05 Oct
3rd cause of workplace accidents
Falls from heights are the third leading cause of work accidents after falls on the same level and the risks associated with manual handling.
Whether working on a roof, a pylon, scaffolding or a stepladder… whether temporary or regular, working at height can be a risky activity.
This particular work situation requires special precautions. Explanations:
The risk of falling with unevenness
The risk of falling from a height is characterized by the existence of a difference in level, it therefore concerns all persons located at elevation :
- Personnel in high positions (roofers, production agent on a platform, pruner, etc.),
- Personnel accessing raised areas by ladders, stairs or walkways (maintenance technician, tank truck driver, scaffolder, etc.),
- Personnel near excavations, trenches, ravines and cliffs (digger, green space maintenance worker, etc.),
- Staff using a chair or step (secretary to access storage, etc.).
All sectors of activity are impacted, but in the majority of cases, these falls concern operators working on roofs. They are mainly due to:
- The lack of collective protection,
- Hardware malfunction,
- The worker's loss of balance,
- The rupture of the support on which it is located.
During a fall, injuries can be caused directly by landing on the ground or indirectly by hitting protruding elements on the trajectory. Injuries can be of different types:
- Various lesions (hematomas, contusions, fractures, wounds),
- Serious, irreversible and disabling sequelae,
- Death.
The consequences of falls from a height are often serious, so you should be particularly vigilant and follow the advice that follows.
What to do in the event of a fall?
Whether work situations involving the risk of falling from a height are familiar to you or not, here is a non-exhaustive list of best practices to adopt in order to reduce the risk of work accidents as much as possible:
- Only carry out the missions provided for in your contract,
- Check that the collective protective equipment is in place,
- In the absence of collective protection, wearing a harness is compulsory,
- Do not use a ladder or stepladder as a workstation: it is prohibited by law,
- Only use height access equipment provided for this purpose (no chairs, tables, etc.),
- In the event of danger, remember to exercise your right to alert and withdraw: alert the agency in the event of imminent danger.