I carry a fear of heights. I’ve attempted to overcome this fear by facing it in a pretty foolish way – by going skydiving. Though the adrenaline flying through my body undoubtedly helped in curbing my fears, regrettably, I continue to have a fear of heights and gazing out of a plane at 10,000 feet above ground was probably the worst experience of my life. Thankfully, there are lots of folks that aren’t afraid of heights. Construction workers, window washers, and painters are all crucial jobs in our society that must be conducted at heights. Not surprisingly, what all these jobs have in common is that they utilise numerous types of scaffolding to carry out their jobs. Scaffolding has been around for thousands of years, and the evolution of safety procedures and protocols have been pretty stagnant up until the 1970’s when numerous laws were introduced to attempt to improve the safety of workers when using scaffolding.
Prior to this time, there were few rules and regulations within the construction industry. There were no formal scaffolding licensing, training or qualifications, no protection equipment used, and no written safety protocols for the erecting and disassembling of scaffolding equipment. Scaffolding was deemed a semi-skilled trade and workers were paid accordingly. As you can visualise, injuries were very regular, and often deadly in this industry, so it was vital for the Government to introduce legislation to protect these kinds of workers in an attempt to lessen the amount of workplace injuries. That’s exactly what the Government did. From the start of the 1970’s, there have been various legislations introduced to protect workers using scaffolding. Consequently, the safety of workers has dramatically increased and even more so with the evolution of technology.
Back in March this year, WorkSafe ACT cracked down on scaffolding safety by posting inspectors to many construction sites to check that scaffolding protocols were being complied with properly as part of an audit into scaffolding safety. Regretfully, even today, falls from heights are still one of the most regular and severe workplace accidents that has a massive impact both on families and communities, but also within the industry itself by shelling out millions in compensation. As a matter of fact, since 2014, there have been 476 workplace injuries that have arisen from falling from heights in the ACT alone (reference), which is almost 1 in every 2 days. Even a fall from two metres can be quite dangerous and even fatal, so it’s imperative that the most efficacious safety measures are put in place to try to lower the leading cause of death in the construction industry. At the same time, education and training also plays a vital role in lowering the risk of falls from scaffolding. Fortunately, there are very specific measures that have been implemented to attempt to lower the risk of working with scaffolding, and this article will feature some of the current ‘best practices’ used in the scaffolding industry at present.
Scaffolding Materials
It is obligatory that scaffolds are fully planked altogether and must be positioned on a stable foundation that will not be altered in any way, shape or form. Any type of damage to scaffolding material substantially reduces its strength and should be replaced at once. Except for mobile scaffolding which should be managed by skilled workers only, scaffolding must not be moved horizontally while workers are on scaffolds. In addition, scaffolding must only be loaded according to the weight they are designed to support and no scaffolds should come within 10 feet of power lines.
Licensing and Qualifications
Scaffolding workers need to obtain relevant licensing and qualifications according to the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011. There are a range of organisations that provide full scaffolding licensing and qualifications that are required by Law if individuals intend to work with scaffolding (above four metres) and these training programs are available all the time in various cities around Australia.
Face and Eye Protection
When working at heights, foreign objects like dust can inhibit workers sight, so safety glasses or face shields have to be worn. There are a range of types of safety glasses and face shields available that are designed for different types of hazards, so the most appropriate protection must be worn depending on the type of construction site. Also, safety glasses and face shields need to be worn when workers are exposed to any electrical hazards or energised electrical systems.
Foot Protection
Foot protection is incredibly important due to the fact that falling objects are common in the construction industry. The shoes worn by construction and scaffolding workers must be slip and puncture resistant. Additionally, safety-toed footwear (like steel toe work boots) is the standard when working with heavy equipment or when the risk of falling objects is high.
Hand Protection
There are an assortment of gloves that are available for various type of construction and scaffolding work. These gloves must be worn by workers when conducting their jobs and they must fit well so to increase dexterity.
Head Protection
It is mandatory for all construction and scaffolding workers to wear hard hats on construction sites where there is a risk of falling objects. Hard hats must also be inspected regularly for cracks, dents, or other forms of deterioration and must be in good working order. It is also mandatory to replace a hard hat after it has been hit by a falling object or electrical shock.
Electrical Safety
Work must not be permitted if there are any active electrical circuits running close to scaffolds and there must be a Lockout/Tag Out system in place. All frayed, damaged, or worn electrical cords and cables must be replaced as soon as possible and electrical cords and cables must be safeguarded from sharp objects and surfaces.
Hazard Communication
A readily available list of hazardous substances must be kept at all construction sites. Containers of hazardous substances must be properly labelled with proper identification and hazard warnings. A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) must be maintained and available for every use of a hazardous substance and it’s advised that construction and scaffolding workers are adequately trained in the use of hazardous substances.
Elevated Surfaces
It is compulsory that signs are posted (if applicable) that distinctly displays the elevated surface load capacity. Scaffolds that are elevated more than 48 inches above ground level must have guardrails, and handrails must be provided to elevated work surfaces to ensure the safe entry and exit of workers.
Scaffolding is an vital element of the construction industry and unfortunately, the risk of injury and death is the highest of any industry today. While accidents are unpreventable, it’s imperative that construction and scaffolding companies follow the appropriate safety protocols to reduce the risk of injury as much as possible. This article has described the latest ‘best practices’ in scaffolding safety measures which has greatly evolved over the past 40 years and has successfully reduced the number of workplace injuries significantly. If you have any questions or concerns with any scaffolding safety protocols, contact Australia’s most reliable scaffolding and formwork company, Uni-Span, on 1300 882 825, or visit their website for more details: https://uni-span.com.au
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