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18 March 2005 - New Work at Height
Regulations Enforceable in April 2005
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The new Work at Height Regulations 2005 (S.1.2005 No 735), after
having a second consultation and announced in Parliament, will come into force
on Wednesday 6 April 2005.
The new regulations are aimed at reducing the number of
fatalities in the workplace attributed to falls from heights which account for
the single, largest cause of deaths in the workplace.
In 2003/04, there were 67 fatalities and almost 4,000 serious
injuries of which the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE's) Injuries Reduction
Programme's target aims to have a 5% reduction by 2004 and 10% reduction by 2010
in the number of fatalities and major injuries due to falls from height.
The new regulations being implemented on 6 April 2005 include
the following changes:
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HSE charges for safety case assessment inspection, approval and
issuing of licences will be amended.
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Simplification of existing regulations for the manufacture and
storage of explosives, by replacing major parts of the Explosives Act 1875 and
48 secondary legislation with one set of regulations.
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Improve safety of workers when using work at height equipment by
implementing the Work at Height Directive (2000/45/EC), being the second
amendment of the Use of Work Equipment Directive (89/665/EC).
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Employers to "adequately control" exposure to chemicals under
the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, by means of a new
framework with a single type of limit system, thus altering "adequate control"
from compliance with an OEL, to applying 8 good practice principles.
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The establishment of a Workplace Exposure Limit for Refractory
Ceramic Fibres (RFC's) under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
Regulations.
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The Anthrax Prevention Order (APO) is no longer appropriate for
controlling the risk of occupational anthrax. The assessment of risk
from all biological agents in the workplaces' framework is contained in the
requirements of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, with
DEFRA's Products of Animal Origin Legislation, which covers imports, now also
taking precedence over the APO Requirements.
The Head of the Health and Safety Executive's Injuries Reduction
Programme commented:
"In 2003/4 falls from height accounted for 67 fatal accidents
at work and nearly 4,000 major injuries. They remain the single biggest cause of
workplace deaths and one of the biggest causes of major injury.
"Preventing falls from height is a central part of HSE's
Injuries Reduction Programme and these Regulations will provide the cornerstone
for this programme to improve standards for work at height and thereby reduce
deaths and injuries. These Regulations set out a simple hierarchy for managing
and selecting equipment for work at height.
"The Regulations cover a wide range of industries and
activities but we have developed some simple messages which we want to
communicate to all industries.
He also commented on the key messages as follows:
"Our key messages are:
Those following good practice for work at height now should already be
doing enough to comply with these Regulations.
"Follow the risk assessments you have carried out for work at
height activities and make sure all work at height is planned, organised and
carried out by competent persons.
"Follow the hierarchy for managing risks from work at height
- take steps to avoid, prevent or reduce risks.
"Choose the right work equipment and select collective
measures to prevent falls (such as guardrails and working platforms) before
other measures which may only mitigate the distance and consequences of a fall
(such as nets or airbags) or which may only provide personal protection from a
fall."
Further information will be accessible from the HSE website in
the near future.
We at HSfB will provide the relevant link to view the new
regulations within our news page as soon as they are available.
Article by Alexandra Johnston
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