Fire and Rescue Service Manual

Volume 2 Fire Service Operations

SAFE WORK at
HEIGHT
Background
Existing FRS guidance
Fire Service Manual : Rope Working
Guidance and Compliance Framework : Rope
Working
EC Directive 2001/45/EC Temporary Work at
Height
Code of Practice for the Use of Rope Access
Methods for Industrial Purposes (Draft BS)
Various equipment standards (EN)

Whats Changed?
The Work at Height Regulations 2005
CFOA Interim guidance
Review of existing Manuals
ACWAHT Syllabus
BS8454 2006: Code of practice for the
delivery of training and education for work
at height and rescue

FRS Manual Scope
All work activities where there is a possibility that a fall
likely to result in personal injury could occur
Access to and exit from a place of work.
Includes all work (& training) where there is a risk of
falling eg;
using a ladder or aerial appliance;
working on the roof of a vehicle;
rope rescue work (eg cliffs, tower cranes etc);
Some confined spaces;
fire fighting and rescues on embankments, docks and quays
offshore fire fighting and rescue;
climbing fixed structures;
working close to an excavation area where someone could fall;
working near a fragile surface;
vehicle and property maintenance
NOT Work at Height
Slips and trips on the level;
Falls on permanent stairs if there is no
structural work or maintenance being
undertaken;
Work on the upper floors of a building
where there is no risk from falling.
Regulation 4: Organisation and planning
WAH should be planned, supervised and carried
out in a manner which is, so far as is reasonably
practicable, safe. Planning for emergencies is
included.
WAH should only be carried out when the
weather conditions do not jeopardise the health
or safety of those involved in the work.
(Emergency services acting in an emergency
are exempt from this restriction)
Regulation 5: Competence
All people involved in WAH should be competent, or if
being trained, be properly supervised by a competent
person.
Guidance: a competent person understands their
responsibilities under these Regulations and can
demonstrate sufficient training, knowledge, actual
experience, and (delegated) authority to enable them to:-
carry out their assigned duties at the level of responsibility
allocated to them;
understand any potential hazards related to the work (or
equipment) under consideration;
detect any technical defects or omissions in that work (or
equipment), recognise any implications for health and safety
caused by those defects or omissions, and be able to specify
remedial actions to mitigate those implications.
Regulation 6: Avoidance of risks

AVOID WAH if you can.

PREVENT the risk of a fall, including
Selection of an existing work place that does not
require additional measures to prevent a fall and
where this is not possible
Selection of the most suitable work equipment to
prevent a fall occurring

MINIMISE the distance and consequences of
any fall.
Regulation 8: Requirements for work equipment
Guard rails, toe boards, barrier or similar collective means
(Schedule 2)
Working platforms, including aerial appliances (Schedule 3.
part 1)
Collective Safeguards (Schedule 4)
Personal fall protection systems (Schedule 5, part 1)
Work restraint (Schedule 5, part 5)
Work positioning (Schedule 5, parts 2 and 3)
Fall arrest systems (Schedule 5, part 4)
Ladders (Schedule 6)
Regulation 9: Fragile surfaces

Requirement to prevent people falling through
fragile surfaces.
No person at work should pass across, or work on
or from, a fragile surface where it is reasonably
practicable to carry out this work safely by some
other means.
Fragile surfaces must be indicated by warning
notices (Emergency services acting in an
emergency are exempt from this restriction)
Regulation 10: Falling objects
Take suitable and sufficient steps to prevent the fall of
any material or object.
Where it is not reasonably practicable to comply with the
requirements of paragraph (1), take steps to prevent any
person being struck by any falling object which is liable
to cause injury
Ensure that no material or object is thrown or tipped from
height.
Ensure that materials and objects are stored in such a
way as to prevent risk to any person arising from the
collapse, overturning or unintended movement of such
materials or objects.


Regulation 11: Danger areas
Where a workplace contains an area in
which, owing to the nature of the work,
there is a risk of any person at work:
falling a distance; or
being struck by a falling object,
which is liable to cause personal injury
Unauthorised persons are prevented from
entering Danger Areas
Danger Areas are clearly indicated.
Corporate Considerations
IRMP will inform activities and priorities
Decisions relating to work at height will need to:
Take account of all relevant statutory provisions.
Establish policies, set priorities and define safe systems of work.
Ensure the provision of appropriate equipment, information,
training and supervision.
Review policies and procedures and revise as appropriate.
Ensure suitable and sufficient resources are available to provide
safe systems of work
Nominate one individual to take overall management
responsibility for work at height
Hazards
Risks From the
Hazards
Measures to Control
the Risk







Working at height
Access and egress to
the work area
Duration of the work
activity
Casualty/victim
handling
Physiological effects
Psychological effects
Working with other
agencies
Members of the public





Falls or impact from
falling objects
Fatigue
Entrapment and
crushing
Vertigo, motion sickness
Strains, sprains and
other manual handling
injuries
Medical contamination by
blood or other fluids
Fatigue, cold,
hypothermia, heat
stress, dehydration
Unpredictable reaction to
exposure
Potential for
confusion/conflict
Selection of personnel
with physical fitness
and mental aptitude
for the task.
Training
Provision of suitable
and sufficient
information
Effective supervision
Selection and use of
suitable PPE,
including clothing.
Use of work restraint,
fall arrest or work
positioning equipment
Secondary safety
system
Work area
management, including
provision of hazard
zones
Use of ladders and
aerial appliances
Minimum numbers of
personnel committed
Appropriate first aid
training
Adequate welfare
arrangements
Pre-planning and
liaison
Key Hazards
& Risks:
The Nature of
the Work
Collective Protection
Barriers
Air bags, bean bags, mats etc
Nets

Individual Protection
Work restraint
Fall arrest
Work positioning
Access Techniques
Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPs)
Working platforms
Ladders
Ropes, harnesses and
associated equipment
Systems of work
Falling objects and Hazard zones
Anchors and anchor systems
Securing equipment and other items
Lifting, lowering and hauling (LOLER)
Securing Casualties and Performing
Rescues from Height
Continuity of Means of Protection
Removing guardrails, fencing and other
means of protection for short periods is
permissible, with the following provisos:
removal is only for the time and extent
necessary for the job, then the barrier is
replaced; and
the work is not done unless there is some
other safeguard e.g. a safety net or work
restraint system

Ladders
Is the activity urgent?
Is there an imperative to save human life or control a
deteriorating situation?
Would waiting for an alternative means of access compromise
the outcome?
Are there alternative means of access and egress that
avoid the need to use ladders?
Do the working and environmental conditions increase
the risk of using a ladder?
Do the weather conditions increase the risk of using a
ladder?
What is the expected duration of use? Is the ladder
going to be used as a work platform or solely as a
means of access and egress?

Ladders
Does the nature and duration of work mean that
staff will need relieving?
Is the ladder selected appropriate for the task?
Can equipment needed at height be safely
carried leaving both hands free for climbing the
ladder or does it need to be hauled aloft?
Is the construction of a sloping roof on which a
roof ladder is placed or the construction against
which the head of an extension ladder rests
strong enough to support the intended load?

Lifting, Lowering and Hauling
Secure Anchors
Secure method of attaching the load
Controlled hauling / lowering system
Back-up system should be considered
(and always used for a human load)
Manual handling considerations

Rescue From Height
Safe route
or existing means of egress
Specifically provide
rescue provision
Assist or
carry down
Limited
Time
No Time
Constraints
Urgent Rescue
Required
Potential
Increased
Risk
Minimum
Risk
Rescue not Urgent
Suspension Trauma (Orthostatic Shock)
Associated with prolonged suspension of an immobile
person in a harness or from a rope system.
Similar in nature to crush injuries
A prolonged period of suspension can result in serious
trauma in less than 30 minutes whether or not a harness is
worn.
Unconscious, immobile and injured casualties - suspension
trauma has been known to be fatal in as little as 2 to 3
minutes.
Factors that may affect casualties in suspension and lead to
orthostatic shock include:
Exhaustion
Dehydration
Hypothermia
Shock
Hypoglycaemia
Suspension Trauma (Orthostatic Shock)
The degree of inclination of the body
Head trauma
Time delay in casualty access
Rapid evacuation from the suspended
position to immediate medical treatment is
the preferred option.
The possibility of suspension trauma must
always be considered with any suspended
casualty.
Existing Places of Work

An existing place of work at height is a place of work,
with permanent fall prevention measures such as guard
rails or a parapet and no need for any additional
equipment to remove the risk of a fall.
Parts of buildings or permanent structures (including the
means of access and egress) that fall into this category
should be used for work at height in preference to any
place provided by temporary work equipment.
An existing (safe) place of work can change, due to
changing conditions, for example:
The structure may become unstable due to fire spread etc,
Unprotected openings are created by damage

Training
Specific training programmes must be provided for
personnel expected to work at height.
Each FRS will need to determine the boundary between
general or core skills applicable to all personnel and the
more technical skill required of staff who undertake
specialist duties.
Specific good practice guidance on training for work at
Height is provided by:
The Health and Safety Executive, through their Work at Height
Syllabus prepared by the Advisory Committee on Work at Height
Training (www.acwaht.org.uk)
BS 8454:2006: Code of practice for the delivery of training and
education for work at height and rescue

Model training aims and objectives
Knowledge skills and understanding required by
all firefighters.
Training for specialist rope operator support
duties.
Training for specialist rope operator duties.
Rope work supervisor training.
Rope work instructor training.
Continuation and refresher training.
Ongoing assessment
Training Instructors
Brigades that undertake specialist rope work activities
should appoint a senior rope work instructor who will be
responsible for:
Validating the technical aspects of rope working and the suitability of
equipment.
Assessing the knowledge, skills and understanding of other
instructors.
Supervising the conduct and assessment of specialist rope operator
courses.
Brigades must ensure that rope work instructors are
competent and have appropriate experience.
When this is not available within the brigade consideration
should be given to:
The use of competent instructors from other brigades.
Provision of training by external training providers.
Live Casualties
Training at height must be avoided unless essential to the
outcomes required. (e.g. the technique of packaging a
casualty on to a stretcher could be realistically practiced a
few feet of the ground, with collective fall protection bags
immediately below.)
Any exposure to risk is essential to achieve clear and
established learning outcomes.
The risk is not disproportionate to the benefits.
The risk to the casualty should not be greater than that to
the rescuer.
Live casualties are used when casualty care is the prime
objective of the training session.
Live casualties are provided with appropriate PPE, including
a separate safety system as appropriate.

SUMMARY


AVOID (Work at Height)

PREVENT (A fall from height)

MITIGATE (Minimise the distance and
consequences of any fall)