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WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY ABOUT WORKING AT HEIGHTS IN SOUTH AFRICA?

Working at heights safety is addressed mainly in the Regulations sections of the OHSA 85 of 1993.

General Safety Regulation 6 – Work in Elevated Position (GSR6): “ No employer shall require or permit any person to work in an elevated position, and no person shall work in an elevated position, unless such work is performed safely from a ladder or scaffolding, or from a position where such person has been made as safe as if he were working from scaffolding”.

Regulation 8 of the Construction Regulations (CR 8):

Differentiates between Fall Protection and Fall Arrest.

Fall prevention is preventing the fall by erecting barricades etc. Fall Arrest is arresting the fall once the fall has already occurred , example using a double lanyard. The employer has to ensure that, fall prevention and fall arrest equipment is in place.

Fall Protection Planning in South Africa

Regulation 8 talks about an employer needing to designate a competent person as responsible person for the preparation of a Fall Protection Plan. A competent person needs to be trained by an Accredited Training Provider.

The Fall Protection Plan must include the following:

1. Specific hazard Identification for the relevant site

2. A Risk Assessment with a Method Statement and Mitigations.

3. Safe work procedures.

4. Using the 5 W method of Who, When, Why, What, Wher

5. A Rescue Plan must be put in place as to how to rescue a fallen employee.

6. An Emergency Evacuation Plan for the site must be put in place.

7. How medical testing will take place for working at heights

Medical Fitness Testing is required for Working At Heights:

No person may work at heights if they suffer from any of the below conditions as this could result in a serious fall. A basic medical needs to include a valid Disclosure Questionnaire that addresses the following:

1. Hypertension/High Blood pressure,

2. Epilepsy,

3. Diabetes,

4. Heart Diseases,

5. Fear of Heights

6. Depression

Ways to protect your employees that work at heights

1. Do a risk assessment for the work that involves using equipment such as ladders and scaffolding. Any work above 1.5 m requires a training certificate in working at heights.

2. Train all employees who work on high-equipment on the safety precautions they must take. You must also train them to inspect the equipment before and after they use it. This will minimise risks of them falling;

3. Take precautionary measures to reduce the risk of falling or slipping. Give your employees personal protective equipment (PPE) e.g.: safety boots or shoes, safety gloves;

4. Keep the equipment in good working condition and do monthly inspections. Make sure the inspections are done by a competent person. Someone that has been properly trained to work on that type of equipment.

5. Dispose of any height-equipment older than five years. This will avoid employees having accidents because of faulty equipment.

6. Make sure safe work permits are issued for the project you are doing. This ensures your employees are protected when working at heights.

You need to comply with the general duties of the employer which means you need to do a Hazard identification and Risk assessment relevant to working above 1.5 meters. Although there is no specific level defined in the law as ‘ height’, industry norm has adopted 1.5 meters.

Your company  also needs to comply with the General Safety Regulations section 6: Working in elevated positions and the Construction regulations section 8: Fall protection.

These sections state that one cannot allow anyone to work in an elevated position unless the work is performed safely from a ladder or scaffolding or from a position where the person has been made safe.

You need a defined work procedure for carrying out work at heights. This should be documented.

Your employees need to have training on working at heights. This will include the correct type of harnesses to wear, how to work safely and what to do in case of a fall. Make sure that you have a signed training record for each person.

You will need to have a documented Risk assessment for each site.

Depending on the elevation at which work is done, your staff may need to be trained in fall prevention as well as fall protection.

You need to have a procedure for inspecting and maintaining fall protection equipment

Employees working at height need to have a medical examination and be certified fit to work at height. E.g. you cannot have a person who suffers from epilepsy working on a ladder or scaffolding.