1

Developing and Maintaining Policing at Height

Capabilities

Jez Hunter MIOSH

2

Police Officers at Height

• Searching

• Crime scene investigation

• Protestor removal

• Dynamic Intervention / Entry

• Deployment of Armed Firearms Officers

• Suicide Intervention

3

Sources of Training Best Practice

• Industry best practice – IRATA– PASMA– Aboriculture Association

• British Standards– BS7985:2002 – Code of practice for the use of

rope access methods for industrial purposes– BS 8437:2005 Code of practice for selection, use

and maintenance of personal fall protection systems and equipment for use in the workplace

• None encompass the demands of policing at height

4

Reg 6 – Hierarchy of Controls• Avoid

– Remote searching– Reducing access to protestors, jumpers– Using other access points for DE

• Prevent using suitable and sufficient measures– Use an existing place – difficult when responding to

spontaneous events – Use an existing means of access– Select collective prevention measures over personal

measures• Minimise

– Minimise distance and consequences - Nets / Fall arrest with anchor point high

– Minimise consequence - Soft Landing Systems / Fall Arrest with anchor point low / ALJs

– Provide information, training or other measures to minimise effects of a fall

5

Competence

• Combination of practical and theoretical knowledge, experience, skill and judgement

• Test of competence…– Able to assess the risks effectively– Able to devise and implement a safe

system of work– Able to identify and stop dangerous

situations

6

Definitions

7

Work Restraint

“A specific form of personal fall prevention system by which a person is prevented from reaching zones where a risk of a fall exists“

• Useful system for deployment of static AFOs

                                                                                    

                

8

Limitations of Restraint

9

Work positioning“A personal fall protection system that enables a user to work while supported in tension or suspension in such a way that a fall is prevented or restricted"

• Protestor removal

Max fall less than 0.5m

10

Roped Access

• A personal fall protection system that specifically uses two “static” separately secured sub-systems – one as a means of support and the other as a safety back up. This is used to get to and from the place of work and to undertake work positioning

• Dynamic Entry• Search

11

Fall Arrest“A personal fall protection system by

which a fall is arrested to prevent the collision of the user with the ground or structure"

• More flexible than work restraint, however must be able to rescue

Max fall less than 4m and 6kN

13

Rescue System (Reg 4(2))

• Personal Fall Protection System by which a person can carry out a rescue, rescue themselves, or be rescued from a height / depth by pulling, lifting or lowering

• Releasable systems

14

Structuring Training

1. Supervising working at height2. Basic Hazard Awareness – those officers

who may occasionally work at height, for short periods and undertaking simple tasks

3. Rooftop Safety – those officers requiring more complex access techniques who may don personal fall prevention PPE

4. Specialist rope access using PPE in suspension

5. Equipment inspection and management

15

1. Supervising Working at Height

• Health and Safety Officers / Risk Managers / Team Commanders

• Should understand the following:– Employer and employee duties– Hazard awareness and risk assessment– Strategies to avoid working at height– Different collective and personal fall

prevention / protection systems

16

2. Height Hazard Awareness

• All police officers

• Should understand the following:– Employer and employee duties– Specific hazard awareness – fragile roofs,

effect of weather, falling objects– Application of a dynamic risk assessment– Options to avoid working at height– Simple control measures to work safely

17

3. Rooftop Safety• Suitable for AFOs, Negotiators etc• Should be competent in the following:– Pre-use inspection, use, care and maintenance of

equipment– Anchor selection, rigging anchor systems and knots– Establishment of work restraint and fall arrest system– Operating on or near fragile surfaces– Operational procedures – re-positioning, use of

firearms– Emergency drills including Suspension Trauma &

rescue– Safe use of access systems eg. ladders

18

4. Specialist Rope Access and Work Positioning

• Task specific training that requires blending mechanical ascent / descent techniques with top down rescues

• Consider:– The access is only the start– Supervisors require additional risk control, rigging and

rescue trg– Weather and fragile roof exemptions – do these apply to

trg?– An industrial type rescue may not be appropriate– Single vrs twin rope– Realistic training is critical

19

PPE and Lifting Equipment Competent Persons

• PPE custodians must be competent to thoroughly examine equipment according to an inspection schedule.

• They should be aware of:– Legislative requirements – How and why equipment fails– How to systematically examine equipment– How to quarantine, maintain, repair and

dispose– How to record findings (Schedule 7 WAHR

and Reg 10 LOLER)

System Failure

21

Maintaining Capability

• The more complex the system of work the shorter the half life of knowledge retention

• IRATA advise refresher training if inactive for over six months

• Training should be progressive, challenging and realistic

• Personal log books are useful to monitor currency

22

Maintaining Capability

• Annual Specialist Training Exercises

• External audits

• Symposiums

23

Summary

• WAHR is not new, we just need to carry on applying best practice

• An organisation-wide solution is the most effective in order to standardise technology, methodology and competencies

• Techniques are constantly evolving – networks are increasingly valuable

24

www.rigsystems.co.uk