As an employer with staff who work at height you should ensure that your employees all have access to a correctly equipped working at height kit.

For scaffolders the kit should include a single point harness and a 1.8m shock absorbing lanyard c/w scaffold hook connector and a kit bag.

An Elevated Platform Kit should include a single point harness, a 1.5m restraint lanyard and a kit bag.

Once you are sure that your employees have been issued with the correct equipment you need to ensure that a detailed rescue plan is implemented in the event of an accident or fall.

The most important things to consider in your rescue plan are that long suspension is avoided, rescue and treatment is performed quickly and signs of trauma from prolonged suspension are recognised and dealt with.

Some safety options include:

Calling emergency services. Bear in mind that rescue services can take a long time to arrive on a scene and firefighters may not have suitable equipment to rescue someone trapped or suspended from a great height. There should be other options in place as well as the emergency services.

A Crane Man Basket is another option although this has several limitations. Time response can be an issue with cranes, or the crane may be winded off, or the driver away from his post, or the accident has occurred in the interior structure of a building where the crane cannot reach.

In order to create the best rescue plan you need to consider what tools you have available and the site you are working on. For example it may be possible to perform a lift rescue or rope rescue on certain sites.

No matter what your circumstances it is imperative that fall protection planning includes a rescue plan. You need to think about a number of questions when considering a plan. For example:

• How will you know if a worker has fallen?

• How will a fallen worker communicate with the rescuers (for example by radio)

• How will you ensure that the rescuers are safe?

• How will rescuers reach a fallen operative?

• What will you do if the operative is injured

• What other considerations should be taken into account.