APPG
on WORKING
AT HEIGHT
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Working at Height
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Working at Height brings together MPs and Peers with Government, industry leaders, trade associations, SMEs and contractors to raise awareness of the risks of working at height.
Falls from height and falling objects from height account for the highest number of preventable fatalities and injuries across all sectors in UK industry.
The Group’s aim is to understand the root causes and propose effective, sensible measures to reduce this toll and send people safely home from work.
The APPG on Working at Height is chaired by Alison Thewliss MP for Glasgow Central and actively supported by the AIF.
The APPG launched its inquiry in January 2018 with a view to producing a set of recommendations intended to reduce the overall number of falls, and released the first inquiry report ‘Staying Alive’ in February 2019.
“Working at height is not the sole preserve of those we might automatically think of, namely people in the construction sector.
We must also consider the work of window cleaners, sole traders, small businesses, people in the oil and gas sector, farmers and agricultural workers, and many other professions besides.”
Alison Thewliss MP
Chair, APPG on Working at Height
Staying Alive report:
The APPG presented its inaugural report on how to improve the safety environment for the 10 million people in the UK who work at height.
The report is the result of a 12-month inquiry by the APPG, during which over 60 written responses were received and two oral evidence sessions were held.
The APPG suggests four recommendations:
- Introduction of enhanced reporting without an additional burden, through RIDDOR, which at a minimum, records the scale of a fall, the method used and the circumstances of the fall.
- The appointment of an independent body that allows confidential, enhanced and digital reporting of all near misses and accidents that do not qualify for RIDDOR reporting. The data collected by this independent body will be shared with government and industry to inform health and safety policy.
- The extension of the Working Well Together – Working Well at Height safety campaigns to industries outside of the construction sector.
- An equivalent system to Scotland’s Fatal Accident Inquiry process to be extended to the rest of the UK
The APPG suggests two areas for further consultation:
- The creation of a digital technology strategy, to include a new tax relief for small, micro and sole traders, to enable them to invest in new technology
- A major review of work at height culture. This should include an investigation into the suitability of legally binding financial penalties in health and safety, funds which could be used towards raising awareness and training, particularly in hard to reach sectors.
