The 7 Most Important Steps for Training Your Team to Work on Heights
Working at heights is known as a dangerous line of work. And as such, it requires a high degree of attention given to team preparations when approaching a job. This means adequate training has to be done to achieve the best results while also keeping accidents to a minimum. This is why we have made a list of the 7 most important steps for training your team to work on heights. So, let’s get right into it.
1. Assess the Possible Risks
The very first step any team trainer should tell their team is the implied risks with their job working at heights. This can be seen as both being able to spot potential onsite hazards and taking into account environmental hazards (such as awful weather). The second part would include assessing the knowledge that your team has regarding safety risks. This is invaluable to the program and the later cooperation that your team will have. You need to figure out at the start whether your team has gaps in their knowledge of certain subjects and where they are. Afterward, you need to be aware of the qualifications and abilities that members of the team possess. This will allow you to better prepare the training for them. Instead of forcing everyone to do the same practice, you can have those who lack in another category do that instead. After you have assessed the gaps, qualifications, and abilities that the team has, you can start the training by implementing these factors accordingly.
2. Go Over the Basics Requirements
Once the training has begun, it is vital for everyone to understand the basic safety procedures that come with working at heights. This mostly involves equipment use (but more on that later), legal requirements, and an introduction to the work. The legal aspect means you need to explain the implications when working at heights, what is defined as a safe platform and when a risk assessment needs to be carried out. All of this might seem overwhelming at first, but it gets easier as you get through the training for proper work at heights.
3. Learn How to Handle the Equipment
The better the person knows how to handle their equipment, the likeliness of an accident goes down. This means they should get accustomed to using a harness, lanyard, and any other piece that helps protect their wearer from serious harm. This means being able to use the equipment, knowing how to maintain it, and recognizing hazards that influence the efficiency of the equipment.
4. Establish a Rescue Procedure
Even the best-trained team in the world will experience accidents. This is a common occurrence in the line of work. Just in Great Britain, 35,280 non-fatal accidents involved falls throughout all industries, adding up to a huge 97 accidents per day. If this isn’t reason enough for developing a thorough rescue procedure, I don’t know what is. You need to be thorough and make sure that every single member of the team understands the rescue procedure perfectly. This includes understanding what to do in the case of an accident occurring, which, as we just proved, is very likely. A key component of this is reporting anytime an accident almost happened, as well as identifying the hazards at the workplace and during a rescue procedure. A terrible situation that could happen is for another person to get injured during a rescue operation due to negligence.
5. Provide Practical Assistance
Along with learning how to handle equipment and theoretical knowledge, you need to truly put the team to the test. Give them instructions and show them how to use complex tools and safety systems. Only by seeing these things with their own eyes will they be able to replicate them with the highest degree of expertise. Afterward, teach them how to inspect a piece of equipment or a tool for damage, or wear and tear. With proper practical training, your team will be able to access and maneuver in hard-to-get areas while moving around safely while getting the job done.
6. Learn the Legal Protocol
Every team member needs to be aware of the legal protocol when approaching work at heights. This means understanding health and safety legislation such as the HSE Working at Height Regulations. This means it is a necessity to offer adequate training and up-to-date safety measures at the workplace, while continuously providing risk assessments. This also means you need to adhere to the relevant laws and regulations and remain up-to-date with any changes that might happen in the future to these laws. This will mean, depending on the state, that you will need to keep accurate documentation of the safety training, risk assessments, and any incidents that have or will occur.
7. Monitor the Team’s Progress
This is it. The training is complete! But your job doesn’t end here. It falls upon you to monitor the team’s progress after the training is done. Take some time to observe the team while they are carrying out tasks on heights and how they are implementing their training. This includes proper use of equipment, teamwork, correct techniques, and following all safety regulations. If you see any areas where they can improve themselves, don’t forget to let them know by giving direct feedback. Only by continuously improving will you be able to keep the accidents to a minimum.