Insurance Do’s and Don’ts for Tradies when Working at Heights

The dos and don’ts for Tradies When Working At Heights

Working at heights remains one of the biggest causes of fatalities and serious injury.  Unfortunately, it’s risky no matter how careful you are but there are certainly steps you can take to avoid injury.  People tend to think that construction workers are the main group that need to worry about heights but the truth is there are numerous tradies that put themselves at risk.

To avoid becoming a statistic, there are some simply steps to follow to ensure that you and your employees stay safe when working at height.

What to do

• Do as much work as possible from the ground before working at height;
• Do ensure that equipment is stable, safe and strong and perform regular checks;
• Do make sure workers can safely get to and from work platforms;
• Do have safety rails around work platforms;
• Do educate yourself or employees about the safety procedures;
• Do get professional training if necessary;
• Do have proper safety procedures in place and follow these closely.

What not to do

• Don’t use ladders as work platforms unless there are three points of contact;
• Don’t lean ladders against weak surfaces such as plastic gutters;
• Don’t overload ladders or platforms and always check weight limits;
• Don’t let anyone who is not properly trained work at height;
• Don’t overreach on ladders or work platforms as this can easily cause a fall.

When accidents happen

If you follow the correct safety procedures, you have a higher chance of you and your employees remaining safe.  Remember that there are very strict Occupational Health and Safety guidelines in each State which must be followed.

Although there are a number of steps you can take to reduce risks when working at height, sometimes accidents happen no matter how careful you are and you need to make sure you have proper protection in place if this occurs.  Insurance can offer you peace of mind that you’ll be covered financially if something goes wrong.

Personal Accident and Illness Insurance is an important consideration if you’re at higher risk of something going wrong, like when you work at height.  With this cover, if you’re unable to work due to an injury or illness you will be provided with regular payments so you’re able to keep up with expenses and maintain your lifestyle.  These payments will last until you can return to work or a maximum benefit period is reached.  This policy ensures that you can survive financially if something goes wrong.

If you have employees working under you who work at height, you may find yourself in a situation where you’re required to continue paying their wages following a successful workers compensation claim.  Therefore, you may want to consider Workers Compensation Insurance which means the insurer will reimburse you for the employees wage if they file a workers compensation claim which is accepted.