All work at height is governed by the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The purpose of this regulation is to prevent death and injury caused by a fall from height.
Employers and those in control of any work at height must ensure that work is properly planned, supervised, and carried out by competent persons. It should be noted that employees also have general legal duties; these include to take care of themselves and others that may be affected by their actions, and to co-operate with their employer.
What are the dangers?
Work at height can occur at any height, not just at extreme elevations. This means that falls can occur from relatively small elevations, often occurring because the person does not deem the hazard to be significant or see the potential risk as the height seems to be low. In fact, most falls are BELOW 4 meters, which is far enough to sustain an extreme injury or even death.
The consequences of working at height, therefore, can be very serious and can result in death or lifechanging injuries. As a result, it is vital that control measures are put in place to prevent fatalities in the workplace.
Control measures
If work at height is unavoidable then the first step is to ensure a thorough risk assessment is carried out. This will identify the potential risks and enables adequate and appropriate controls to be put in place to prevent injury – whether serious or non-serious.
Before working at height here are the steps that you should work through:
Avoid work at height wherever possible. There are several things that can be put in place to avoid work at height, some examples include:
- Installing adjustable lighting that can be lowered to ground level to change bulbs or maintain
- Use extension arms for cleaning windows
- Constructing at ground level and then move into position
Prevent the risk of falls that could potentially occur by using appropriate work at height equipment:
- This can be done through either using an existing place of work that is already safe, for example a non-fragile roof with a permanent perimeter guard rail.
- Ensure that the appropriate work equipment to be used is suitable for the task. You can also consider other measures to prevent falls where working at height cannot be avoided. For example installing temporary guardrails around the roof edge to prevent falls.
Minimise the consequences of a fall. If the risk of a person falling remains, you must take sufficient measures to minimise the distance and/or consequences of a fall. Practical examples of collective protective work equipment used to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall are:
- Safety nets
- Soft landing systems
Examples of individual personal protection used to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall are:
- Fall arrest harness
- Fall restraint lanyard
- Industrial rope access
You must always consider weather conditions, the frequency of the work and the risk of safety to others when selecting work equipment.
All work at height should be risk based, well organised, and planned in advance.
