work at height

According to official UK government statistics, there were 43 fatalities and more than 6681 serious injuries resulting from falls from height accidents between April 2010 and March 2011. While the majority of these accidents were classified as falls by workers, many of them were also caused by falling tools and equipment. The most up to date reported data specifically related to falling objects were 15 fatalities and more than 3323 serious injuries between April 2008 and March 2009.

To mitigate the risk of serious injuries and deaths, the working at heights training Regulations 2005 were introduced. They were amended again in 2007 with some slight changes. These regulations strictly govern how work at height is managed, covering but limited risk assessment, planning, supervising, inspection, and record-keeping. Where tools and objects are concerned, the regulations specifically state that "where it is necessary to prevent injury, you must do all that is reasonably practicable to prevent anything falling." This includes all hand tools workers may use at height.