibitive and unnecessary since they had a good safety record in the workplace.

Other operatives hear Fred’s cries for help and decide to call 999 for assistance from the local fire brigade. The fire brigade has a big red shiny rescue tender, but they are only trained and equipped for vehicle crash extrication, not at-height rescue.
The fire brigade responds and arrives at the site within 10 minutes of the call to 999. They quickly establish verbal contact with Fred to assess his condition. Fred tells the firefighters that he is not hurt but he can’t get back to safety without help.

The firefighters determine that Fred is beyond the reach of the ladders they carry on their vehicle, he cannot be reached by crane or MEWPs and they decide that a rope rescue will be necessary. They call for aid from a nearby fire brigade with rope rescue capabilities but it will be a further 25 minute delay before they arrive.

It has been 20 minutes since Fred has fallen and been saved by his fall-arrest system. Suddenly, Fred stops communicating with the firefighters and hangs limply in his harness. The second fire brigade rescue team is still 20 minutes away.
When the second brigade rescue team arrives, they quickly set up a raising system to be able to release Fred’s lanyard from its anchor point and then lower him to the ground.

Fred has no vital signs and CPR is started during the trip to the hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital personnel are unable to restore Fred’s heartbeat and he is pronounced dead on arrival.

It’s up to you – Don’t leave a fallen operatives life hanging in the balance.
If you are responsible for operatives operating at height you have both a legal and a moral obligation to put into effect the recommendations of this guidance document.

If you’re not going to give your employees the skills to perform rescue, then you might as well not even put them in the harness at all.

These are harsh words, but they are true, and are intended to make the reader of this guidance think seriously about the risk and exposure to danger their operatives face if they are working at height and there exists the possibility of falling.
How quickly can they be rescued? And can it be done without putting the lives of others at risk?
working at height

height safety training

fall protection

Being aware of the demands for fast, simple and effective rescue,when working at height Leading Edge Safety have developed a range of products and courses specifically designed for rescue at height in the construction industry, allowing typical site operatives to rescue conscious and unconscious casualties in under five minutes. For more information and guidance on working at height and rescue from height visitwww.leadingedgesafety.co.uk