‘No Falls Week’ launched to focus on Work at Height

A charity seeking to raise awareness of safe working at height has launched ‘No Falls Week’, to take place between 13-17 May 2024

The No Falls Foundation aim to provide an opportunity for organisations across the UK to focus on work at height safety. With over 1 million businesses and 10 million workers carrying out some form of work at height every year, there are a huge number affected by this risk.

Falls from height are the leading cause of workplace deaths in the UK. Data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) shows this is consistent year on year, with 40 fatalities caused by falls from height in 2022-23. This equates to a third of all workplace deaths, an increase from the previous year.

Non-fatal injuries caused by falls from height are also highly prevalent – over 5,000 people were reported this type of injury at work last year. No Falls Foundation assert that there is a much larger number not reported, particularly by self-employed workers. They are believed to report just 12% of workplace incidents. Together with figures from the Labour Force Survey, HSE estimates the true number of falls from height at work may be 425,000 over the last 10 years.

Falls from height affect lives, families and businesses. It’s estimated up to 992,000 working days were lost in the UK due to non-fatal falls from height in 2022-23. This in turn represents a cost to the economy of over £847 million – that includes costs to employers, the injured parties, government tax losses, and benefit payments.

Hannah Williams is the Charity Manager at No Falls Foundation. She wants employers to consider the consequences of falls from height:

“Everyone who needs to work at height should be able to work safely and return home unharmed at the end of every shift.

“Unlike most other types of workplace injuries, the consequences of a fall from height are usually life-changing for the person involved, with many unlikely to return to their previous occupation, as well as having long-term consequences for employers, colleagues and families.

“Whether you work in construction, manufacturing, agriculture or any other sector, No Falls Week is an opportunity for everyone to shine a spotlight onto the mental, physical, and societal consequences of working at height accidents.”

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