Falls from height accounted for 50 deaths in UK workplaces in 2023/24, an increase from 41 in the previous year. Here, Dave Elson, Compliance Manager at BoSS^®, the UK’s leading provider of access tower solutions, examines the need for access tower construction to be better understood among painting and decorating professionals.

A new year is the perfect opportunity for tradespeople of any profession to brush up on safety protocols and ensure they are complying with the latest safety guidance for the equipment they use.

Painters and decorators typically use access towers for a host of everyday tasks and so this should be a primary area of focus.

Indeed, it is little known that mixing and matching different branded access tower components can pose a risk to decorators. Therefore, education and training is much needed on the subject.

Access tower standards

The European Product Standard for access towers was first laid out back in 2004. Known as EN 1004, this standard sets out the practices that all mobile tower access towers must follow, covering key metrics such as safety requirements, materials, design loads and dimensions.

In 2021, EN 1004-2:2021 was established. This most recent update includes the guidelines for the preparation of instruction manuals for all mobile access and working towers. 

What workers need to know

Recently, the Prefabricated Access Suppliers and Manufacturers Association (PASMA) established a compatibility protocol outlining the criteria that must be met in order to construct and use a hybrid tower. 

This new protocol states that instruction manuals for hybrid towers need third-party certification to the latest standard - EN 1004-2:2021. Within this, it states that this certification must be delivered by a UKAS or EA accredited body and that the body should have a facility included within its UKAS or EA scope of accreditation. 

The protocol goes on to say that the certifying body should be authorised to issue the certification included in its UKAS or EA scope of registration. 

In addition, the instruction manual that is provided with the access tower should contain sufficient information to clearly describe any operational differences between a ‘compatible’ and ‘other’ tower. 

Constructing a tower safely 

It is not only the components that are approved according to EN 1004-1:2021, but the complete tower structure. This structure is made up of the individual access components. 

Access towers failing to use the components that are listed within the manufacturer’s manual cannot gain valid certification required to be safe. 

This is because the tower hasn’t been built to the requirements listed in the manufacturer’s manual and hasn’t been independently tested by an accredited UKAS or EA third-party to the required standard. 

Not only is this unsafe for workers, but it may also deem the liability insurance taken out against the products invalid.

 There are various guides available to better understand access tower safety requirements, here: Literature

Learning more 

It is clear that falls from height are a real threat to workers in the construction industry. Therefore, more should be done to reduce the risks. This includes the risks associated with mixing and matching tower components. 

Training is a must to communicate best practices when working at height. With this, all employees using and constructing towers should undergo training around their safe construction and use. 

This training should cover the correct access equipment to be used when creating towers in a way that satisfies safety, compliance and insurance requirements. 

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