Kier's bright ideas for solar power health and safety

Published by Rachael Hunter for Kier Services in Housing and also in Environment, Health

Leading repairs and maintenance provider, Kier, has invited the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to see the safe systems of work it is developing for companies and individuals working at height when installing photovoltaic panels. As councils and housing providers increasingly turn to solar energy to help residents reduce their household energy bills as well as their impact on the environment, companies are looking to market leaders for inspiration on how to manage the risks to their workforce when carrying out tasks above ground level.

Health & safety personnel at Kier met with the HSE on 23 November to discuss best practice when working at height, and view demonstrations of the innovative and unique approach Kier employees have to health & safety.

Kier has installed thousands of solar panels to the homes of council tenants across the country helping reduce rising household energy bills. Photovoltaic panels are being fitted to homes in Stoke-on-Trent, Harlow, Nottingham andNorth Tyneside, and will be maintained under contract by Kier for the next 25 years.

One of the issues when installing solar panels is the safety implications of working at height. At Kier, several innovative approaches to this have been introduced, for example, the establishment of specially trained, dedicated working at height maintenance teams. These employees are trained to assess the risks of any job working at height and to select the most appropriate equipment from scaffolding, mobile tower or ladders as the last resort using the Tetra ladder system and Zarges steps. This means those carrying out the work are fully trained to ensure the right equipment for the tasks is correctly used.

Another issue which Kier’s health & safety team has tackled is how to transport solar panels from ground level to operatives working on roof tops. To save time and money companies are often tempted to cut corners and have their employees hand heavy cumbersome panels from operatives on the ground to colleagues manually. This can cause employees to suffer from back problems and also increases the risk to those working below. To counteract this risk Kier uses a simple pulley system to transport panels, which has already proved successful in reducing injuries and risk to the workforce

Kier’s national health and safety manager, Neil Sheehan, said: “It’s all about working together for the safety of all. Within the construction sector there are always going to be instances where people could potentially be put at risk whether this is working at height, lifting heavy equipment or travelling for business purposes. As an employer, it is our job to ensure this risk is kept to a minimum and our workforce remains safe in every aspect of their jobs. We are constantly updating and adapting our health & safety procedures to ensure new technologies and innovative ways of working are considered. 

“The depth of our knowledge and expertise with regards to working at height health & safety, which we have built through our extensive work with photovoltaic installations, has been a great asset to us and we were delighted to demonstrate, to HSE, our commitment to developing safer working practices which could be of benefit to the whole industry.

For more information on Kier’s photovoltaic panels installation programme please visit www.kier.co.uk/maintenance