Why Working at Height Regulations Exist

Falls from height are the number one killer in UK construction. Between 2019 and 2024, falls from height accounted for an average of 40 fatalities per year across all industries — with construction making up the majority. Thousands more suffer life-changing injuries from falls that were entirely preventable.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 were introduced to tackle this. They apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury. Crucially, "height" doesn't mean you need to be on a roof — a fall from a stepladder, a loading bay, or even ground level into an open excavation all count.

What Counts as "Working at Height"?

The regulations define work at height as work in any place where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. This includes:

• Working on roofs, scaffolds, or platforms
• Working on or near fragile surfaces
• Using ladders, stepladders, or kick stools
• Working near open edges, voids, or excavations
• Working on vehicles or plant
• Working near or over water
• Accessing elevated storage or mezzanine levels

There is no minimum height. A person can suffer serious injury from a fall at any height, and the regulations reflect this.

Who Has Duties Under the Regulations?

The regulations place duties on:

• Employers — For work carried out by their employees
• The self-employed — For their own work at height
• Anyone who controls the work of others — Including principal contractors, facilities managers, and building owners

Core Employer Duties

As an employer, you must:

1. Avoid work at height where possible — Can the task be done from ground level? Can materials be pre-assembled at ground level?
2. Where work at height cannot be avoided, prevent falls — Use platforms with guardrails, scaffolds with toe boards, podium steps, or other collective protection
3. Where falls cannot be prevented, minimise the distance and consequences — Safety nets, airbags, harnesses and lanyards as a last resort
4. Ensure all work at height is properly planned — Including emergency and rescue procedures
5. Ensure workers are competent — Trained, experienced, and capable of doing the work safely
6. Ensure equipment is suitable, stable, and properly maintained — Inspected before each use, formally inspected at required intervals
7. Manage risks from fragile surfaces — Prevent access unless no alternative, then use platforms and guardrails
8. Manage risks from falling objects — Toe boards, brick guards, exclusion zones, fans, and netting

The Hierarchy of Controls for Working at Height

The regulations establish a clear hierarchy that must be followed in order. You cannot jump to personal protective equipment without first considering whether higher-level controls are practicable.

Level 1: Avoid Working at Height

Always ask: does this work actually need to be done at height? Examples of avoidance:

• Assembling roof trusses at ground level before craning into position
• Using extendable tools to clean gutters from the ground
• Designing services to be accessible from below, avoiding the need for roof access
• Prefabricating steelwork with connections at ground level

Level 2: Prevent Falls (Collective Protection)

If work must be done at height, use measures that protect everyone automatically:

• Scaffolding with guardrails, mid-rails, and toe boards (still the most common solution)
• Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) — Cherry pickers, scissor lifts
• Podium steps — For short-duration work below 3m
• Edge protection — Temporary guardrails at roof edges, floor openings, and stairwells
• Coverings — Fixed, marked covers over voids and openings

Level 3: Minimise Consequences (Personal Protection)

Only when collective protection isn't reasonably practicable:

• Safety nets — Installed as close below the working surface as possible
• Soft landing systems — Airbags for specific applications
• Harnesses and lanyards — Must be used with suitable anchor points, and workers need rescue plans
• Work restraint systems — Prevent the worker reaching the fall edge (preferable to fall arrest)

Important: If you're using harnesses as your primary fall protection, you must have a rescue plan. A worker suspended in a harness after a fall can develop suspension trauma within 15-20 minutes, which can be fatal.

Competence Requirements

The regulations require that anyone involved in work at height is competent. This means:

• Workers must be trained to use equipment safely and recognise hazards. For scaffolding, this means CISRS-trained scaffolders.
• Supervisors must be able to identify unsafe practices and take corrective action
• Planners must understand the hierarchy of controls and be able to select appropriate equipment
• Inspectors must be competent to inspect equipment (scaffolds, MEWPs, harness systems) and identify defects

Competence isn't just about having a card. It's a combination of training, experience, knowledge, and ability. A newly qualified scaffolder should be supervised by an experienced one.

Equipment Inspection Requirements

The regulations and the accompanying Schedule 7 set out specific inspection requirements:

Scaffolding

• Inspected before first use
• Inspected at intervals not exceeding 7 days
• Inspected after any event likely to have affected stability (high winds, impact, modification)
• Inspections recorded and kept on site until the project is complete, then retained for 3 months

MEWPs and Other Equipment

• Pre-use checks before each shift
• Thorough examination under LOLER at intervals not exceeding 6 months
• Maintenance in accordance with manufacturer's instructions

Personal Fall Protection

• Harnesses, lanyards, and anchor points inspected before each use by the wearer
• Detailed inspection at intervals not exceeding 6 months by a competent person
• Removed from service and destroyed after any fall arrest event

Most Common HSE Enforcement Actions

Understanding what HSE inspectors actually enforce against helps you prioritise compliance. The most common issues cited in enforcement notices for working at height are:

1. No edge protection at leading edges or open voids — The single most common failing
2. Defective or incomplete scaffolding — Missing guardrails, toe boards, or base plates
3. Ladders used for work they're not suitable for — Long-duration work, heavy loads, or two-handed tasks
4. No rescue plan for harness users — Harnesses issued but no way to rescue a fallen worker
5. Fragile roof access without precautions — Walking on cement fibre sheets, rooflights, or skylights
6. No scaffold inspection records — Scaffold in use but no 7-day inspection evidence

Working at Height in Your RAMS

Every RAMS involving work at height should demonstrate that you've followed the hierarchy:

• Explain why the work can't be done from ground level
• Describe the collective protection measures in place
• If using personal protection, justify why collective measures aren't practicable
• Detail rescue procedures for fall arrest situations
• List all competence and training requirements for the team
• Include inspection schedules for all access equipment

DocGen automatically structures your working at height RAMS to demonstrate hierarchy compliance, include appropriate rescue plans, and list all inspection requirements. Start your free document now.