Your profession may call you for you to work at height, day in and day out. For example, if you’re a roofer, you know that you’ll spend the majority of your day well above ground level.
Even if working at height is second nature to you, don’t lose sight of what matters most: your safety. It only takes one mistake for a serious accident to impact you for the rest of your life.
There are many steps you can take to protect yourself when working at height, including the following:
- Inspect your ladder before use: Before using a ladder to reach your destination, inspect it for defects and damage. Also, be cautious about where you place your ladder, as it should be away from traffic and on firm and level ground.
- Use safety gear: For example, a safety harness can be the difference between falling to the ground below and escaping a bad situation with nothing more than a scare. Even if it restricts you to a certain degree, you should always wear the necessary safety gear. You’ll never regret this decision.
- Keep an eye on the sky: Working at height outdoors means understanding the current weather conditions and what the near future could bring. For instance, if rain and/or strong wind is moving into the area, secure the location and move to safety on the ground. Don’t ignore inclement weather with the hope that it’ll pass over. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
- Stay in touch with your co-workers: Even if you do everything you can to stay safe, a co-worker could make a mistake that puts your health and well-being at risk. Stay in touch with them, so you know what they’re doing and vice versa.
If you’re injured in a workplace accident, such as falling from height to the ground below, assess your injuries, call for help and report the incident to your employer.
The only thing that matters at this point is stabilizing your injuries. Once you do this, you can revisit the cause of the accident and learn more about your legal rights, such as the opportunity to pursue a personal injury claim.
