Reaching for a mobile phone, or a cup of tea, could be risking the safety of trades people working at height, with falls from below head height injuring thousands every year at work.

TV DIY expert Tommy Walsh has joined forces with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to launch Height Aware, a campaign raising awareness of the dangers faced by people who operate at relatively low heights.

A survey of 150 trades people, who were questioned on behalf of the HSE at a recent building exhibition, reveals that one in three admit to putting their safety at risk by answering their mobile phones while working below head height. The same proportion of people routinely overreach to avoid moving their ladders during low-level work, and one in seven of those surveyed even admit to reaching dangerously to pick up a cup of tea on the job.

The survey also revealed that glaziers work at height more than any other trade, with nine out of ten operating at height every day. In spite of this, six in ten surveyed admitted they climb ladders without checking them first for safety, and one in four admitted to reaching for their mobile phone while operating at low height.

For further info, go to www.hse.gov.uk/falls or contact HSE's Infoline 0845 345 0055.

Source

Glass Age