What are my responsibilities when contractors are working at height? (+VIDEO)
What are my responsibilities when contractors are working at height? (+VIDEO)
Gone are the days where you could get away with just asking a contractor to show up to your site and do the work. You as the principal on the site are now responsible, under WorkSafe NZ, laws to ensure the contractor you employ is safely going to conduct the work you require. This can make things difficult, especially since you have your own responsibilities anyway. Here are some things to understand when you have someone working at height on your site:
What is a PCBU and what does it mean for me?
A PCBU is a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking, this essentially means the company/ organisation receiving the work done and the company/organisation doing the work. This includes the property owner and managers, or leaders involved in the particular job.
There are certain levels of responsibility these days that include principals and contractors. People in a position of responsibility including managers, property owners, business owners/directors and team leaders can now be held accountable for anything that happens on their sites. Just blaming the contractor and walking away is no longer an option.
But what does this have to do with height?
If you have a contractor onsite and he is working at height without the correct training or safety equipment, you could be held responsible for any injury that occurs, especially if it comes to light that his price was much lower due to cutting these corners.
What do I look out for when engaging contractors on working at heights?
First, what is a fall hazard? Defined by WorkSafe NZ, working at height is Work at height means “working in a place where a person could be injured if they fell from one level to another. This can be above or below ground level.” So, a fall hazard can be at any height.
However, we are talking about when we start getting outside of usual works, where it is practicable to have methods of protection. These would include:
Visual Barrier
EWP (Elevated working Platforms) this includes Scissor lifts, cherry pickers, boom lifts and many others
Scaffolding (fixed or Mobile)
Harness to anchor points or Static lines. When we are talking about Harnesses, there are more factors involved, fall restraint and fall arrest. If fall arrest is a factor, (where someone is working in a position they could fall, but will be saved by the harness), they will need to have the qualifications to do so and will need a rescue plan for if someone does end up in this position.
So how do we ensure safe access is happening?
Ensure your contractors provide a clear access plan outlining the hazards and methods. Your contractor should have a plan in place so be sure as a manager or leader to go over the plan and understand the method of height access and that they have the correct qualifications to do the work. Seek advice if you aren’t sure. WorkSafe can help if you are really stuck and they will be happy to come and go over your proposed works.
