OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES AT WORK AT HEIGHTS (5 min read)

Work at heights are considered high-risk activities, since a fall, either of the worker or of some object, usually leads to serious accidents due to greater damage to people. However, while the foregoing is fully and correctly contemplated in most operations at heights, very often the high wear component that many of these tasks at altitude imply is not adequately considered and that is finally reflected in relevant occupational diseases that they involve the early withdrawal of the worker from productive life. However, we know perfectly well that in terms of industrial safety or occupational health we must consider both accidents and illnesses that could be generated, returning to the issue of work at heights, as already said, it is very rare that it is contemplated and what is currently It is constituted as the greatest fault, it is to be able to distinguish the operative differences that exist in the different types of works in elevation, data that is quite transcendent to be able to implement the most effective solutions and above all, appropriate to specific cases. We are going to analyze different types of work at heights to be able to extract some identifying patterns that will allow us to proceed in a more specific way, through possible solutions.

1. Work at heights by means of platforms or ergonomic access structures: at this point we gather the operations that are generally carried out with lifting platforms, scaffolding and ladders (30 cm maximum step height), of course considering as a factor Common capacity these tools provide workers both for comfortable access, as well as for correct positioning during work. Generalizing, we can understand these tools or machinery as one of the most suitable systems so that the efforts involved in the work are less with respect to other structures that require skills for climbing or rather, for positioning during work that very often often involves the use of tools of power. As there are different brands, models, etc. in the market, in addition to elements in poor condition or missing, it will always be opportune to evaluate the degree of ergonomics that these offer in reality, this in order to be able to consider them of less impact (within this point) or rather, give them a treatment according to the section that follows.

2. Work on metallic structures: many of the works at heights require the ability to climb so that the technician can reach the place where the works will be carried out. This is the case of metallic structures such as telecom towers, transmission towers, spectacular, racks, stages, etc. Although the accesses and positioning could be complicated, it is good to remember that the human being has the ability to climb innately and in addition to that, there are training and familiarization schemes that contemplate their reinforcement. However, we will always have to consider these complications as relevant to the execution of the work (especially when the work shifts are long) since they involve significant physical efforts and, therefore, are usually more prone to relevant musculoskeletal injuries. If to these types of access in uncomfortable structures (reduced metal profiles) is added the need to position oneself (by means of fastening or suspension systems) to carry out manual tasks that involve wide movements, then due to the relative decrease in ergonomics we will have to evaluate the convenience of considering these activities under the following point.

3. Work on rope or on sloping ceilings: when working in suspension (hanging from a rope), the technician's positioning almost always implies a certain difficulty in carrying out the same manual tasks. We are going to use some examples such as cleaning the windows or changing the roof for greater clarity: in the first case the technician is suspended vertically by his rope and without a point of support for the feet, for which the manual tasks that require force on the wall, they tend to displace the whole body making the work much less effective. To get an idea of how much the efficiency of our movements (and with it the postural ergonomics) can go down, imagine the difference between working standing or sitting and you will hit the nail on the head. A similar case is the work on sloping roofs, where the worker is leaning with his legs only partially on the oblique floor and at the same time, he is also held horizontally in the buckle of his harness. If these tasks did not involve the use of work tools (for example, only inspection), depending on the exposure times, these could not be considered as relevant (point 1 or 2), but most of the time it is not like that and The combination of these postures of suspension or support (partially reloaded feet) with some manual labor, presents one of the most relevant factors of occupational diseases due to musculoskeletal injuries. It should be noted that these access methods, together with the use of power tools, constitute one of the most severe scenarios and that it is difficult to achieve correct ergonomics, although there are retention techniques complementary to the use of ropes, which in some cases allow working positioned at the correct distance from the wall.

CONCLUSION

Of course, the aforementioned categories are indicated at a general level as proposals developed through the experience of the IWR Academy, with the sole purpose of allowing a more specific analysis of the varied activities that exist in work at heights. This must always be done with a study that considers all the complete operational factors, as well as the risks associated with each process. Once the final result has been obtained, the pertinent actions to improve the ergonomics of the worker will allow us to define the minimum profile of the personnel involved, as well as the working time with their breaks and of course, the improvement of the work method or tools used. considering the principles of substitution, using more ergonomic access structures, as well as the use of state-of-the-art machinery such as motors for vertical work. Finally, these will be the key options to improve job security through the reduction of musculoskeletal diseases caused by repeated bad posture.

If you have any questions or observations, you can leave a comment or send an inbox. Like and share if you liked the article.

Author: Franco Grasso

Director of the IWR Academy and Ronin Lift Mexico

Head of the Vertical Rescue Area of the Topos Birta

Director of the National School of Mountaineering and Alpine Rescue of ItalianTREK

CTS-AIOLaF - STPS - CE - OSHA - SPRAT - IRATA - ISA - GWO - ARIM-CONACYT - RENEC-CONOCER - ITRA