The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced a summer campaign to raise awareness about falls from height, which will see them inspect over 1,000 sites nationwide in the summer. As well as costing the economy up to £60 million each year, falls from height are the number one cause of workplace deaths in the UK and one of the main causes of major injury. Last year, 24 of the 59 worker deaths in construction were caused by falls from height, and on average 13 people a year die at work falling from ladders and around 1,200 suffer major injuries.
"Trips and Falls in Construction 2007" continues the HSE's enforcement led inspection programme and follows on from their "Fit Out" campaign in 2005 and the "Watch Your Step" initiative in 2006. As part of this HSE and local authority inspectors will also be looking at safe ladder use during June and July 2007, and visiting workplaces with a simple message: is it right to use a ladder? If so, use the right ladder and use it safely. If it's not suitable for the job at hand, exchange it. During this period, businesses will have the chance to get their ladders checked, and where necessary, trade them in for new ones at a discounted price.
Further information on "Trips and Falls in Construction 2007, as well as ladder safety is available on the HSE website, at www.hse.gov.uk/construction/tripsandfalls/index.htm.
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