Which safety practice can help to prevent falls from heights?

Employing scaffolding is a vital safety practice that can significantly help prevent falls from heights. Scaffolding provides a stable and secure platform that workers can use to perform tasks at elevated levels. When properly constructed and maintained, scaffolding offers support, minimizes the risk of slips, trips, and falls, and allows workers to have sufficient space to maneuver safely. Moreover, scaffolding systems can be designed with additional safety features such as guardrails and toe boards, which further protect workers from falling equipment or materials.

While ladders can be useful for accessing heights, they are not considered as safe as scaffolding for extended work at elevation, especially when it comes to stability and space for multiple workers. Removing guardrails would obviously increase the risk of falls, and having no safety measures at all creates a hazardous environment that drastically heightens the likelihood of accidents. Ultimately, the use of scaffolding aligns with best practices in fall prevention, ensuring a safer work environment at heights.