Post by Dylan Skelhorn (Safety Up and Ladder Locker)

Twelve years ago today, my employer was fined £20,000 at Falkirk Sheriff Court for a fall from height that I suffered which could have easily been prevented. As an ex firefighter, I knew the risks of working at height and had even spoken up about my safety concerns and lack of P.P.E. to my employer but was quickly shot down. I made a plan to leave the company soon after but unfortunately, this accident happened before I got the chance to leave and changed my life forever. ‘Soon’ was too late and I should have left my job as a solid fuel heating engineer immediately. What makes this accident even harder to deal with is that I was standing in for someone else (a chimney sweep) who hadn’t come to work due to going out drinking on a Sunday night and that’s how easily it can happen. On 19th November at the same court, a Fatal Accident Enquiry preliminary hearing into the deaths of six men will begin. Alan Brisbane 60, Charles Emslie 71, Colin Gibson 62, Dale Pattinson 36, Hugh MacPhail 75 and James Smith 74 all died following falls from height at farms across Scotland. This shows just how big an issue Falls From Height are and it still remains the biggest cause of death in the U.K. workplace and how dangerous and serious of a risk that Working At Height is. For the last eleven and a half years, I’ve been working as a Motivational Safety Speaker to try and prevent injuries to others by inspiring people to work safely through sharing my story. If you’re looking for assistance with improving and maintaining your company’s safety culture and performance then please feel free to contact me on here or via my website www.safetyup.co.uk I’m also delighted to announce that I have just received my 9th granted patent for LADDER LOCKER , a product that I’ve invented to help prevent serious injuries and deaths while working on ladders and will be on the market next year. WATCH HERE: https://lnkd.in/e25fWgGi Safety Up Est. 2014 LADDER LOCKER No Falls Foundation