TV star Tommy Walsh joins with HSE for Height Aware campaign

Everyday actions like reaching for a mobile phone while working at relatively low heights are a major contributor to thousands of injuries each year at work. The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) new Height Aware campaign is designed to raise awareness of the dangers faced when working at below head height.

A recent survey of 150 tradespeople revealed that one in three admit to using a mobile phone while working at height and the same proportion regularly overreach to avoid moving their ladder while working at low levels.

The HSE has enlisted the services of TV handyman Tommy Walsh to promote the campaign. Walsh said: "Reaching down from a ladder to answer the phone is asking for trouble. My advice would be stop putting yourself in danger for the sake of a phone call.

"Even if you're not that high off the ground, a fall could see you ending up in plaster. It's impossible to underestimate the importance of the issue and it makes sense to take your safety seriously."

According to official HSE statistics, falling is the biggest cause of workplace injuries. Last year, over 3700 major injuries were recorded from falls in workplaces in the UK, with six in ten of those injuries coming as a result of working below head height. Over the same period, 53 people died from falls and seven of those were from falls of below six feet in height.

Geoffrey Podger, chief executive of the HSE said: "The dangers involved in working at low levels seem less obvious, which is why raising awareness about them is important. Accidents cost money and for the small operator it could cost you your business, or, worst of all a life."