or rescue and to alert them immediately, plus the emergency services where available. This means ensuring every worker has emergency phone numbers to hand and knows the site location to direct third parties.

The plan must set out the hierarchy of rescue options available on site for getting employees to safety — from dedicated rescue equipment, such as additional harnesses, controlled descent devices or winches, to access using work equipment such as mobile elevating work platforms, plus locations of first aid equipment and any rescue-specific items.

Though speed is of the essence,

Working at height

After the fall – Suspension Trauma/Orthostatic intolerance - the need to plan for rescue

Roger H Smith of Leading Edge emphasises the importance of thorough rescue planning

Planning for rescue and emergencies when employees work at height is a legal and moral responsibility for all employers. Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 obliges employers to ensure all work at height is properly planned, and Regulation 4(2) notes that planning of work includes planning for emergencies and rescue.

Often we think of rescue as simply a matter of dialing 999, but calling the local fire brigade does not add up to an effective rescue plan. Response times can be too long and not all brigades have the capability to rescue from height.

Even in the most safety conscious employers’ workplaces accidents happen, so a rescue plan is an essential component of working at height and should be managed via a working at height method statement and risk assessment, and be ingrained through training and practice.

The lack of any form of post-fall rescue plan – relying on employees improvising to rescue a colleague — not only puts the victim at risk, but also puts rescuers in harms way. Unplanned attempts at rescue often result in secondary and tertiary injuries or fatalities.

Time is tight

The reason planned rescue by trained people is so important is that the danger is far from over when the fall arrest equipment does its job. Anyone hanging in a harness is at risk of suspension trauma; as the blood drains from the top half of their body, depriving the brain of oxygen. The critical thing is to get them to the ground as quickly as possible — any more than 10 minutes in suspension and the risk of irreparable damage increases rapidly (see HSW February 2006).

The rescue plan must provide for self-rescue by employees who remain conscious after a fall, where their equipment allows them to get to safety. Workers must be trained and practised in self rescue.

But even where a fallen worker appears to be able to help themselves, the plan must require colleagues to act as though they are incapable, since the situation might change and time is at a premium.

The plan must give clear direction for anyone who witnesses a fall to know who on site at the time is responsible for rescue and to alert them immediately, plus the emergency services where available. This means ensuring every worker has emergency phone numbers to hand and knows the site location to direct third parties.

The plan must set out the hierarchy of rescue options available on site for getting employees to safety — from dedicated rescue equipment, such as additional harnesses, controlled descent devices or winches, to access using work equipment such as mobile elevating work platforms, plus locations of first aid equipment and any rescue-specific items.

Though speed is of the essence, t

ply a matter of dialing 999, but calling the local fire brigade does not add up to an effective rescue plan. Response times can be too long and not all brigades have the capability to rescue from height.

Even in the most safety conscious employers’ workplaces accidents happen, so a rescue plan is an essential component of working at height and should be managed via a working at height method statement and risk assessment, and be ingrained through training and practice.

The lack of any form of post-fall rescue plan – relying on employees improvising to rescue a colleague — not only puts the victim at risk, but also puts rescuers in harms way. Unplanned attempts at rescue often result in secondary and tertiary injuries or fatalities.

Time is tight

The reason planned rescue by trained people is so important is that the danger is far from over when the fall arrest equipment does its job. Anyone hanging in a harness is at risk of suspension trauma; as the blood drains from the top half of their body, depriving the brain of oxygen. The critical thing is to get them to the ground as quickly as possible — any more than 10 minutes in suspension and the risk of irreparable damage increases rapidly (see HSW February 2006).

The rescue plan must provide for self-rescue by employees who remain conscious after a fall, where their equipment allows them to get to safety. Workers must be trained and practised in self rescue.

But even where a fallen worker appears to be able to help themselves, the plan must require colleagues to act as though they are incapable, since the situation might change and time is at a premium.

The plan must give clear direction for anyone who witnesses a fall to know who on site at the time is responsible for rescue and to alert them immediately, plus the emergency services where available. This means ensuring every worker has emergency phone numbers to hand and knows the site location to direct third parties.

The plan must set out the hierarchy of rescue options available on site for getting employees to safety — from dedicated rescue equipment, such as additional harnesses, controlled descent devices or winches, to access using work equipment such as mobile elevating work platforms, plus locations of first aid equipment and any rescue-specific items.

Though speed is of the essence,

uts the victim at risk, but also puts rescuers in harms way. Unplanned attempts at rescue often result in secondary and tertiary injuries or fatalities.

Time is tight

The reason planned rescue by trained people is so important is that the danger is far from over when the fall arrest equipment does its job. Anyone hanging in a harness is at risk of suspension trauma; as the blood drains from the top half of their body, depriving the brain of oxygen. The critical thing is to get them to the ground as quickly as possible — any more than 10 minutes in suspension and the risk of irreparable damage increases rapidly (see HSW February 2006).

The rescue plan must provide for self-rescue by employees who remain conscious after a fall, where their equipment allows them to get to safety. Workers must be trained and practised in self rescue.

But even where a fallen worker appears to be able to help themselves, the plan must require colleagues to act as though they are incapable, since the situation might change and time is at a premium.

The plan must give clear direction for anyone who witnesses a fall to know who on site at the time is responsible for rescue and to alert them immediately, plus the emergency services where available. This means ensuring every worker has emergency phone numbers to hand and knows the site location to direct third parties.

The plan must set out the hierarchy of rescue options available on site for getting employees to safety — from dedicated rescue equipment, such as additional harnesses, controlled descent devices or winches, to access using work equipment such as mobile elevating work platforms, plus locations of first aid equipment and any rescue-specific items.

Though speed is of the essence,

risk of irreparable damage increases rapidly (see HSW February 2006).

The rescue plan must provide for self-rescue by employees who remain conscious after a fall, where their equipment allows them to get to safety. Workers must be trained and practised in self rescue.

But even where a fallen worker appears to be able to help themselves, the plan must require colleagues to act as though they are incapable, since the situation might change and time is at a premium.

The plan must give clear direction for anyone who witnesses a fall to know who on site at the time is responsible for rescue and to alert them immediately, plus the emergency services where available. This means ensuring every worker has emergency phone numbers to hand and knows the site location to direct third parties.

The plan must set out the hierarchy of rescue options available on site for getting employees to safety — from dedicated rescue equipment, such as additional harnesses, controlled descent devices or winches, to access using work equipment such as mobile elevating work platforms, plus locations of first aid equipment and any rescue-specific items.

Though speed is of the essence,

or rescue and to alert them immediately, plus the emergency services where available. This means ensuring every worker has emergency phone numbers to hand and knows the site location to direct third parties.

The plan must set out the hierarchy of rescue options available on site for getting employees to safety — from dedicated rescue equipment, such as additional harnesses, controlled descent devices or winches, to access using work equipment such as mobile elevating work platforms, plus locations of first aid equipment and any rescue-specific items.

Though speed is of the essence, the plan must make co-workers responsibilities clear and emphasise the importance of not endangering themselves during the rescue.

Death by rescue

As the casualty is returned to the level, another critical point occurs. The plan must ensure that all staff know that usual first aid procedures do not apply and the fallen worker must not be laid flat because of the risk of stale blood from the legs rushing back through the body poisoning their major organs and causing potentially fatal toxic shock. The plan must ensure all workers know to put the casualty into a sitting “W” position with their legs bent, unless they are suspected of having a spinal injury.

Other considerations for a plan include how to ensure any wreckage/equipment is set aside to help later investigation, allowing for unusual structural features that might complicate a rescue and ensuring materials are provided in translation where large numbers of migrant workers are on site.

However well thought out, a rescue plan (like a risk assessment) is useless if it is filed away and forgotten. You need to ensure that everyone who could be involved in a rescue: managers; supervisors; and workers are fully trained in the types of situation that might call for a rescue, what their roles are and how to use the equipment you provide. Rescue operations are carried out under extreme pressure, whatever training your employees have had or are yet to have, will determine how they react.

The training should be kept topped up with regular practice sessions or drills, keeping employees on their toes but also checking that they can act inside the necessary five-minute window. Just as the plan needs updating with any change of circumstances, personnel or equipment, so does the training.