THE Access Industry Forum (AIF) is calling for clearer reporting of workplace accidents following another year of ‘little improvement’ in falls from height.
The organisation was responding to newly published figures from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), which revealed that over 5,000 people in Britain were injured at work last year due to a fall from height. 40 people also lost their lives.
These incidents are required by law to be reported by employers through RIDDOR, but the AIF said it is known there is ‘substantial underreporting’ of non-fatal falls from height for all workers, particularly the self-employed.
The AIF is now urging government and business to work together to spearhead action and prevent accidents.
Research undertaken by the AIF found that limited data collected on the circumstances surrounding accidents, coupled with a ‘problematic’ reporting system, make it difficult to pinpoint underlying causes of falls from height and identify whether they are related to issues such as faulty equipment, lack of training, or negligence.
The AIF is renewing its call for a simplified system of reporting to more accurately reflect the cause of accidents so that informed preventative measures can be implemented.
The organisation added that, unlike most other types of workplace injuries, the consequences of a fall from height are usually life-changing for the person involved, with many unlikely to return to their previous occupation, as well as having long-term consequences for employers, colleagues and families.
The AIF supports the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Working at Height, which will bring together MPs and stakeholders from across industry at its next meeting in Westminster in December. They will be discussing how government and business can work together to ensure technological and regulatory progress can be made.
Peter Bennett OBE, AIF chair, said. “This year’s statistics show that there is much work still to be done to ensure those who have to work at height do so in as safe an environment as possible. Very little information is provided on the circumstance around non-fatal and fatal incidents, with current reporting focused on the type of incident as opposed to what caused it in the first place. This needs to change if we are to see a decrease in the number of people who tragically lose their lives while working at height, and those who suffer the life-changing consequences of a fall from height.
“We know that working at height can be dangerous, but we should be able to put appropriate and robust measures in place to make it safer. I look forward to attending the meeting of the APPG in December so we can demonstrate to lawmakers the need for a simplified reporting system and ensure all those working at height go home safely at the end of the day.”
