Falls from Height

Learn the strategies preventing falls from height. Falls from height continues to be the largest causes of major injuries and fatalities.  About 4000 working at height-related accidents occur each year at work and the most common cases are falls from ladders and through fragile services. Alarmingly, two thirds of all major injuries at work are caused by ‘low falls’ A low fall is a fall from a height below 2 metres.  A high fall is a fall from a height of more than 2 metres.

Top Tips for Preventing Falls from Height:

1. As with all work activities, a suitable and sufficient risk assessment is key to preventing falls from height. The planned activity and location should also be assessed immediately before work takes place, in case there have been any changes since the original assessment took place. The above case is a good example, in terms of missing panels that had not been put back following previous works.
2. All parties involved should be made aware of the findings of the risk assessment, so there needs to be procedures in place to ensure good communication of the hazards, control measures and any changes to the planned works.
3. In terms of control measures, eliminating the need to work at height is usually the best option. However, in reality, that isn’t always possible. Use suitable work equipment such as a working platform, or an existing safe area with a permanent guardrail, and make sure workers can reach it safely.
4. All works should be supervised, and the job undertaken by competent staff. Assessing someone’s competency would include looking at their experience, knowledge and skillset, as well as their qualifications.
5. Consider both personal and collective measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, where some risk does remain, such as fall arrest equipment or safety nets.

Most falls from height can be prevented, by ensuring proper planning of the work and by selecting the right equipment for the job. When equipment is not suitable, it can lead to workers finding other ways to complete the job, which can have fatal consequences.

Working at heights training course

If you are still unsure and would like to look at refreshing your knowledge we offer an working at height e-learning course for you to sit whenever is convenient for you.

You can download HSE’s Working at Height Brief Guide Here

SSIP Accreditation and CHAS

Have you recently been asked for an SSIP accreditation?

SSIP Accreditation and CHAS – SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) is an umbrella group which sits above a number of accreditations you can get which assess your companies Health & Safety. There are a number of assessments you can go for and we have highlighted the most popular ones below:

• Acclaim
• Altius VA
• APS Corporate Membership
• ARB Approved Contractor
• Avetta (Formerly PICS Auditing)
• Builders Profile
• ConstructionLine
• BESA H&S Assessment
• BCSA
• CHAS
• CQMS Safety-Scheme
• DW H&S
• Eurosafe CDM Competent
• Exor H&S Qualified
• FASET
• Greenlight
• HSAS
• Laing O’Rourke
• MSL Safepartner
• NAS
• NASSH
• NHBC
• PQS
• Safemark Principal Safety (PASS)
• Safe-T-Cert
• Safe Contractor
• SMAS
• Worksafe
• OHSAS 18001 (schemes are listed on the site)

CHAS

The majority of our clients go for CHAS accreditation as this seems to be the popular one within the industry. CHAS have recently gone online with their submissions so customers can upload their documentation and then pay for the assessments once they are ready to submit.

This makes it easier for customers to see progress and communicate with their assessor.

If you are looking to get CHAS accreditation but are having trouble with the necessary documentation we can help with the preparation of these, we also provide a safety advisor service for companies with less than 5 employees so we can stay with you and help to implement the new documentation.

Impartial advise

Feel free to call us 0800 031 5404, and we can advise you on the best selection for your needs. We have completed thousands of applications and understand the market inside out. We don’t mind which company you select; the assessment process is the same, thanks to SSIP.

Who is Seguro

Seguro Health and Safety Management employs qualified health and safety consultants who complete the application to obtain accreditation from all the assessment companies. Seguro removes the pain of completing all the documentation and ensuring you comply. Feel free to contact us.

Learn more about CHAS

We have a series of articles where you can learn more about CHAS. The list of articles is below:

• What is CHAS
• CHAS accreditations
• CHAS registration
• Guide to CHAS
• CHAS renewal
• CHAS accreditation cost
• CHAS assessment criteria
• CHAS deem to satisfy
• CHAS Training Guidance
• Competent person and CHAS
• CHAS support

If you have any questions on what is CHAS accreditation please get in touch.

Acclaim Accreditation

What is a Acclaim Accreditation

Acclaim was created in 2012 and is a member of SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement)

SSIP is an umbrella organisation formed in 2009 to reduce the duplication of health and safety assessments.

Acclaim is the accreditation arm of Constructionline. When you join Constructionline, you will be directed to Acclaim to complete the Health and safety accreditation process to obtain the SSIP certificate.

Do I have to apply for an Acclaim at the same time as I do for a construction line?

Yes. Acclaim has been included within all paid Constructionline memberships and is no longer offered as a standalone product.

Constructionline Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum memberships include Acclaim but also offer a ‘Deem to Satisfy’ certificate for those who hold a valid SSIP with an alternative provider.

What will an Acclaim accreditation cover?

All assessments are completed using the SSIP Core Criteria as the threshold standard and cover the following:

• Health & Safety policy
• Competent Advice
• Training arrangements
• Monitoring, audit and review
• Workforce involvement
• Accident reporting and enforcement action
• Subcontracting/consulting
• Risk Assessments and Safe Systems of Work
• Cooperations with others
• Welfare provision
• Hazard elimination

How much does an assessment cost?

Fees charged by our members vary and take into account other membership fees. It is essential to recognise that all assessments are equal and all are carried out against the same standard.

If you are not sure feel free to call us for support.

How long will it take to get a certificate?

This varies from scheme to scheme and is dependent on you providing everything needed for the assessment. Typically, schemes will try to complete their initial assessment within ten working days.

Who is Seguro and how can you help me?

Seguro is a health and safety company that specialises in SSIP accreditation. We completed over 500 applications per year. Our success rate is 100%.

We are here to support you through the acclaim accreditation process; we can prepare all the documents, complete the registration forms, and simplify the process. CHAS is expensive, but other providers are very economical. The best thing to do is chat with us and learn more; we can tell you about the costs and the time frame. Our number is 0800 031 5404, or you can request a quote.

 

Safe Contractor Joining fees

Here are the latest Safe Contractor joining fees as of November 2016 , it should be noted these fees change on a year by year basis.

Safe Contractor is part of the SSIP umbrella group and is an assessment of your companies Health & Safety capabilities. It is often a requirement to have Safe Contractor should you wish to work with some private and public sector clients. As Safe Contractor is part of SSIP if you have an alternative SSIP accreditation such as CHAS or Acclaim you will be able to take advantage of their Deem to Satisfy system.

There are a number of ways you can apply for safe contractor you can register and complete all the required paperwork yourself or you can enlist the services of a 3rd party consultant. They will provide expert advice and support and help you through the process.

Why Safe Contractor

Alcumus SafeContractor takes the pain out of compliance for organisations, helping them protect their people, their operations, and the planet.

 

If you are looking for help please see our information available.

The Safe Contractor Joining fees are listed below are correct as of 25/10/2016

Owner Operator	£189 + VAT
1-4 employees	£279 + VAT
5-15 employees	£369 + VAT
16-30 employees	£469 + VAT
31-50 employees	£579 + VAT
51-250 employees	£739 + VAT
>250 employees	£899 + VAT

 

 

 

Top dangerous jobs in the UK

You thought you might know the top dangerous jobs in the UK, but the list below may surprise you. Some jobs are more dangerous than others but we weren’t expecting a few of these.

The latest health and safety statisitcs can be studied at HSE Statistics.

Builder

The top most dangerous job comes as no surprise builders are putting themselves at risk everyday – 39 people died in the construction industry between 2012 and 2013, the majority of them by falling from a height.

Refuse collector

This isn’t the most pleasant job to have, but being a refuse collector should also carry a health warning. 10 people died collecting, treating and disposing of waste between 2012 and 2013. The industry had a fatality rate of 7.8 per 100,000 employees in 2012/2013

Farmer

Agriculture, forestry and fishing has the highest risk of all industrial sector, this sector accounts for an average of one in five fatal injuries. Out of the 29 workers fatally injured in 2012 / 2013 almost 50% were farmers, 17 % were hired hands in the industry. 5 of these were killed by animals, 5 more died by drowning or asphyxiation.

Miner

With only three deep pit coal mines left operational in the UK there is still a threat to miners on a daily basis. In 2012 / 2013 there were 2 fatalities and over 150 injuries in the mining and quarrying industry. As the industry has reduced in size, the fatality rate is now the highest in the country at 9.6 per 100,000 employees.

Shopkeeper

Although there was no fatal injuries in the retail industry between 2012 / 2013, there were 1619 “major injuries” in the sector with close to 7,000 injuries reported in total.

Mechanic

Mechanics and Car Salesmen are also at risk with 8 deaths recorded in 2012 / 2013 and close to 300 major injuries.

Teacher

Education is reportedly the most injury prone sector with 1,736 people reporting non-fatal major injuries in 2012 / 2013, although there were no reported fatalities.

Estate agent

It might seem like an unlikely career for you to be at risk,  but HSE statistics say that 4 people died in the rental and leasing activities industry in 2012 / 2013, with 70 people suffering from major, but non-fatal, injuries.

Seguro health and Safety

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