In the past 12 months, there have been two fatalities and numerous accidents involving workers falling from cages being used as temporary working platforms in Northern Ireland.
The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSE NI) is particularly concerned about the widespread use of non-integrated working platforms fitted to telescopic handlers and similar machines for work in the construction and agriculture industries. They allow people to be elevated so that they can work at height, but the person in the platform has no control over its height or movement. However, when a fully integrated platform is utilised, all operational controls are transferred to a console within the platform.
A variety of equipment is available for work at height, including scaffolding, tower scaffolds, mobile elevating working platforms (MEWPs), staircases, platforms, and portable ladders. The selection and use of an appropriate and suitable method of access will depend on the nature of the task to be carried out, the frequency of occurrence, the duration of the work and the availability of equipment.
Directive 2006/42/EC on machinery, which is implemented by the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations SI 2008/1597 (coming into force next month), does not permit the use of non-integrated work platforms and hence they cannot be CE marked. However, the HSE NI has accepted that properly designed and compatible equipment can provide a safe system of work, but must only be used for non-routine short duration jobs.
Further information can be found in guidance produced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) “Working platforms (non-integrated) on forklift trucks” Guidance Note PM28 [3rd edition] December 2005.
