The Prefabricated Access Suppliers’ and Manufacturers’ Association (PASMA) and the HSE are warning users of low-level access products to make sure that the equipment they have bought, or hired meets, at least, minimum standards of fall protection.
The warning follows increased concern about cheap, inferior products now flooding the UK market, especially in the construction sector, which provide limited protection for users by not having an adequate guardrail system fitted as standard.
According to PASMA, industry estimates suggest that some 50,000 inferior work-at-height products have been sold in the UK and Ireland since 2004, and are most widely used in the construction sector.
PASMA’s managing director, Peter Bennett, commented: “In theory, these products provide a compact, lightweight and protected work platform that represents a safe method of working at height, especially at low heights of 2.5 metres and below.
“Unfortunately, whenever there is high demand for a product there is inevitably an opportunity for companies to offer deficient equipment which, in the absence of a minimum standard, can be marketed with impunity, thus exacerbating the already concerning accident statistics for low-level work at height.”
In view of these concerns, PASMA’s technical committee is seeking to establish a minimum quality standard and is working with the British Standards Institute (BSI) to draft a publicly available specification (PAS).
It has also developed an additional module in its training scheme devoted solely to low-level access, and produced a new DVD/CD entitled ‘Accidents can happen even at low level’.
Joy Jones, principal inspector, HSE construction national safety team, welcomed PASMA’s initiative. She said: “Our inspectors have come across workers using products that do not meet minimum health and safety requirements. Falls from height are a major cause of death and injury within the construction industry and duty-holders must ensure they are complying with the law and protecting themselves and their workers.”
Whilst I obviously support the need for access equipment to meet a suitable standard does this solution not already exist with CE marks? We need to be careful that we do not support a restrictive practice here by allowing only PASMA members equipment on site. There is a lot of good product available from Europe, PASMA should welcome the competition and thrive by providing value, not by restricting competition.