Getting Safety Right When Working At Height

Falls from height account for around 25% of fatalities and over 5,000 reportable injuries annually, according to HSE statistics. It's such a big problem that working at height has its own health and safety regulations, the Work at Height Regulations.

Before we look at what needs to be done to work at height safely, we should make sure we know exactly what working at height is. Because it's not as obvious as it might at first appear.

What is working at height?

Work at height is legally defined as work in any place where, if there were no precautions, a person could fall a distance and suffer an injury.

It might be obvious you are working at height. For example, if you are up on a roof. If you are working on a roof, you are at height and you could fall.

But did you know that you could also be working at height from ground level? You could even be working at height below ground level.

You might think you can't possibly be at height if you are working at or below ground level, but if you could fall into an opening in the floor, like into a basement or excavation - then you are working in a place where you could fall a distance. You are working at height.

The Work at Height Regulations includes a legal definition of working at height, that includes not just the place of work, but also access to that place (unless that access is a permanent staircase). This could include access via ladder, scaffold, MEWP, trestle or other temporary access equipment.

“work at height” means—

1. work in any place, including a place at or below ground level;
2. obtaining access to or egress from such place while at work, except by a staircase in a permanent workplace,

where, if measures required by these Regulations were not taken, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury

So examples of working at height include obvious things like:

• Working on a ladder
• Working on a roof
• Working on trestles or staging
• Accessing items on shelving using a stepladder or hop-up

And also includes less obvious examples like:

• Working next to an excavation
• Working on a platform or formwork within an excavation
• Working next to fragile surfaces
• Underground access via a manhole

You can find out more about working at height in the online working at height awareness course.

Is there a minimum height?

At what height do you need to apply the Work at Height Regulations? Since the regulations apply to all work at height, at what height do they apply? Is there a minimum height you need to be at to be classed as 'working at height'?

The short answer to this is no, there is no minimum height.

Work at any height can be work at height. There is no specified height. As we covered under the definition of work at height, the height at which the regulations apply is any distance where a person could fall and is likely to cause injury. So, if your risk assessment identifies falls as a risk, you're probably working at height, and the regulations apply.

To identify work at height within your work activities, look for tasks that involve people accessing areas above, or below ground. Roofs, platforms, ledges, excavations, pits, vehicles, equipment etc. Look for activities that involve access equipment like steps, ladders, trestles, MEWPS and scaffolding.

How can you reduce risk when working at height?

When you work at height, there is a risk of injury from falls. And like with any risk, you can apply the principles of prevention.

Simply put, this means you can eliminate the risk, or you can control it.

• 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
• minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, by using the right type of equipment where the risk cannot be eliminated

Avoid working at height

Of course, the best way to reduce the risk from work at height is not to work at height at all. You avoid working at height. And it can be surprising how often work at height can be eliminated by carrying out the work in a different way.

Avoiding work at height can be achieved by using extending poles or tools, or carrying out assembly work at ground level and then lifting into place.

While it may not always be possible to avoid working at height, if you can eliminate the need to work at height, you should.

Prevent falls

Where work at height cannot be eliminated, you should prevent falls using either an existing place of work that is already safe or the right type of equipment.

Preventing falls can be achieved by using fixed guards, edge protection, and worker restraint systems to prevent people from getting into a position where they could fall.

Minimise consequences

If falls cannot be completely prevented you must minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, by using the right type of equipment.

Minimising consequences can be achieved with safety nets, soft landing systems, and fall arrest systems.

How can you work safely at height?

To comply with the law, work at height must:

• Be properly planned
• Be adequately supervised
• Be carried out by competent people
• Use the right type of equipment for working at height

Employers have to make sure that any work at height that cannot be eliminated is properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. This means using competent people to do the work, using the right equipment (for access and working platforms), and protecting fragile surfaces.

A work at height permit to work can be used to strictly control high-risk work at height activities.

And it's not just the people working at height you need to worry about. If other people are working below the work area, they are at risk from overhead work. For example from falling materials or objects. So as well as preventing falls of people, you also need to prevent falls of any kind, including tools and materials. If any danger areas remain, you can set up exclusion zones to prevent access below the work.

Here's how you can plan your work at height:

1. Avoid working at height if it can be easily avoided
2. Make sure the people working at height have the skills and knowledge to work at height safely
3. Select the right equipment for the task
4. Prevent falls
5. Protect any fragile surfaces
6. Prevent falling objects
7. Where falls cannot be prevented minimise the distance and consequences of falls
8. Set up any necessary exclusion zones below the work area
9. Provide supervision and monitoring to make sure that your safe system of work is followed

Unless you eliminate work at height completely, some residual risk will remain, even if you create a safe working platform, use suitable access equipment and put other controls in place. With any temporary control measures, it's important to make sure that they remain safe with supervision and regular monitoring.

Keep an eye on both the equipment you use (like scaffold inspections) and the tasks you carry out (like work at height permits).

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Do you work at height? Make sure you carry out a risk assessment for working at height and get safety right. Learn more about getting safety right in our working at height online course.