Working at Height – A Guide to Health and Safety Compliance

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2 years ago

Introduction

Working at height remains the leading cause of work-related fatalities in 23/24. As part of its annual report, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported 50 deaths, a 22% increase from the previous year! From construction sites to routine maintenance activities, working at height continues to be a common and necessary work method that often can’t be substituted.

However, the continued rise of both fatalities and associated injuries from falls highlights the need to ensure that working at height activities are undertaken safely and in accordance with the law. Many of the most serious accidents are often attributed to poor planning, poor risk assessments, and a general lack of effective monitoring – all factors that tragically make many of the fatalities preventable.

While compliance with the law remains a key driver, there is also a profound moral and human duty to protect workers. Beyond statutory obligations, employers bear a moral responsibility for ensuring their employees go back home to their families safely at the end of each working day.

Defining ‘Working at Height’

Under the Working at Height Regulations 2005, working at height encompasses any task conducted in a place where, without precautions, a person could fall a distance likely to cause personal injury. This definition covers activities above and below ground level, near edges, openings, or fragile surfaces, as well as tasks at ground level near floor openings or holes.

Examples of tasks that fall within the regulations include:

maintenance or cleaning tasks carried out on raised platforms and podiums
using a step ladder to reach items on shelves or other spaces above ground level
undertaking repair activities on or at the roof level via scaffold
using a double/triple extension ladder to clean windows

Key Legal Requirements of the Working at Height Regulations 2005

You must make sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people with the skills, knowledge and experience to do the job. You must use the right type of equipment for working at height.

Take a sensible approach when considering precautions. Low risk, relatively straightforward tasks may require less effort when it comes to planning and there may be some low risk situations where common sense tells you no particular or specific precautions are necessary.

The regulations focus on minimising risks and ensuring that any work at height is planned, supervised, and carried out safely. Key legal duties include:

Assessing and Controlling the Risks

First assess the risks, considering the:

height of the task
duration and frequency
condition of the surface being worked on

Before working at height follow these simple steps:

avoid work at height where it’s reasonably practicable to do so
where work at height cannot be easily avoided, prevent falls using either an existing place of work that is already safe or the right type of equipment
where the risk cannot be eliminated, minimise the distance and consequences of a fall by using the right type of equipment

For each step, consider measures that protect everyone at risk (collective protection) before measures that only protect the individual (personal protection).

Collective Protection

Collective protection is equipment that does not require the person working at height to act for it to be effective. Examples are:

permanent or temporary guardrails
scissor lifts
tower scaffolds

Personal Protection

Personal protection is equipment that requires the individual to act for it to be effective. An example is putting on a safety harness correctly and connecting it, with an energy absorbing lanyard, to a suitable anchor point.

What to do and not do when Working at Height

When working at height you should:

do as much work as possible from the ground
ensure workers can get safely to and from where they work at height
ensure equipment is suitable, stable and strong enough for the job, maintained and checked regularly
take precautions when working on or near fragile surfaces
provide protection from falling objects
consider emergency evacuation and rescue procedures

To prevent accidents and injuries do not:

overload ladders – consider the equipment or materials workers are carrying before working at height. Check the pictogram or label on the ladder for information
overreach on ladders or stepladders
rest a ladder against weak upper surfaces, for example glazing or plastic gutters
use ladders or stepladders for strenuous or heavy tasks, only use them for light work of short duration (a maximum of 30 minutes at a time)
let anyone who is not competent (who doesn’t have the skills, knowledge and experience to do the job) work at height