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Summer 2022 07 www.hae.org.uk www.eha.org.uk Access equipment specialist WernerCo has unveiled a new safety campaign – Stepping up to Ladder Safety – to promote best practice when working at height. The campaign explores how to stay safe on site for both construction workers and health and safety professionals. As part of the campaign, WernerCo has created a series of guides covering topics such as how to use equipment safely as well as offering practical training courses. To launch the campaign, WernerCo recently carried out research amongst professionals and non-professionals to determine their work at height practices. The research revealed that when purchasing access equipment, stability and safety are the most important factors when choosing equipment for professionals, secondary to price and value. WernerCo has also recently become a Gold Supporter of the No Falls Foundation, a charity dedicated to working at height and height safety. The charity has three objectives: raising awareness of the risks associated with working at height; undertaking research into the causes; and providing guidance and support for those affected by a fall. Managing Director for WernerCo UK, Justin White, said: “Year on year falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace fatalities and we continually see accidents in the home due to the incorrect use of work at height equipment. The research we have carried out for Stepping Up to Ladder Safety shows that tradesmen want to prioritise their safety and as manufacturers we have a duty to advise best practice when using access equipment. “Our research revealed that 48% of people worry about safety when working at height, that is why we created a series of best practice guides to help users feel more confident when using access equipment. By launching Stepping up to Ladder Safety we hope to encourage users to think about whether they are using the right tools for the job and how they can safely use their equipment to prevent accidents occurring.” The campaign includes a coordinated online and onsite approach, with WernerCo offering training to professionals and customers for the use of ladders and towers, covering Do’s and Don’ts for ladder users and how to inspect ladders correctly. WernerCo has also recently appointed a specialist Training Manager, Trevor Rabson, who specialises in work at height safety and provides a wide range of on-site training to customers and end users across the country. Justin said: “We have some really exciting plans in place to bolster the work we’ve already done to help reduce accidents at home and in the workplace. We pride ourselves on providing safe work at height equipment that goes through rigorous testing and meets all the relevant safety standards and now we want to go that step further and support people when using our equipment.” >> REACHING NEW HEIGHTS WITH LADDER SAFETY CAMPAIGN