A third of all falls from height in the workplace reportedly occur when using a ladder, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and within the construction industry it reportedly accounts for 45% of fatalities each year. Businesses are now also seeing huge penalties as a result of accidents, with a £1 million landmark fine recently being issued to a bakery following the tragic death of a self-employed contractor who fell from a stepladder.
Most recently, a British supermarket chain was issued with a fine of £2.5 million after breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 when a contractor was fatally injured due to a fall from height.
So, with this renewed focus on ladder safety training within the sector, WernerCo is now urging all businesses to ensure that all employees or sub-contractors using work at height equipment are fully trained and competent to do so.
Paul Bruton, product development director at WernerCo, commented: “For construction professionals, working at height can often be a daily occurrence. The recent news that a Hull-based bakery company received a landmark £1 million fine for a tragic stepladder fatal accident is further proof that more needs to be done to raise awareness of the importance of safety training when using work at height equipment.”
Paul continued: “We would urge all employers and businesses across manufacturing, processing and engineering sectors to ensure that anyone using ladders or stepladders has completed Ladder Association accredited training before tackling any job at height.”
Paul added: “The half-day courses cost less than £100 so there really is no excuse for businesses not to find the time or money to send staff onto them, especially given the consequence of not doing so could prove fatal.”
WernerCo holds regular training sessions at both its Burton upon Trent and Maldon facilities, to provide the practical knowledge required to use ladders and stepladders safely and correctly in the workplace.
If you feel you or your employees could benefit from ladder training, call WernerCo on 01621 745800 or email ukcustomercare@wernerco.com.
