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Working at heights - the most important regulations

6 April 2023 Sebastian Comments Off

Performing work at heights is fraught with risk. Therefore, it is undertaken only by people with the appropriate training and qualifications. There are strictly defined legal norms, indicating who can perform work at heights and what the employer's obligations are in this connection. This is because he is the person who bears responsibility for the safe conduct of all work.

From how many meters is the work considered to be at heights?

The regulations defining work at heights are found in Chapter 6 of the Ordinance of the Minister of Labor and Social Policy (issued on 26.09.1997). According to them, work at heights is performed when the employee is at least 1 meter above ground level.

Some exceptions to this apply: (1) when the work takes place on a surface sheltered on all sides by a height of at least 1.5 meters and has solid walls (or walls with glazing), (2) when the surface includes other structures or devices to protect against falls.

Thus, work on a ladder is work at heights, as long as it takes place more than 1 meter above the ground and the above two additional circumstances do not apply. Also, work on a ramp, scaffold, platform, pole, mast, chimney falls under the category of work at heights.

Who can perform work at heights?

Such work is permissible for people who meet certain conditions. First of all, the person must be of legal age and have a certificate from a doctor (usually a neurologist) allowing him to perform such duties. The employee should also have completed health and safety training and be familiarized by the employer with instructions and procedures related to the performance of such work.

It is also often necessary to equip the worker with special measures related to health and life protection (helmet, harness), or to provide more specialized training. For work at the highest heights you can't do without special safety, mountaineering systems. For the execution of such tasks, however, it is worthwhile to come to us, which will certainly take less time than training the employee himself.

It is worth noting that a fall from height is one of the most common causes of fatal accidents (as many as 1 in 6 victims), especially in the case of the construction industry (1 in 3 victims). Therefore, it is recommended that work at height be entrusted to a responsible and sensible person.

In addition, the employer ordering work at heights should prepare additional forms of protection: provide direct and constant supervision, guarantee belaying by other employees, introduce additional protection systems (zone markings, guards for places of work at heights) and determine the personal division of labor related, among other things, to the order of tasks to be performed.