Insurer calls on HR to fully implement Working at Height Regulations

Businesses are still failing their staff when it comes to managing working at heights, according to statistics from Norwich Union.

Claims put in to the insurer revealed that falls remain a major cause of injuries and fatalities despite the implementation of new Working at Height Regulations last year.

Phil Grace, Norwich Union’s casualty risk manager, said HR managers and bosses needed to take the new rules more seriously as some of the most serious injuries were caused by falls from a low height.

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“Industry needs to gets its house in order by improving the control of work at heights,” he said. “Despite the implementation of the new regulations, businesses still seem oblivious to the risks involved and unwilling to put cheap and simple controls in place.

“Falls are happening across a wide range of sectors, including construction, agriculture, motor vehicle repair, haulage and freight transport and even across service businesses such as window cleaners, electricians, painters and plumbers.”