What is working at height?

Understanding work at height in the workplace

Working at height is one of the most common and most dangerous activities in any UK workplace. Every day, workers across construction, facilities, warehousing, cleaning and maintenance climb ladders, step onto roofs and use platforms to get jobs done.

The legal definition is simple and surprisingly broad: you are working at height if you are in any place where, without precautions, you could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. There is no minimum height in UK law. A stepladder in a stock room counts. So does standing near an open excavation at ground level.

Why working at height causes injuries

Gravity gives no second chances. When something goes wrong at height, the consequences are severe. The main risks are:

• Falls of people - from ladders, roofs, scaffolds, platforms and vehicles
• Falling objects - tools and materials striking people below
• Fragile surfaces - roof lights and ageing sheets that give way underfoot
• Overreaching and overbalancing - stretching beyond a safe position on a ladder
• Weather - wind, rain and ice that turn safe access into a hazard

Falls from height are consistently the leading cause of fatal injury to workers in Great Britain, according to HSE statistics. Even low falls can cause fractures, head injuries and life-changing harm.

Under WAHR 2005, every job at height must be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out by competent people. Employers must follow the hierarchy: avoid, prevent, minimise.

Employer responsibilities

• Avoid work at height wherever it is reasonably practicable to do so
• Prevent falls using guard rails, platforms and other collective protection
• Minimise the distance and consequences of any fall that cannot be prevented
• Provide adequate working at height training and instruction
• Plan for emergencies and rescue, not just the work itself

Employee responsibilities

• Follow safe systems of work established by the employer
• Check ladders, towers and harnesses before each use
• Use the access equipment provided, as trained
• Report any damaged equipment, missing guard rails or unsafe conditions

The hierarchy of control, explained

WAHR 2005 sets a strict order of thinking that every employer must follow before work starts:

1. Avoid - do the work from the ground where possible, for example with extending tools or by lowering equipment to floor level
2. Prevent - where height cannot be avoided, stop falls happening with guard rails, scaffolds, MEWPs and other collective measures
3. Minimise - where some risk remains, reduce the fall distance and consequences with nets, soft-landing systems or fall arrest harnesses
4. Plan and supervise - at every stage, the work must be planned, supervised and carried out by competent people

Understanding this order - and why collective protection beats personal protection - is the heart of safe work at height.

Who needs working at height training

Almost every UK sector. The most affected:

• Construction - roofers, scaffold users, steel erectors and fit-out trades
• Facilities and maintenance - ladder, podium and MEWP users
• Warehousing and logistics - mezzanine, racking and high-bay work
• Cleaning - window cleaners and atrium access teams
• Telecoms and utilities - poles, masts and elevated plant
• Manufacturing - gantries, walkways and overhead services
• Agriculture - barn roofs, grain stores and machinery access
• Events and entertainment - rigging, staging and temporary structures

What working at height training covers

Our Working at Heights Course covers the risks, the law under WAHR 2005, the avoid-prevent-minimise hierarchy, planning and supervision, choosing access equipment, ladder safety and emergency procedures - everything awareness training should include, in about 45 minutes.

Practical habits that prevent falls

The fundamentals are simple, and good training makes them automatic:

• Check first - inspect ladders, towers and harnesses before every use
• Three points of contact - keep them on ladders and avoid carrying loads while climbing
• Respect fragile surfaces - never step on a roof light or untested sheet
• Watch the weather - postpone external work in high wind, rain or ice
• Protect those below - exclusion zones, tool lanyards and tidy edges
• Plan the rescue - know how you will get someone down before they go up