Working at Height offers so many risks to workers that it is an activity that has a specific norm to deal with its particularities. Brazilian NR 35 presents the main care, responsibilities and preventive measures that workers and employers must take to ensure the physical integrity of all involved and to guarantee the safe performance of Work at Heights.
To prevent the risk of fatal accidents and the fines that can be incurred due to lack of care taken in relation to Work at Height, both employer and employee need to take the necessary measures provided by law to ensure the safety of all activities performed above 2 meters above the ground.
These preventive actions have proven to be efficient, according to the most recent research presented by the Statistics Yearbook of Labor Accidents (AEAT). The study points out that the number of workers who were permanently disabled from performing professional activity dropped from 17,030 in 2013 to 13,833 in 2014. Out of this total number of workers, 40% had some type of accident while performing activities at height.
Preventive Measures for Work at Height
There are a number of preventive measures that should be taken by employers to ensure the safety of their employees when performing Work at Height. There are also norms and rules that workers should follow in order not to break any regulation and to perform their tasks correctly.
Among the several measures that the employer needs to take to guarantee the safety and physical integrity of his employees, the main ones are:
Plan all the actions that need to be taken before the Activity at Height is initiated.
Respect the guidelines presented in Brazilian NR 35, specific for Work at Heights.
Carry out periodic training to update and constantly improve the processes.
Anticipate and implement preventive measures, not mitigating ones.
Always acquire quality and certified PPE for Work at Height.
For the worker who carries out activities at levels above 2 meters high, it is essential to make the correct use of PPE, among other actions, such as:
Constant training on the correct use of PPEs and on the norms for Activity at Height.
Conservation of PPE for daily use.
Correct storage of PPEs after use.
Carrying out activities in accordance with the standards established by Brazilian NR 35.
Perform routine inspections before and after each use of PPE.
All these measures are essential for the Work at Height to be performed safely, avoiding possible violations and the application of fines against the company. The company caught breaking the rules which regulate this type of activity can suffer the following consequences:
Infraction Notice: company caught in the act of not complying with regulatory norms.
Interdiction: when the inspection finds risks of accidents in the work environment.
Fine: the size of the company and the severity of the infraction may influence the amount of the fine, which varies between R$ 402.23 and R$ 6,078.09.
Avoid fines and interdiction
Following through all the information contained in NR 35, prioritizing the worker’s safety in all actions, and respecting the guidelines about Working at Height is essential for a company that would like to keep a good record and avoid the risk of suffering fines and interdictions. The concern with the employee’s safety and physical integrity must be a priority of a serious company.
We have developed a content that indicates the main measures to be taken for the prevention of accidents in Activities at Height. We hope this material helps. What is your opinion? Is there any information you would like to add? Leave your comment below, we’ll be happy to reply. This is the Work at Height Experts Blog.