Falls from Height

A fall from height at work can result in major injuries or even death, so the effect on the victim and their friends and family can be utterly devastating.

20% of fatal accidents occur because of falls from height, according to the Health and Safety Executive.

We may envision serious injuries happening due to falls from a great height, in truth however, serious or life threating injuries can occur where the fall is under 2m.

Subsequently, it is vital to take care and ensure that ladders and scaffolds, for example, are stable when in use or there is another worker in attendance to secure work equipment.

The Health and Safety Executive examined the most common environments in which falls from height occur in a three-year analysis:

• ladders 40%
• vehicles 17%
• machinery 10%
• platforms 10%
• stairs 8%
• roofs/false ceiling 7%
• scaffold/gantry 4%
• warehouse racking 4%

Falls from height, regardless of whether at work or somewhere else, can result in critical physical damage, including spinal damage, and brain damage.