There are some good arguments for why fall protection requirements should be less complex. But also, good reasons why they cannot be.
“Why are the rules around height safety so complicated?”
It is a phrase that has been uttered more than once. But more often than it is not the problem they are facing.
The rules around height safety are, really, quite simple – you have to do something to stop people accidentally falling and hurting themselves or someone else. That’s it.
The complexity isn’t necessarily in the “what you need to do”. The complexity arises when you start looking at the “how you can do it” side of things.
Falls from height can happen just about anywhere, and any fall from any height has the potential to be fatal or cause a serious injury. The number of variables that can be fed into the equation is infinite, which means the possible combinations of influences that combine and lead to an accident is also infinite.
It follows that an infinite number of potential problems could have an infinite number of potential solutions. The difficulty isn’t in knowing that the problem needs to be solved, the difficulty is having a solution to any particular version of the problem.
Developing fall protection solutions
The biggest factor feeding into complexities around height safety is that developing solutions to these problems requires being able to identify and assess the problem, as well as understand what potential solutions are available to use and which one is most practical in the circumstances.
But even when someone is able to do all of that, there are still even more variables that feed into what the outcome of the process is.
For starters, work health and safety legislation requires that a PCBU (be it the workplace, an employer, a contractor or someone else) have in place the “reaonsably practicable” form of protection considering the work being undertaken and the risks being managed. But how is that determined?
Determining what is “reasonably practicable” starts off with the completion of a risk assessment. But even here there is a lot of room for interpretation.
How likely is any given risk to occur? How severe are the potential consequences likely to be? Where the answers to these questions are placed on the matrix will differ from person to person.
It’s not just an issue of natural variation either. In work and employment situations there may be other externalities influencing the process that can lead to risks not being assessed properly, and then not mitigated in a “reasonably practicable” manner.
The need to put so much together, paired with there never being one true and correct answer can make having a more prescribed approach to safety systems – especially as it relates to fall protection – very appealing.
Advantages of prescriptive height safety systems
The single biggest advantage of having more prescribed approach to fall protection systems is that it can lower the barriers to entry for implementing systems in the first place.
A fall protection system that gives a worker the ability to work through an IF-THEN style would simplify the process significantly. It is more directed. If you are in a particular situation then you follow the instructions about what to do.
It can make implementing safety easier. There are fewer unknowns that need to be worked in, and less manual working out required to be undertaken. A checklist of required PPE and a supplied procedure for its use can reduce the level of detail that’s required by workers to be understood.
This sort of streamlining would then flow on to costs; they would reduce the amount of time needed to setup on site and generally make for a more efficient process.
Disadvantages of prescribed safety systems
Every decision and every system involve a trade-off between the benefits it would provide and any potential problems that it may introduce. And the same applies when thinking about having a more directed set of height safety or fall protection process. It too would have its downsides.
For example, reliance on being told what to do rather than working out how something can be done may lead to workers not making the best possible choice in the situation. They may not be fully aware of the risks that exist in their specific situation.
Even if a set of instructions provides guidance for 95% of tasks and environments a worker may encounter, the last five per cent is where 100% of the risk now is.
Working from a checklist or oft-reused set of instructions can also mean that workers will tend to lean towards what they do more often, no matter the circumstances.
Familiarity with a certain way of doing things, having a good understanding of how the pieces fit together in a certain way, is comforting. It makes life easier.
But that familiarity also means it is more likely that it is going to be used regardless of whether or not it is suitable for the work being undertaken or the site being accessed.
This also can result in a worker over-estimating their level of protection when using the system. They followed the checklist, the checklist provides safety, they must now be safe.
Making real safety improvements
Simple reality is that as long as high-risk situations, like working at height, exist then there are always going to be accidents. If there were no accidents, then the work would not be high-risk.
Making a substantive reduction in the number of incidents that occur when working at height involves ensuring that every level of owner and manager involved is actively working to ensure worker safety.
Contractual chains can be complex, but so long as all parties are looking out for risks, and advocating for workers, then the probability of a fall reduces and reduces.
No worker arrives on site with the intention of being injured as a result from a fall. But if the systems present do not make safety the default choice, incidents will continue to occur.
Partners in protecting people
Height Safety Engineers are your partners in protecting people. For over 20 years, our dedicated team of fall protection specialists have been looking at the broad safety picture. They work tirelessly to develop, implement and maintain fall protection systems across every industry and in a variety of environments.
No matter your needs, our team can help keep your team safe. Start your safety journey with us today by calling 1300 884 978, emailing enquiries@heightsafety.net or by dropping us a line.
