The 2005 Working at Height Regulation has been in force for over a year but it's the simple things that may be overlooked by staff who use equipment such as ladders and step-ladders.

Anyone using hired equipment such as cherry pickers or scissor lifts is aware they must be well-trained, but staff may not think so carefully about using a ladder or step-ladder.

SGB's health and safety adviser Neil Murray understands how important it is that the Working at Height Regulation is adhered to no matter how high up staff are working.

"A lot of the Regulation is about temporary equipment such as ladders and step-ladders - things you use and put away again," says Murray. "It requires people to make an assessment. The whole issue of health and safety is about assessing risk and controlling it."

Work at height causes the majority of fatal and serious accidents at work, and not necessarily just high falls; falling just a short distance can result in serious injury.

"People may use crates and boxes and lots of accidents happen that way," continues Murray. "There's a lot of equipment on the market for people who frequently have to reach up high to get things, for example podium steps where you walk up a couple of steps and end on a platform with a guard rail around it."

For shopping centres, this issue concerns members of staff as well as outside contractors. The main question, no matter what work is being done, is whether the work has been planned and organised carefully. It is also clearly important that the work is carried out by people who know what they're doing. A third consideration is choosing the right equipment: is there an alternative, less risky method of access; can you avoid going up there; if not, can you prevent the danger of falls by using, for example, guard rails? And lastly, should a fall occur, how can you minimise the harm, for example by wearing a safety harness?

"If you take a ladder as an example, it will cause a lot of accidents if it's not properly secured," says Murray. "You should only use a ladder or step-ladder where there is low risk; so someone has to assess this first of all. If the task is a regular routine activity occuring, say, once a month, then you shouldn't be using a ladder for it. For a few hundred pounds investment you can put something better, something a lot safer."

The mobile access tower industry is also hugely affected by the new Regulation, which forms an integral part of the Prefabricated Access Suppliers' and Manufacturers' Association, or PASMA, training scheme - the nationally recognised industry standard for training operatives in the only two methods currenty approved for assembling, dismantling and altering access towers. In essence the guidelines are designed to ensure that no one should ever have to stand on an unprotected platform again.

PASMA's general manager Peter Bennett says: "These two approved methods are fundamentally different from previous methods and the Health & Safety Executive will soon be looking carefully at enforcing compliance. Everyone needs to know, understand and implement these guidelines now."

In addition to the standard training course, PASMA has also developed a series of advanced courses, together with an inspection course specifically for supervisors and managers.

thecentre:mk in Milton Keynes recently used a Denka Lift DL22N from Panther Platform Rentals to assist with the cleaning of the glass fascia signage. Due to its outreach of 11.8 metres, the machine can reach even the highest windows.

And as the electric power is supplied to the machine through a sound-proofed motor, shoppers were not disturbed by noise or fume emissions. The DL22N also boasts non-marking rubber crawlers, making it ideal for use on expensive marble flooring without tarnishing.

The Platform Company recommends the use of spider machines, narrow electric scissors and lightweight booms - all of which have non-marking tyres to protect expensive floor finishes and electric power to reduce noise and to eliminate diesel fumes.

Spider machines are ideal for use in tight spaces, but equally good at gaining access to high atriums; narrow electric scissors are great for use in general maintenance and again fit through narrow doorways; lightweight booms can facilitate access up and over obstacles such as planted areas and seating.

At Christmas the need to get to the shopping centre's ceiling to put up decorations is vital. Centre Design, a specialist in display and animation services to the shopping centre and retail industries, has appointed Wizard Workspace as its supplier of powered access equipment.

Product selection was a key decider for Centre Design, particularly features such as Wizard's non-invasing noise levels. Wizard's range of electric booms were selected for their unrivalled battery capacity.

Contacts

SGB: sgb.co.uk

PASMA: 0845 2304041

Wizard Workspace: 08700 771881

Panther Platform Rentals: 023 8045 7666

The Platform Company: 0800 0281808

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