RAILINGS AND WORKTOPS
Article R. 233-13-20. – Temporary work at height must be carried out from a work platform designed, installed, or equipped in such a way as to guarantee the safety of workers and protect their health. The workstation must allow the work to be performed under ergonomic conditions.
– Fall prevention is ensured by guardrails, integrated or securely fixed, rigid and of appropriate strength, placed at a height between one meter and 1.10 meters and including at least a toe board of 10 to 15 cm, depending on the height chosen for the guardrails, a handrail, and an intermediate rail at mid-height, or by any other means ensuring equivalent safety.
– When the provisions of the preceding paragraph cannot be implemented, flexible fall arrest systems must be installed and positioned in such a way as to prevent a fall of more than three meters.
When collective protective measures cannot be implemented, worker protection must be ensured by means of a suitable fall arrest system that does not allow a free fall of more than one meter or, under the same conditions, limits the effects of a fall from a greater height. When such personal protective equipment is used, a worker must never be left alone so that they can be rescued within a timeframe compatible with preserving their health. Furthermore, the employer must specify in instructions the anchor points, the anchoring devices provided for the use of the personal protective equipment, and the procedures for its use.
Art. R. 233-13-24. – Workstations for carrying out work at height must be safely accessible. The most appropriate means of access to these workstations must be selected, taking into account the frequency of use, the height to be reached and the duration of use. This means of access must ensure access under ergonomically suitable conditions and allow for the rapid rescue of any person in difficulty and for evacuation in the event of imminent danger. “Movement at height must be possible in safety. Movement in either direction between a means of access and platforms, floors or walkways must not create a risk of falling.”
GROUP COVER
Art. R. 233-13-21. – Where temporary work at height cannot be carried out from the work platform referred to in Article R. 233-13-20, appropriate work equipment must be selected to ensure and maintain safe working conditions. Priority must be given to equipment that ensures the collective protection of workers. The dimensions of the work equipment must be suited to the nature of the work to be carried out and to foreseeable constraints, and must allow for safe movement.
– Measures designed to minimise the risks inherent in the use of the type of equipment selected must be implemented. Where necessary, protective devices to prevent or stop falls and prevent the occurrence of personal injury to workers must be installed and operated in accordance with the conditions set out in paragraphs 3 and 4 of Article R. 233-13-20.
Art. R. 233-13-25. – Collective protection systems must be designed and installed in such a way as to prevent any interruption at access points to workstations, in particular due to the use of a ladder or staircase. However, where such an interruption is necessary, measures must be taken to ensure an equivalent level of safety. All measures must be taken to prevent the performance of a specific task from leading to the temporary removal of collective protective measures designed to prevent falls. However, if such removal proves necessary, effective compensatory safety measures must be taken. The work may not be commenced or carried out without the prior adoption of such measures. Following the interruption or completion of this specific task, collective protective measures must be put in place to prevent falls, ensuring an equivalent level of safety.
LADDERS AND STEP LADDERS
Art. R. 233-13-22. – Ladders, stepladders and footstools must not be used as workstations. However, such equipment may be used where it is technically impossible to use equipment providing collective protection for workers, or where the risk assessment has established that the risk is low and the work is of short duration and non-repetitive in nature.
Art. R. 233-13-23. – Rope access and positioning techniques must not be used to set up a workstation. However, where it is technically impossible to use equipment providing collective protection for workers, or where the risk assessment establishes that the installation or use of such equipment is likely to expose workers to a greater risk than that resulting from the use of rope access or positioning techniques, the latter may be used for temporary work at height. Following a risk assessment, taking into account the duration of certain work and the need to carry it out under ergonomically suitable conditions, a seat fitted with appropriate accessories must be provided.
Art. R. 233-13-27. – The employer must ensure that ladders, stepladders and footstools are made of suitable materials, taking into account the conditions of use. These materials and their assembly must be of a strength and durability appropriate to the equipment’s intended use and must allow it to be used in ergonomically suitable conditions.
Article R. 233-13-28. – Ladders, stepladders, and step stools must be positioned to ensure their stability during access and use, and their rungs or steps must be horizontal.
– The employer must ensure that fixed ladders are designed, equipped, or installed in such a way as to prevent falls from height. After assessing the risk in relation to the climbing height for which these ladders are designed, suitably designed rest platforms must be provided to ensure progress under ergonomically appropriate conditions.
– Portable ladders must be supported and rest on stable, sturdy supports of adequate dimensions, particularly to ensure they remain stationary. To prevent them from slipping or tipping over during use, portable ladders must either be fixed at the top or bottom of their stiles or held in place by means of an anti-slip device or any other equivalent solution.
– Suspended ladders must be securely attached, except for rope ladders, in such a way as to prevent movement and swaying.
– Ladders made of several assembled sections and extension ladders must be used in such a way that the individual sections are locked in place relative to one another. The overlap length of the sections of an extension ladder must always be sufficient to ensure the overall rigidity of the structure.
Regulation R. 233-13-29. – Access ladders must be of such a length that they extend at least one metre beyond the access level, unless other measures have been taken to ensure a secure grip.
Regulation R. 233-13-30. – Ladders must be used in such a way as to ensure that workers have a secure handhold and foothold at all times. In particular, carrying loads must be kept to a minimum and restricted to light, compact loads. It must not prevent the worker from maintaining a secure handhold.
FIXED AND MOBILE SCAFFOLDING
“Art. R. 233-13-31. – Scaffolding may only be erected, dismantled or substantially altered under the supervision of a competent person and by workers who have received adequate and specific training for the operations in question, the content of which is set out in Articles R. 231-36 and R. 231-37 and includes, in particular:
a) Understanding the plan for the erection, dismantling or alteration of the scaffolding;
b) Safety during the erection, dismantling or alteration of the scaffolding;
c) Measures to prevent the risk of persons or objects falling;
d) Safety measures in the event of changes in weather conditions that could be harmful to persons by affecting the safety of the scaffolding;
e) Conditions relating to permissible structural loads;
f) Any other risks that the aforementioned assembly, dismantling and alteration operations may entail.
This training is renewed in accordance with the conditions set out in Article R. 233-3.
Art. R. 233-13-32. – The person supervising the erection, dismantling or alteration of scaffolding, and the workers involved, must have access to the manufacturer’s instructions or the erection and dismantling plan, including any instructions contained therein.
– Where the erection of the scaffolding corresponds to that specified in the manufacturer’s instructions, it must be carried out in accordance with the calculation note referred to in those instructions.
– Where this calculation note is not available or where the structural configurations envisaged are not provided for therein, a strength and stability calculation must be carried out by a competent person.
– Where the intended configuration of the scaffolding does not correspond to an assembly method provided for in the instructions, a plan for assembly, use and dismantling must be drawn up by a competent person.
– These documents must be kept at the workplace.
– Appropriate protection against the risk of falls from a height and the risk of falling objects must be provided before accessing any level of a scaffold during its erection, dismantling or alteration.
Art. R. 233-13-33. – The materials used to construct the components of a scaffold must be of a strength and durability appropriate to their intended use.
Assemblies must be carried out safely, using compatible components from the same source and under the conditions for which they have been tested.
These components must be inspected to ensure they are in good condition prior to any scaffolding erection work.
Art. R. 233-13-34. – The stability of the scaffolding must be ensured. All scaffolding must be erected and installed in such a way as to prevent, during use, any of its constituent parts from shifting in relation to the whole.
– Fixed scaffolding must be erected and installed in such a way as to withstand the loads to which it is subjected and to resist stresses resulting from atmospheric conditions, in particular the effects of wind. It must be anchored or lashed to any point offering sufficient resistance or be protected against the risk of slipping and overturning by any other means of equivalent effectiveness.
– The load-bearing surface must have sufficient strength to prevent any subsidence of the support.
– The unexpected movement or tipping of mobile scaffolding during assembly, dismantling and use must be prevented by appropriate devices. No worker must remain on mobile scaffolding whilst it is being moved.
– The load capacity of a scaffold must be clearly marked on the scaffold itself and on each of its decks.
Art. R. 233-13-35. – Scaffolding must be fitted on its outer sides with collective protection devices as provided for in paragraph 2 of Article R. 233-13-20.
– The dimensions, shape and layout of the scaffolding decks must be appropriate to the nature of the work to be carried out, suited to the loads to be borne, and allow for safe working and movement. Scaffolding decks must be assembled in such a way that their components cannot move during use. There must be no gap of more than twenty centimetres between the edge of the decks and the structure or equipment against which the scaffolding is erected.
– Where the configuration of the structure or equipment does not allow this distance limit to be met, the risk of falling must be prevented by the use of collective or personal protective equipment under the conditions and in accordance with the procedures set out in Article R. 233-13-20. The provisions of this article must also be applied where the scaffolding is erected against a structure or piece of equipment that does not rise to a sufficient height above the level of the scaffolding deck.
“Safe means of access, in sufficient numbers, must be provided between the various decks of the scaffolding.”
Art. R. 233-13-36. – Where certain parts of a scaffold are not ready for use, in particular during erection, dismantling or alterations, these parts constitute restricted-access areas which must be fitted with devices to prevent unauthorised persons from entering them.
– Appropriate measures must be taken to protect workers authorised to enter these areas.
WORK AT HEIGHT / ROPE ACCESS TECHNICIAN
Labor Code Art. R.4323-89. The use of rope access and positioning techniques must comply with the following conditions:
1. The system must include at least one working rope, constituting a means of access, descent, and support, and a safety rope equipped with a fall arrest system. These two devices are anchored separately, and the two anchor points must be the subject of a calculation note prepared by the head of the establishment or a competent person;
2. Workers must be equipped with an appropriate fall arrest harness, use it, and be connected by this harness to both the safety rope and the working rope;
3. The working rope must be equipped with a safe descent and ascent mechanism and include a self-locking system that prevents the user from falling should they lose control of their movements. The safety rope must be equipped with a mobile fall arrest device that moves with the worker;
4. Tools and other accessories to be used by a worker must be secured appropriately to prevent them from falling;
5. Work must be scheduled and supervised in such a way that assistance can be provided to the worker immediately in case of an emergency;
6. Workers receive adequate and specific training for the operations to be carried out and for rescue procedures. The content of this training is specified in Articles R.4141.13 and R.4141.17. It is renewed under the conditions set out in Article R.4323.3.
PRUNING (Decree of 4 August 2005
Art. 1 The movement of workers in trees, whilst wearing their personal protective equipment, particularly during pruning, pollarding, felling in sections or the harvesting of tree seeds, constitutes an exceptional circumstance in which the use of two ropes makes the work more dangerous than when using a single rope.
Art. 2 Where a single rope is used during progression, the procedure must be such that, in the event of an anchor point failing, the fall of the operator, wearing their personal protective equipment, does not exceed 1 metre.
Once the operator is secured, an additional safety device with an independent anchor point must be used, so that if one of the devices fails, the operator, wearing their personal protective equipment, is retained.
Art. 3 The training referred to in paragraph 6 of Article R. 4323-89 must cover all of the following stages:
-assessment of the tree and the anchor points required to ensure the worker’s safe movement, taking into account the task to be performed;
-selection of the working method, equipment and anchor points suited to the tree’s structure;
-planning of the worker’s movement;
-organisation of emergency procedures.
TRAINING IN WORKING AT HEIGHT / ROPE ACCESS TECHNICIAN / IRATA / GWO WIND ENERGY / CONFINED SPACES
Art. R. 233-13-37 (f) Workers must receive adequate and specific training in the operations to be carried out and in rescue procedures, the content of which is set out in Articles R. 231-36 and R. 231-37 and which must be refreshed in accordance with the conditions laid down in Article R. 233-3.
WEATHER CONDITIONS
Regulation R. 233-13-26. – Temporary work at height must not be carried out where weather conditions or conditions relating to the work environment are likely to jeopardise the health and safety of workers.
