AKM Fabrications are proud to be joining the list of BS EN 1090 compliant companies, as we are about to achieve compliance under the BS EN 1090-2: 2008 Standard. This was published at the very end of 2008, on December 31st, and will ultimately replace other British Standards including BS 5950-2, BS 5400-6 and some […]
Walkovers are an important way to protect maintenance workers who need access to elevated positions – particularly where there are known weak parts of the roof, or trip hazards on its surface – but could also help to tackle one of the major causes of serious injuries and fatalities in the construction sector. Every year, […]
With the new year underway, it’s a good time to take stock of what progress has been made in terms of the safety of working at height, and the ongoing need for edge protection to avoid future incidents, or to reduce the severity of any slips or trips while working in an elevated position. Statistics […]
New Year’s resolutions can be professional as well as personal, and one of the best commitments you can make to yourself and your employees is to put in place safer work at height precautions in 2017. Edge protection comes in many forms, from permanent guardrails to temporary roof rails and man anchors that tether individuals […]
Having edge protection in place from day one does not have to be a challenge; with simple precautions like man anchors and temporary guard rails, it’s easy to adopt safer working at height practices while you set up your new premises. Likewise, edge protection – whether temporary or permanent – is an essential factor in […]
An incident recently reported by the HSE shows the importance of using proper walkovers when accessing fragile roofs, after two individuals were caught up in a severe fall when using homemade crawling boards instead. The event itself took place on July 30th 2014, and the investigation has just concluded, with the engineering firm that employed […]
A lack of edge protection and precautions against falling through a fragile roof led to a tragic incident in which one man lost his life and two face criminal convictions for their negligence in planning the work. Following a HSE investigation into the fragile roof fall on June 11th 2013, a roofer and the director […]
Man anchors offer essential extra protection against falls when working in areas where guardrails are unsuitable, for example because the work takes place around a temporary opening. A number of recent HSE reports have touched on such circumstances, including one incident that led to a fatality and numerous severe injuries. Among them was an incident […]
In previous articles we have looked at the importance of safe roof access in the autumn and winter months, with safety ladders to prevent injury in the event that your foot slips on a rung in wet conditions. Roof edge protection enhances this by preventing falls from the sides of a building, but while on […]
A recent HSE prosecution has highlighted the importance of temporary edge protection – and where guardrails are removed, the need for backup alternatives like man anchors. In the incident in question, a scaffolder was stacking roofing sheets on a flat roof when he fell from the edge, landing seven metres below and sustaining fatal injuries. […]
Construction site rubble chutes have a lot to deal with – more than domestic rubbish chutes typically have to handle, for sure. Whereas residential rubbish disposal chutes might not normally take more than the contents of a kitchen bin, construction site rubble chutes may have to safely transport broken masonry, chunks of concrete and other […]
Building site rubbish chute accessories can help to make your construction waste chute even more convenient to use, and can also help to ensure site safety. A construction waste chute alone is already a step towards a safer building site, providing a visible and contained way for unwanted materials to be dropped into a skip […]
Newly published figures from the Health & Safety Executive show that workplace fatalities have crept higher in recent months, highlighting the importance of precautions such as edge protection to prevent falls from height. Falls from height are still one of the main priorities for the HSE, alongside issues like exposure to asbestos, and are not […]
A telecoms engineer fell seven metres after losing his balance, in an incident that may have been avoided through the use of a man anchor as a form of fall protection. The engineer was working for BT in a residential block of flats in Tower Hamlets, when he stumbled and fell through the ceiling of […]
An incident in which a window fitter suffered broken ribs and a broken thumb is a reminder of the importance of safety ladders so workers can reach upper levels without unnecessary risk. In this case, reported by the HSE following a successful prosecution, the windows that were due to be installed were being carried up […]
An absence of edge protection on a flat roof led to a sign-fitter falling five metres and sustaining serious, life-threatening injuries in an incident in Sheffield. On April 13th 2015 a signage company was contracted to install a large sign on the end wall of industrial premises, which were located alongside a flat-roofed building. A […]
We often report about the risks of working at height, and especially on roofs, where a lack of guardrails can lead to falls from the edge, while fragile skylights can also give way underfoot. But you might not expect to face a substantial fall risk when stepping through the front door of a property under […]
A dramatic incident in which a man fell through a fragile skylight into a swimming pool below might have been avoided if man anchors and walkovers had been used correctly while work was carried out to install solar panels on the roof. The roof, on a private residence outbuilding in Kent, already had solar panels […]
An absence of fall prevention measures such as guardrails, man anchors and edge protection has led to a £1,200 fine with over £1,000 in costs for a Bedford-based roofing contractor. The defendant was served with a Prohibition Notice after he was seen working on reroofing a motor company’s premises in Bedford’s Manton Lane, without any […]
Walkovers can act as demarcation systems to indicate the safe route over a roof – particularly one where certain areas of the roof surface are especially fragile. According to the HSE following a recent prosecution, falls through roofs – either through skylights or through fragile materials like asbestos cement – account for more fatalities than […]
The HSE has urged construction companies to make sure they use guardrails and man anchors to protect all workers who need access to partially constructed scaffolds, following one avoidable incident in early 2015. On February 23rd, a 39-year-old man was dismantling the second lift of a scaffold at a site in East Anglia, on a […]
A combination of falls led to the death of one man and serious injuries to another, in a case that demonstrates two of the vital applications of edge protection. The deceased, John Altoft, was part of a team working to install scaffolding on the inside of a tower at a cement works in Rugby; he […]
The director of a Coalville construction company has been sentenced for failing to use edge protection when working on a fifth-storey project, as well as simply throwing sacks of rubble from the fifth-floor window instead of using rubbish chutes or safely carrying the sacks to ground. When the incident occurred, on October 2nd 2014, it […]
Safety ladders are one part of a category that constitutes 40% of the UK access equipment market, according to a report from AMA Research. The publication, entitled Access Equipment Market Report – UK 2014-2018 Analysis, was published recently, and AMA Research summarised its key findings in a blog post. Among them is the fact that […]
There are many different methods of edge protection, from guardrails and demarcation systems to man anchors and temporary roof rails. One recent HSE case demonstrates the importance of making sure, whatever you choose, there is no exposed gap left between the roof edge and the edge protection itself. In the incident, a 63-year-old roofer was […]