Why fatal falls are avoidable

There are 36 fatalities a year in UK workplace falls from height, but the government is reluctant to accept the recommendations of a report that could reduce the number.

Eighteen months have passed since the publication by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Working at Height of Staying alive: preventing serious injury and fatalities while working at height. The recommendations in the document (see Key takeaways, below) have been mostly gathering dust since their publication.

It’s a source of frustration to all concerned because, if the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) average figures have been maintained, as many as 54 lives will have been lost during this time.

Alison Thewliss MP, chair of the APPG, says: ‘Falls from height are consistently the leading cause of avoidable deaths in the workplace. That’s why the APPG was established and why it must continue to pursue its mission.’

At first glance, it would seem to be in everyone’s interest to reduce the numbers. As well as deaths, it’s estimated that non-fatal falls accounted for more than 63,000 injuries in 2018-19 in the UK. As Alison says: ‘Not only do we owe it to those who have lost their lives and those who have suffered life-changing injuries, but also to those who are affected in the aftermath. There is also a huge cost to society and the economy.’

Driven by data

Peter Bennett, managing director of the mobile access tower industry association PASMA and chair of the Access Industry Forum (sponsor of the APPG), says that falls from height are often seen as isolated incidents. ‘If these fatalities were due to a plane crash, there would be an immediate investigation and inquiry, but because no connection is being made, not enough is being done.’

One of the changes Peter would like to see is a standardised process for reporting incidents. ‘Currently, it’s just free-text reporting, so it’s nigh on impossible to pull out the information you need to compare like-for-like.

‘The first thing that needs to happen is to ask some simple, but relevant, questions: Where are the falls happening? Are there a disproportionate number of incidents in any one sector? Were the people involved trained?

Falls from height are consistently the leading cause of avoidable deaths in the workplace

‘We’d like to see drop-down menus to choose from a relatively small number of work at height methods. The current free-text option allows companies to report the incident as a narrative, with potentially irrelevant detail, and the possibility of careful phrasing that may play down any fault.’

Data is also a particular concern for Rhys Baker, senior health, safety, environment and quality manager for Alimak Group in the UK, which specialises in vertical access solutions. He recalls the 1980s, when there was a culture of having to ‘man up’ when carrying out work at height tasks. Even now, he says, there are notable differences in the approach to work-at-height safety and compliance with legislation.

‘Industries such as oil rigs and nuclear are tightly controlled and implement stringent equipment checks and permit systems,’ he says, ‘whereas smaller construction projects and maintenance activities on tall buildings are generally managed by third parties on behalf of the owners and the approach does vary.’

Other recommendations

Paul Williams, head of health and safety and compliance at One Manchester, says the Electrical Contractors Association also made recommendations to the APPG. ‘Much more emphasis should be placed on designing out the need for work at height wherever possible,’ he says.

‘Clients and specifiers can do much more to improve safety at height. Whenever possible and reasonable, they should carry out inspections more frequently. They should also take steps to consider access positions for maintenance workers.’

ATLAS’s representative for the APPG is the organisation’s immediate past president, Jason Harfield. He stresses that the focus isn’t just on construction. ‘The APPG is guided by the statistics that show that agriculture and forestry also have a role to play in combating falls from height. Our next APPG meeting will focus on working at height in rural and agricultural settings.’

Everyone is aware that COVID-19 has had an impact in terms of training and competency. Will workers suffer from a skills fade, for example? There will also be pressure on contractors to raise the pace of work as the economy returns to normal, with concerns this could lead to shortcuts.

Jason accepts that COVID-19 has affected training but says: ‘Our main frustration is that despite good communication with both government and the HSE, there is so far a reluctance to move to enhanced reporting. On a positive note, we have seen unprecedented collaboration between trade unions, regulatory bodies and employers.’

Alison insists that the APPG is fighting hard: ‘Despite all the challenges and disruptions thrown up by Brexit, the general election and COVID-19, the APPG continues to urge the government to implement its recommendations.’