Working at height remains one of the leading causes of workplace fatalities and serious injuries across UK businesses. Falls from ladders, scaffolds, roofs, and other elevated positions can happen in seconds but cause devastating consequences that last a lifetime. For business owners, understanding and implementing proper height safety measures protects your employees while avoiding the significant legal and financial consequences that follow workplace accidents.
Many businesses underestimate height-related risks, assuming that work at height only applies to construction or specialist trades. In reality, working at height occurs across virtually every sector, from changing light bulbs in offices to accessing storage in warehouses. Any work where a person could fall and injure themselves requires proper risk assessment and control measures, regardless of how routine the task might seem.
Getting height safety right from the start is far easier than addressing problems after an accident occurs. A single fall can result in life-changing injuries, substantial compensation claims, prosecution, and permanent damage to your business reputation, making prevention your most important strategy.
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 placed clear duties on employers to protect anyone working at height.
Regulatory Framework: The regulations require you to avoid work at height where possible, use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls where you cannot avoid working at height, and minimise the distance and consequences of a fall where the risk cannot be eliminated. These duties apply to all work at height, regardless of duration or the height involved.
Employer Responsibilities: You must ensure all work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised, and carried out by competent people. This includes taking account of weather conditions that could affect safety and ensuring equipment for working at height is properly inspected and maintained.
Understanding what constitutes work at height helps you identify situations requiring control measures.
Scope of the Regulations: Work at height means working in any place where, if there were no precautions in place, a person could fall and injure themselves. This includes working on ladders, flat roofs, scaffolds, and cherry pickers, but also work at ground level near an opening or edge through which someone could fall.
Common Workplace Scenarios: Typical work at height activities include accessing high storage areas, maintaining building exteriors, installing or repairing lighting, cleaning windows, inspecting roofs or gutters, and loading or unloading vehicles. Even stepping onto a chair to reach something constitutes work at height if there's a risk of falling and causing injury.
The regulations apply equally to low-level work, such as working on a small stepladder, and high-level work on scaffolding or roofs. Don't assume that work at modest heights doesn't require proper precautions.
Comprehensive risk assessment forms the foundation of safe working at height practices.
Identifying Hazards: Systematically identify all situations where employees might work at height, considering routine tasks, maintenance activities, and occasional requirements. Look for fragile surfaces, unstable working platforms, poor weather conditions, and falling objects that could strike people below.
Consider who might be affected, including contractors, visitors, or members of the public who could be harmed by falling objects or equipment.
Evaluating Risks and Control Measures: For each identified hazard, evaluate the likelihood of falls occurring and the potential severity of injuries. Determine what control measures are needed to eliminate or adequately control the risks, taking into account the frequency and duration of work, the number of people involved, and environmental conditions.
Review assessments regularly and whenever circumstances change, such as introducing new equipment or work processes.
The regulations require a specific approach to controlling height-related risks, starting with the most effective measures.
Avoiding Work at Height: The most effective control is avoiding work at height entirely. Consider whether tasks can be completed from ground level using extension tools, whether maintenance requirements can be reduced through design changes, or whether equipment can be relocated to eliminate height access needs.
Question assumptions about needing to work at height and explore alternatives before accepting that height work is necessary.
Preventing Falls: Where work at height cannot be avoided, prevent falls through proper working platforms with guardrails, edge protection on flat roofs, safety nets or airbags to arrest falls, and working platforms that provide secure, level surfaces.
Collective protection measures that protect everyone are preferable to measures that only protect individuals.
Mitigating Consequences: When neither avoidance nor prevention is possible, minimise the distance and consequences of potential falls. This might include personal fall protection equipment properly fitted and used, working methods that reduce fall distances, and soft landing areas where practicable.
Choosing appropriate equipment for working at height is essential for maintaining safety.
Ladders and Stepladders: Use ladders only for light, short-duration work where using more suitable equipment is not justified. Ensure ladders are long enough, secured against movement, positioned at the correct angle, and resting on firm, level ground.
Never overreach from ladders, and maintain three points of contact when climbing. Consider whether ladders are truly appropriate or whether alternative equipment would be safer.
Scaffolds and Mobile Platforms: Scaffolding must be erected, altered, and dismantled by competent people following a safe method of work. Ensure platforms are fully boarded, guardrails are in place, and access is properly controlled.
Mobile elevated work platforms require operators to be properly trained and equipment to be suitable for the specific task and working environment.
Safety Requirements: All equipment must be suitable for the task, regularly inspected, properly maintained, and used only by competent people who understand its limitations and correct use methods.
Ensuring workers have appropriate skills and knowledge is essential for safe working at height.
Essential Skills: Training should cover recognising height-related risks, understanding control measures, the correct use of equipment, emergency procedures, and the importance of following safe working practices. Provide specific training for different types of equipment and working environments.
Ongoing Education: Regular refresher training maintains awareness and addresses any changes in equipment, procedures, or regulations. Include training updates when new hazards are identified or working methods are modified.
Competence comes from a combination of training, experience, and knowledge. Ensure workers have all three elements appropriate to the work they're undertaking.
Regular inspection and maintenance ensure equipment continues to provide adequate protection.
Regular Checks: Inspect equipment before each use for signs of damage, wear, or defects that could compromise safety. Conduct more detailed periodic inspections at intervals appropriate to equipment type and use intensity.
Defect Reporting and Action: Establish clear procedures for reporting defects and ensure defective equipment is immediately withdrawn from use. Repair or replace equipment promptly, and maintain records of inspections, defects found, and actions taken.
Never use damaged equipment or attempt makeshift repairs that could compromise safety.
Planning for emergencies ensures rapid, effective responses if falls occur.
Develop rescue plans before work begins, particularly for situations where fallen workers might be suspended in harnesses. Ensure first aid provision is adequate for the work being undertaken, and establish clear incident reporting procedures.
Consider how quickly emergency services could reach the work location and what interim measures might be necessary to prevent further harm.
Different sectors face specific height-related challenges requiring tailored approaches.
Maintenance work often involves accessing equipment, lighting, or building features at height. Construction activities include extensive scaffolding, roof work, and structural access. Warehousing operations involve accessing high storage areas, often using specialist equipment.
Understanding typical scenarios in your sector helps you implement appropriate controls and learn from industry best practice.
Sustainable height safety requires embedding safety principles into your workplace culture rather than treating them as additional requirements.
Make height safety everyone's responsibility, encourage reporting of near-misses and concerns, and learn from incidents to improve your control measures. Regular communication about height safety maintains focus and demonstrates your commitment to protecting employees.
The investment you make in working at height safety today protects your employees, your business, and your reputation whilst ensuring compliance with legal requirements.
Ready to strengthen your working at height safety management? Our Working at Height online course provides practical guidance on regulations, risk assessment, and safe working practices designed for UK businesses committed to protecting their workforce.
.jpg)
