What is Work at Heights?

What is Work at Heights?
 
Work at Heights is defined as working at any place that is above, at or below ground level, and from which a person could fall (i.e. fall from height). Some examples of work platforms that workers may fall off/into are:

• Boom lifts
• Excavation ditches
• Floor openings
• Hanging scaffolds
• Mast climbing work platforms
• Open sides
• Roofs

 
Statistics on Fall from Height
The top three incident types10 which accounted for 56% of total fatalities in 2011 were:
• Falls
o Falls from Height11 (FFH);
o Slips, Trips & Falls12; and
• Collapse/ Failure of Structure and Equipment

Total Falls cases increased from 22 cases in 2010 to 26 in 2011. Amongst these, 17 were FFH cases and 9 were Slips, Trips and Falls cases. FFH remained the leading incident type in 2011 (Table 5), with majority of cases from Construction, Marine, Manufacturing and Logistics and Transport (15 cases). While Construction and Marine saw a drop in FFH cases from 2010, Manufacturing, Logistics and Transport saw an increase in number of FFH cases.

Slips, Trips and Falls was the second highest incident type with 9 fatalities in 2011, up from 5 fatalities in 2010. 5 out of the 9 fatalities were from the Manufacturing, Transport & Storage sector.

With Falls contributing to almost half of work fatalities, more enforcement and engagement efforts will be rolled out to address work at height risks and get industry players to implement fall prevention plans and proper risk management.

        


Recommendations by National Work At Heights Taskforce
The National Work at Heights Safety Taskforce was formed to address the concern of falls from heights (FFH) at workplaces. The taskforce is led by Mr Wong Weng Sun, President and CEO, Sembcorp Marine Ltd, with members from various stakeholder groups, including the government, industry and suppliers. It aims to take a more concerted effort to involve all stakeholders to bring the numbers of fatal falls at work down further.

The National Work at Heights Safety Taskforce made three key recommendations in its Safety Analysis Review of Work at Height.

Recommendation 1 – Building Strong Capabilities
Implement Fall Prevention Plan.
Provide Practical Assistance.
Develop National Competency.

Recommendation 2 – Promoting the Benefits of WAH Safety
Outreach and Education.
Certification and Recognition
Information Dissemination and Hazards Communication.

Recommendation 3 –  Enhancing the Intervention Framework WAH
Strategic Intervention.
Legislation Review (WAH Regulations) and Extending Enforcement Reach.