Working at Height – How to help your insurers to defend claims against you

Working from a height is dangerous – whether that’s from a rooftop or scaffolding the potential for serious injury, resulting in broken bones, or a lifelong disability or worse, is increased and your business and employees need to be protected. In construction, workers can be working from heights for a majority of different reasons in a variety of environments.

Accidents happen when there is a lack of organisation, and planning for the most likely reasons employees could fall will help you cut risks.

What insurers need from you:

• Have a developed ‘safe system of work.’ Any work at height needs to be planned and organised. A document specifying exactly how work is to be carried out will be used if your insurers ever need to defend you from an injury or Corporate Manslaughter claim For example, if working on a scaffolding platform, how employees should carry items and not overload themselves
• Make sure, your workers are trained for the tasks they are engaged in at all times and keep a record of this and also regularly review training needs. Keeping records of these is your key to a good claims history.
• Make sure you’re taking steps to reduce risks – if a job can be carried out in a safer way, or there are extra steps that can be implemented, like boarding up a fragile surface, or using different protective gear, for example, then make sure to do this and document it in your method statement.
• Make sure you do regular inspections of all your access equipment and maintain your equipment properly. Be sure that the person carrying out the inspections has up to date training to ensure they are competent
• Make sure you’re using the right personal protective equipment (PPE) for the job. DOCUMENT this, so many your insurers and lawyers need to have this documented to create a solid defence when being involved in a claim.

We offer made to measure quotes for businesses across a range of industries including:

• Plumbing & Heating & Air conditioning / ventilation
• Property Developers / General Builders
• Roofing Contractors
• Ground Workers
• Electricians / Electrical Contractors / Security & Fire Protection Installations
• Finishing trades i.e. plasterers, painting and decorators, flooring contractors, gardening

Want to know more?

Download a guide on working at height law for more information at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.pdf

Find out more about the risks of working at height at www.hse.gov.uk/fee-for-intervention/basic-safetymistakes/ladders.htmand www.hse.gov.uk/fee-for-intervention/basic-safety-mistakes/height.htm

Call amb insurance to talk about insurance for your construction business and how we can create a made to measure policy for you.