Working at height
Any work where a person could fall a distance liable to cause injury, controlled by avoiding it, preventing falls, then minimising the consequences, in that order.
Falls from height remain the largest single cause of death in UK construction. The Work at Height Regulations do not set a minimum height; they apply wherever a fall could cause personal injury, including through a fragile roof, into an excavation, or from a kerb onto a lower level. The hierarchy is explicit: avoid working at height where reasonably practicable (assemble at ground level, use extending tools); where it cannot be avoided, prevent falls with collective measures first (edge protection, scaffolds, MEWPs, guardrails); where a fall cannot be prevented, minimise the distance and consequences (nets, airbags, then harnesses and lanyards).
The regulations also require that the work be planned and supervised by competent people, that weather be taken into account, that equipment be inspected (scaffolds every seven days and after alteration or weather, recorded), that fragile surfaces be identified and protected, and that falling objects be prevented. Ladders are permitted for short-duration, low-risk work where a risk assessment shows more suitable equipment is not justified, and must be secured and used correctly. The commonest breaches are unprotected edges on flat roofs, ladders used as workplaces, and harnesses worn but not clipped on.
Where it comes from
- Work at Height Regulations 2005 regs.4 to 12 and Schedules 1 to 6.
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 reg.15.
- HSE guidance INDG401 (Working at height: a brief guide) and HSG33 (Health and safety in roof work).
Questions people ask
Is there a minimum height before the regulations apply?
No. The old two-metre rule went in 2005. The test is whether a fall could cause injury.
Can we use a ladder?
For short-duration, low-risk work where the risk assessment shows a safer option is not reasonably practicable, yes: secured, at the right angle, three points of contact, not overreaching. As a workplace for an hour's work, no.
How often must a scaffold be inspected?
Before first use, every seven days, and after any alteration, damage or event likely to affect its strength or stability, including high winds. By a competent person, recorded, with the record kept on site.
Working at height, handled on a phone
SiteLynx puts the RAMS, permits, inspections, audits, plant checks and records behind every term in this glossary on the crew's phones, signed on site, with a PDF at the end. 14 days free, no card.
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