Construction decision makers who are facing sleepless nights because of health and safety red tape might want to invest in some edge protection to remove one of the main focuses of the HSE.
Falls from height have long been a common area of HSE action, and that trend shows no sign of slowing as time goes on.
Simply fitting effective edge protection, however, can safeguard workers while protecting construction companies from any enforcement action.
A recent Zurich Insurance study highlighted the impact of health and safety red tape on businesses, with 28% of decision makers in all sectors citing it as a burden – ranking behind only employment regulations as the biggest headache for business leaders.
In construction in particular, red tape of all kinds – including health and safety, employment, pensions and more – was a problem for 75% of firms, again ranking second behind SMEs in the manufacturing sector.
For either industry, where work is carried out at height, edge protection – even in the form of simple guardrails or safety barriers – can remove one of the main risks, improve safety, cut down on enforcement action and simultaneously reduce stress levels for management.