A member of the CIOB’s health, safety and welfare committee, Iain Cameron, is leading a team of researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University in investigating fall prevention and protection methods for the Health & Safety Executive. The aim is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current methods for particular kinds of sites, and to produce handy technical guides to their safe and efficient use.

The methods under investigation are safety nets and purlin trolleys during roofwork, airbags and cable systems during leading-edge work, and fall arrest systems while putting up and taking down scaffolding.

All systems have their advocates and advantages, but also their limitations. In particular, the use of mats and safety nets is relatively new in the UK, so little is known about their pros and cons.

Focus groups have been set up to help identify sites where researchers can observe the safety equipment in use. The researchers are looking for more construction managers to join these groups, which will meet over the next few months.

Project researcher Gary Gillan says that until recently, falls from heights were largely accepted as an industry hazard. “In the past few years, though, the HSE has grasped the concept,” he says.

The study started in May and should finish in October 2003 or February 2004 if a proposal to include safety decking and maintenance and refurbishment in the research is accepted.

Iain Cameron can be contacted on 0141 331 3244 or by email at I.Cameron@gcal.ac.uk. Gary Gillan is on 0141 331 8051 and at G.Gillan@gcal.ac.uk.

Source

Construction Manager