Work At Height | Hazards | Control Measures

Work At Height | Hazards | Control/Preventive measures

There is always a possibility of workers getting injured by falling while working at height. It is common to fall while working at height, when there is a lack of awareness among the employees about safety during work.

Work at Height (Definition)

“It means such a place of work from where there is every possibility to get personal injury to a person by falling”.

or

Meaning of “Working at Height or height safety,” such a work place where work is allowed to work at height without taking any kind of precaution, from where there is every possibility of personal injury by falling to any person.

Hazards

1. Extreme Heat- If the weather outside is hot, then the person can reach unconscious state due to heat stroke, or dehydration and can fall from top to bottom.

2. Extreme Cold – If the weather outside is very cold, in such a situation, if the workers are working at the height, due to which they may faint and fall from top to bottom.

3. Rain, moisture and mud

a. When it rains, the surface becomes very smooth, in such a situation, climbing on wet surface becomes high risk.

b. When it becomes mud after rain, it becomes difficult to climb the height easily, no matter how expert the person is in climbing up.

4. Lightening – There is often a possibility of fall from height even while working on the tall tower, because the working person stays close to the metal and in such a situation, there are full chances of the person falling due to fear of lightning (thunderstorms).

5.Excessive Wind – When strong wind blows, it becomes difficult to handle oneself while working at height and there is every possibility of a person falling from top to bottom.

When the work of lifting is done and the wind is strong, whose speed is about

38-40 km / hour, then the crane operator remains in a dilemma whether to lift

the material or not. Because at such a time there is every possibility of the rope getting entangled in the tower.

When the wind is strong, tires climbers are very fast, and the chances of accident are high, in such a time it becomes very difficult to rescuer.

When strong wind is blowing, it is not easy to communicate with other person in such a time and in case of accident, if there is no timely rescue, someone’s life can also be lost.

At the time of lifting, when there is a strong wind, equal communication is not possible with all persons. Therefore, not everyone can listen to the instruction equally and the possibility of an accident increases.

6.Animals and Insects – There is always a possibility of anaphylactic shocks due to the bite of bees while working at height. Due to anaphylactic shock, the person’s blood pressure drops suddenly and the person reaches unconscious state and the incident of fall from height occurs at the working site.

Therefore, while working at height, check around whether there is a beehive somewhere nearby, because bees always prefer to place hives at height.

At the time of work at height training, inform about the dangers of monkeys at height. And if there is a herd of monkeys on the nearby trees, do not allow the work to be done at the height, as long as there are monkeys on the nearby trees.

Work at Night

Working in night shift where there is no proper illumination. There holes, tower step up bolts, pits etc. are not visible properly, due to which the possibility of falling hazards remains.

Construction Equipment- Forklifts, cranes or any other equipment on the construction site can cause hazards to the crew.

Falling Object- Working under the tower becomes more dangerous in such a situation. When work is being done on top of the tower i.e. at height, workers working below can get hurt due to falling of tools, tackles.

Reason for falling during work at height at construction site

While working on any construction site, when there is an incident of fall from height, and during the accident investigation, when the root causes of that accident are found, then it comes out that the cause of the accident was poor management, due to which The reason is equipment failure due to which the accident occurred.

Common factors include for falls during the work at height

To remove any problem or hazards, it is necessary to identify it. And in such a situation, if the hazards are not recognized, then it becomes the cause of the accident.

There is a procedure to do any work safely. In such a situation, if you fail to do the work in a safe procedure, then it becomes the cause of the accident. To do any work safely, it is very important to follow the safety.

Height work is going to be done, the workers should have full knowledge about that work, half incomplete information can cause accident.

With this it is necessary to have a competent supervisor at the work place. One who can give proper training related to work, and can instruct to do the work in a safe method while detecting unsafe activities while giving work.

Proper tools, tackles related to the work that is going to be done are not being provided, or it can be said that appropriate equipment is not being given which becomes the cause of accident.

To do any work in safe procedure, it is necessary to provide safe plant or equipment. Where failure to provide safe plant/equipment creates full possibility of accident.

Control Measure

Do not give priority to the work at height when it is very hot or there is strong sunlight. Even if the work is being done, it is necessary to take breaks from time to time along with energy drinks, mineral water. It is prohibited to continue working in high temperature at work at height.

Extra dry cloth should always be available at the work place. Which can be given to an employee when his clothes are more wet than the heat. Along with this, it is also necessary to have a blanket with extra gloves on the working site.

While climbing the height, it should be seen that the tower is not wet anywhere, and if you are climbing to work at the height, then the boot should not be wet at all, so that the possibility of slipping while climbing the height can be eliminated.

When working at height, attention should be paid to the weather. And as soon as the possibility of rain, storm or hail is seen, the workers should be called down immediately.

When the wind speed is 38 kmph, work at height should be avoided. Therefore, when work is going to be done at height, it is always necessary to measure wind speed.

All the workers working on the site should have complete knowledge about First Aid. Along with this the standard First Aid kit should be available at the site.

Before the work starts, plan the work of all the days. And when the work is going to start, then see whether there is enough light available at the work site or not. If there is not enough light during the height, then stop the work. Because in the absence of less light, the chances of accident increase.

Work on height should be allowed to those who are physically and mentally fully fit, and the person who is going to work should be well qualified.

For those who are used to working at height, harness should also be compulsory. And with this, there should be proper personal protective equipment according to the work. With this, the crew working below, where the work at height is being done, then it is mandatory for such employee to wear hard hat or safety helmet at all times.

Tool Box Talk Working at Height

When work at height is going to be done, the employee working at height should be given TBT by a competent person. And each of those points should be discussed where there is a possibility of danger.