Falls from height largely preventable

Any dangers linked to working at height are 'largely preventable', according to an expert.

Christina Goddard, an inspector for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), made the comment after a Wirral company was fined for an incident in which a worker fell from a roof and was seriously injured.

According to the expert, the use of personal protective equipment and other safety measures could have helped the company to avoid the accident.

'Falls from height remain the most common type of workplace fatality,' she explained.

'They are largely preventable by the adoption of suitable measures such as scaffolding, fall arrest and fall protection.'

Ms Goddard added that information on working at height is available from the HSE.

Recent figures from the government department revealed that the UK's health and safety record is improving.

During 2007-08, the number of major injuries at work fell by nine per cent from the start of the decade.

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