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ARTICLE
Need to address high level risk
25 January 2013
Ensuring safe working at height is an issue faced by many facilities management teams. Here, Richard Miller, executive director - sales and marketing - of Nationwide Platforms, offers answers to a few key questions Wh
Ensuring safe working at height is an issue faced by many
facilities management teams. Here, Richard Miller, executive
director - sales and marketing - of Nationwide Platforms,
offers answers to a few key questions
What challenges does working at height pose? A large proportion of facilities management tasks take place at height, including both indoor and outdoor tasks. The challenges faced by individuals vary depending on the job, but the issues of productivity and operator safety would resonate with almost everyone.
For many, working at height poses a large barrier to efficiency, but over the past 10 or 15 years powered access has changed that.
Now using this kind of equipment is becoming an increasing part of maintenance work as it offers an immediate and highly safety-focused answer. The trend we are seeing as a business is that facility managers are seeking a means of working that is highly practical and doesn't have to impact too much on the people using the premises.
In some instances it is also the only means of completing building management at height. For example, recently, one of our specialist vehicles was used for a maintenance job on the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland (pictured). The nature of the environment meant that for scaffolding to be used the water would have to be drained - a large inconvenience for our client. We provided a machine that enabled work at height up to 50m from a fairly confined location at the foot of the wheel. The nature of the equipment we provided was such that the machine could be driven away from the site as soon as it has been used.
What trends are you seeing in ways safe facility management is achieved at height? As a business we're increasingly seeing businesses put extra priority in the development and training of their employees.
The potential human and financial costs far outweigh any price put on safety training, and it's getting much harder for those without the right training to get work. The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), the industry's safety body, is also helping in the drive for the highest standards in powered access operator training.
It is also becoming clear that as businesses look to cut down on capital costs, many facility managers are looking to find longterm solutions that deliver the most productive methods of accomplishing their goals. This will often mean businesses outsourcing work to contractors. While for the most part this will be an effective way of working, sometimes there are risks when contractors don't see the working at height risks that an in-house team may have been more aware of. Of course cutting costs should never impact on safe working at height.
What steps can facilities managers take to safeguard those working at height? As mentioned above, the appropriate safety training is crucial, but there are other things to consider when managing employee safety.
This includes completing thorough risk assessments and accurately selecting the right means of access. This in itself could bring extra stability and precision to an operator's means of working.
Where work includes material repairs or installation, including guttering, piping, light units or cladding panels, it's important to account for that in the appropriate means of working at height. Reacting to the safety advice outlined by both the HSE and IPAF, our business has pioneered its own Material Handling Attachments (MHAs) range called BlueSky and it's possible that innovations of these kinds will eventually become the norm for all material handling at height.
Many facility managers are under increasing pressure to deliver the highest standards while facing staffing or budgetary cutbacks. Technology can be crucial in driving value and finding practical solutions in long-term projects.
Crucially though, while many of the tasks performed at height are unavoidable, it's important to remember that all working at height presents an element of risk. It's for that reason that health and safety must always be the first priority when overcoming any facilities management challenge.
What challenges does working at height pose? A large proportion of facilities management tasks take place at height, including both indoor and outdoor tasks. The challenges faced by individuals vary depending on the job, but the issues of productivity and operator safety would resonate with almost everyone.
For many, working at height poses a large barrier to efficiency, but over the past 10 or 15 years powered access has changed that.
Now using this kind of equipment is becoming an increasing part of maintenance work as it offers an immediate and highly safety-focused answer. The trend we are seeing as a business is that facility managers are seeking a means of working that is highly practical and doesn't have to impact too much on the people using the premises.
In some instances it is also the only means of completing building management at height. For example, recently, one of our specialist vehicles was used for a maintenance job on the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland (pictured). The nature of the environment meant that for scaffolding to be used the water would have to be drained - a large inconvenience for our client. We provided a machine that enabled work at height up to 50m from a fairly confined location at the foot of the wheel. The nature of the equipment we provided was such that the machine could be driven away from the site as soon as it has been used.
What trends are you seeing in ways safe facility management is achieved at height? As a business we're increasingly seeing businesses put extra priority in the development and training of their employees.
The potential human and financial costs far outweigh any price put on safety training, and it's getting much harder for those without the right training to get work. The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), the industry's safety body, is also helping in the drive for the highest standards in powered access operator training.
It is also becoming clear that as businesses look to cut down on capital costs, many facility managers are looking to find longterm solutions that deliver the most productive methods of accomplishing their goals. This will often mean businesses outsourcing work to contractors. While for the most part this will be an effective way of working, sometimes there are risks when contractors don't see the working at height risks that an in-house team may have been more aware of. Of course cutting costs should never impact on safe working at height.
What steps can facilities managers take to safeguard those working at height? As mentioned above, the appropriate safety training is crucial, but there are other things to consider when managing employee safety.
This includes completing thorough risk assessments and accurately selecting the right means of access. This in itself could bring extra stability and precision to an operator's means of working.
Where work includes material repairs or installation, including guttering, piping, light units or cladding panels, it's important to account for that in the appropriate means of working at height. Reacting to the safety advice outlined by both the HSE and IPAF, our business has pioneered its own Material Handling Attachments (MHAs) range called BlueSky and it's possible that innovations of these kinds will eventually become the norm for all material handling at height.
Many facility managers are under increasing pressure to deliver the highest standards while facing staffing or budgetary cutbacks. Technology can be crucial in driving value and finding practical solutions in long-term projects.
Crucially though, while many of the tasks performed at height are unavoidable, it's important to remember that all working at height presents an element of risk. It's for that reason that health and safety must always be the first priority when overcoming any facilities management challenge.
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