UK Professional Development

Academy

Module - Working at Height

Training Manual

1 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

What is work at height?
Work at height refers to varied situations ranging from platforms, scaffolds, ladders, and
stages to the working along with deep trenches. There is a common misconception
about work at height doesnot mean that how far you climb, but it refers to how far you
can fall. Remember, one thing that fall doesnot mean just individuals are falling from
heights. For example, equipment or material falling from height is equally hazardous
and dangerous to individuals working at the site.

No minimum height requirements are mentioned in the Working at Height Regulations

2005. In this regulation, all the work activities, where falling can occur and can cause
personal injury, will be referred to as liable distance. Work at height is irrespective of
equipment or materials being used, height at which the work is being performed or the
duration the person or equipment remains at height. It mainly includes access to and
way out from a workplace. For example, it will include;

• Working on the back of a lorry, for example covering a load.

• Working on support or scaffold or from a mobile elevated work platform.
• Working in docks at the top of the container, or on a freight yard or on a ship.
• Forestry work performed in woods.
• Climbing up the permanent structure such as poles
• Using ropes or cradles to attain access to the different parts of buildings.
• Working in cellar opening or near to excavation area where someone could fall in
it, and injury can occur.
• Working on brackets or staging such as within filming or concert.
• Removing, pasting, painting, or erecting bill posters at certain heights.
• Using, ladder, kick stool or step ladder for maintenance or cleaning purposes.
• Working at a shaft sinking
• Using the man-riding harness for offshore installations

There are some activities that cannot be included in work at height and are given in the
following table;

2 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

Trips and slips on the same level

Falling on permanent stairs or steps if there is

no work activity is being undertaken

Access and exit from a permanent workplace

from a stair.

The Working at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR)

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR) has been legislated to prevent the
personal injury or death caused by a fall from height. The WAHR is based on the risk
assessment approach to determine the hazards and degree of risk involved in it.
According to this regulation, at height means a place at which a worker could fall and
injured himself/herself even if it is below the ground like in tunnels, excavated areas etc.
At the same time work under this regulation is described as moving around the
workplace (excluding by a stairway in case of the permanent workplace) but not travel
to or from a workplace. On the basis of these definitions provided by this regulation,
examples of working at height include;

• Setting up a fabricated framework for work

• Working from a ladder
• Working at ground level near to an excavated area
• Working near the fragile materials

Information:In WAHR 2005, there isnot any specific height that categorises as working
at height. However, insurance companies usually consider 0-5 meter range as working at
height while the bespoke policies include higher ranges for working at height.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 is a comprehensive set of guidelines that must be
followed when any work is commenced at a height to prevent the injuries or deaths.
The rules mentioned in WAHR 2005 are obligatory for all the employers and people who

3 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

are controlling the work at height. At the same time,this regulation sets out the
responsibilities that a worker should know.

As per WAHR 2005, Duties of persons at work

(1) Every person shall, where working under the control of another person, report to
that person any activity or defect relating to work at height which he knows is likely to
endanger the safety of himself or another person.

(2) Every person shall use any work equipment or safety device provided to him for
work at height by his employer, or by a person under whose control he works, in
accordance with;

a) Any training in the use of the work equipment or device concerned which have
been received by him; and
b) The instructions respecting that use which have been provided to him by that
employer or person in compliance with the requirements and prohibitions
imposed upon that employer or person by or under the relevant statutory
provisions.

Thus, overall WAHR 2005 defines the work at height as any activity where there is a risk
of falling from one level to another, i.e. from height to ground level or from ground level
or edge to into an excavated area.

What do I need to do to comply with the regulations? (As employer)

Compliance with the WAHR 2005 regulations is simple because being an employer or
supervisor;you just need to focus on a few things while dealing with the work at height.
The first thing being an employer is, or supervisor is to make sure that you are following
the hierarchy that WAHR 2005 sets out;

• If it is possible then avoid working at height

• If it is inevitable, you need to do everything sensibly expected to eradicate the
risks to workers.
• If eradication of risks is impossible, you should abate the risk by minimising the
distance and consequences of potential fall.
• Be aware of all of your responsibilities while dealing with work at height.

4 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

 • Risk assessments should be carried out, and this can be done as a one-off for a
particular task or as a part of wider risk assessment.
• Determine any hazards and individuals or groups who may be affected by this
hazard then evaluate the level of risk and take precautionary measures. If you
have more than five employees, then you will need to record the findings.
• It’s your prime responsibility to manage the pre-defined risks and implement
effective measures to remove or reduce the risks.
• Competency of staff working at height must be ensured. In this context, a
competent worker is someone who has the right combination of knowledge,
skills and experience to complete the task in a safer way. The competency of
workers varied according to their job role. For instance, complex tasks require
more experience and training as compared to simple tasks.
• Planning is the basic thing for working at height; therefore, a task at height must
be planned, and all aspects of working at height must be planned, and different
considerations like management of tools, weather, the safety of a workplace, and
procedures for rescue should be made.
• Giving the proper equipment to carry out the job is necessary and ensure that
equipment is used properly, because safety equipment are necessary for risk
management, and best option should be selected to carry out the job. In this
context, Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) like a safety harness should be
provided to the worker. For this purpose, HSE has issued a step-by-step guide to
select the equipment that can be sued to offer the best solution for working at
height.
• Inspection and maintenance of the equipment is also the duty of an employer or
supervisor working at the site. In this context, it should be ensured that all the
equipment are updated and maintained to protect the worker. Technical faults
must be checked through a detailed inspection.

Height Regulations and Common misconceptions about work at height

The Work at Height Regulations is detailed and quite complex for everyone to
understand;therefore, there are some common misconceptions about it. Here are some
of the common myths about working at height;
• Most of the people believe that stepladders and ladders are banned at work at
height, but this is wrong because stepladders and ladders are appropriate for low-
risk jobs. However, ladders and stepladders must be used by a competent person

5 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

 and know how to evaluate the faults before using them.
• Another misconception about work at height is about that only employers are
responsible,but this isn’t true because within section-14 of Work at Height
Regulations 2005 worker’s responsibilities are described.
• There is a common misunderstanding that walking up and down a staircase is
also included work at height, but WAHR 2005 is not applied to the permanent
staircases at the workplace.
• Some people think that slips and trips are also included within Work Height
Regulations 2005, but this wrong, because The Work at Height Regulations 2005
includes the fall from one level to another level and in case of slips and trips
someone technically falls from the same level and from your own height.
• A competent person should be qualified professionally, but this is also not true
because competency means the right combination of skills, knowledge and
experience.

Workers’ Responsibilities

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 put a requirement on the employees to comply with
the safety measures at workplace put in place by the employer, but section-14 of the
Work at Height Regulations 2005 described this requirement as a duty for the
employees and they should;

• Work together with employers to ensure the safety of the workplace.

• Understand the risks and hazards while working at height and comply with
the safety measures taken by the employer.
• Utilise the equipment and material according to the instructions or training
given by the employer.
• Don’t ever try to modify or tamper the equipment.
• Make sure that an employer or supervisor is informed of any medical
condition that may impact the safety of work at height.
• Donot act irresponsibly or inaccurately to keep yourself and others safe from
hazards.
• Report immediately any kind of defect or action that may cause a dangerous
situation.

6 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

Risk & Hazards of Working at Height
Design:Design is the most important thing while working at height. Therefore, a good
design of the existing structure, strength and design of the access equipment, design of
the task and of the materials to be worked on is necessary. For example,access
equipment may not be specified appropriately or may be poorly positioned or erected
and without a good design, and this may lead to a hazardous situation. Poor design of
the task may increase the risk factor to a greater extent.

Distance of fall:Distance of fall is an important aspect of work at height because the

distance of fall has a direct impact on the severity of injury or damage. If the work at
height is unavoidable, then fall distance should be minimised.

Roofs:Working on roofs is another important aspect of working at height. Most of the

roof works are related to maintenance and construction. Different activates included in
roof work are tiles replacement, re-pointing and chimney repairs. Most of the accidents
in roof work are related to maintenance. Specific dangers are associated with different
kind of roofs.
Fragile Roof: Fragile Roof is a roofing structure which is not designed specifically to
withstand the weight of a load or person, but it has the ability to withstand
unexpected weather conditions. In fragile roofing, the roofing materials such as
cement, reinforced plastics, glass, asbestos, grooved and tongued wood are liable to
collapse due to the weight of the worker and other equipment placed at it. Large
notices and cautions should be placed at the fragile roofs. While working with a
global workforce, there is a need to verbally communicate the warning and
associated risks instead of just placing the warning signs in the national language.

The best way of working on fragile roofs is to utilise roof ladders or crawling boards
placed across the surface and supported by the load-bearing roof members and
spread a load of a worker to a wider area. By doing this, the roof safety can be
maximised. Roof ladders can offer a better foot and handhold for the workers and if
risk assessment requires fall arrest equipment, then wear them.

Sloping (Pitched) roofs: The roofs having pitch greater than10° are termed as
sloping or pitched roofs. Falling from the edges of the sloping roof is the major
cause of injury, and its severity can be high in some cases. If a worker slips down
from the ridges of sloping roofs then he will gain a considerable acceleration, and

7 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

 this will protect them from roof spaces, but additional force has been added as
impact to the ground and serious injuries can happen.
Flat Roofs: Flat roof hasfewer chances of fall but fall incidents usually occur through;

• Voids and openings at the roof

• Unprotected ridges at the flat roof
• Through fragile materials included as a part of a roof such as roof lights

Roof Lights:Roof lights are the clear sheets materials built into the roofs and permit
the light through them. Roof lights are made up of fragile materials, and sometimes
it becomes difficult to see them because they are covered with dirt, alga, moss,
grime, or paints. Roof lights cannot be distinguished easily from the roof materials
under dim or bright light. If roof lights are not protected, covered or fitted with toe-
boards, then they can fall through the roofs and can cause serious injury.

Voids:Voids under the roof are confined and close spaces. Movements within the voids
are restricted and lead towards the postural problems. Voids are not disturbed for
longer period of time; therefore, dust can be accumulated within the voids, and dusty
atmosphere within the voids can cause respiratory issues for workers. The floor of voids
is usually a ceiling of the room; therefore, access to voids floor is a major issue due to its
fragile nature. Therefore, crawling boards are the first selection for safe access within
the voids.

Deterioration of Materials:The condition of the design and structure on which the

workers are performing their tasks should be safe and sound. While working on the safe
and sound structures, the materials deteriorate with the passage of time, especially
when they are exposed to weather. Therefore, unsound materials can bring the hazard
in two different ways.

• The risk of fracturing or breaking of materials when worker puts his/her weight
on it, and this may cause a fall.
• Fractured materials can fall to the other people working at lower levels and
hitting the fractured material to lower level structure may cause collapse of the
lower structure.

The deterioration of materials is not visible until it is too late; therefore, extra care is
needed to ensure that footholds are secure and sound.

8 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

Unprotected Edges:The unprotected edges of surfaces increase the overall risk of falling
to a greater extent. This is applied to the elevated walkways, roofs, access platforms,
scaffoldings etc. use of guardrails, fencing, and toe-boards are necessary to prevent the
falls from edges.

Unstable or Poorly Maintained Access Equipment:Access equipment mainly

includestowers, ladders, platforms, scaffolding etc. There are inherited risks with these
risks, and if equipment is not maintainedor unstable, it can increase risks. Poor placing
and positioning of will increase the instability,and ultimately the risk will be increased.
Always remember, overloading, exceeding limits of reach, and high winds can collapse
the equipment. If the equipment is not maintained properly, then it may suffer physical
damage, damaged threads, rust, and platform boards that rot through timber.

Weather:The risks associated with work at height are increased by weather.

• Freezing conditions or rain can increase the risk of slipping.

• High speed of wind makes the access equipment unstable.
• Freezing conditions can cause loss of manual dexterity, and muscle injuries can
be increased.

Falling Materials:Objects falling from height can cause serious damage to workers as
well as to lower structures. Falling objects are;

• Loosely fitted structural materials such as bricks, timber and tiles.

• Waste materials such as stone chipping
• Tool or equipment dropped from height.

Conditions which can contribute towards the probability of falling of materials may
include;

• Deterioration of materials and structures causing breakdown of bricks or tiles

• In-appropriate storage of equipment and materials, especially materials stored
near the edges.
• Poor housekeeping activities leading towards the build-up of loose materials.
• Gaps or voids in platform surfaces or between access platforms and walls.
• Unprotected edges.
• Inaccurate methods of getting the materials from ground level to the working
area.

9 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

 • Inaccurate methods of getting materials down to ground level.

Main Precautions to Prevent Falls and Falling Materials

By following the simple hierarchy falls and falling of materials can be prevented.

Avoid Working at Height

Ensure All Those Working at Height are Properly Trained and Supervised

Select Work Equipment that Prevents Falls

Ensure that Equipment is Suitable, Stable, and

Strong

Regularly Check and Maintain Equipment

Provide Any Necessary

Personal Protective
Equipment

Ensure the Working

Environment Is Safe

Plan for
Emergencies
and Rescues

Avoid Working at Height: Working at Height Regulation 2005 states that work at height
should be avoided. This means carrying out most of work from the ground by using
extended and special tools instead of ladders. For example, the repairing work can be
done near the ground level by lowering the height of object. Avoiding the work at height
also includes avoidance from work at fragile surfaces because they are liable to cause a
fall and result in injury.

Ensure All Those Working at Height are Properly Trained and Supervised: If working at
height is unavoidable, then make sure that workers working at height are properly
trained, competent and supervised actively to minimise the risks. In this context, all the
workers should be educated, and they are capable of applying the best practice

10 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

guidelines for carrying out their work. Make sure that they know how to use the
different equipment at height. Supervisors should be trained and competent to carry
out their responsibilities.

Select Work Equipment that Prevents Falls:If working at height is essential and cannot
be avoided, then prevention can be a better choice as compared to mitigating the
consequences of fall. In this context, prevention begins with selecting right kind of tools
and equipment to prevent the falls. For example, safety nets or equipment having guard
rails can be more effective to prevent the fall from height.

Ensure that Equipment is Suitable, Stable, and Strong:Employers or supervisors are

responsible for making sure that selected equipment for work at height is strong, stable
and most appropriate for the task. First of all, assess the risks involved in working and
then select the most suitable equipment to carry out the job.

Regularly Check and Maintain Equipment:The equipment used in working at height

must be inspected on a regular basis and maintainedproperly. Pre- use check is essential
for detecting the issues. Detailed examination and inspection must be performed by the
most competent person. The maintenance and inspection activities should be carried
out periodically, and time interval should be according to the equipment.

Provide Any Necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Protection from
Falling Objects:If a risk assessment of work at height identifies the necessity of personal
protective equipment, then employer is responsible for providing PPE’s to worker. Fall
arrest harness and hard hats are important PPE’s for working at height. At construction
sites, the hard hats are essential, and it is also important in industries where the
overhead falling objects are common.

Ensure the Working Environment Is Safe:For employer, it is necessary to ensure that

working environment is safe for worker. To make work environment safer, it is
important to consider the different weather conditions such as fog, rain, high wind etc.
In addition to this, nearby dangerous obstacles like high voltage power lines should be
taken into consideration.

Plan for Emergencies and Rescues:For working at height, there must be a rescue or
emergency plan. If something happens according to evaluated risks or unexpected, then
the emergency plan should be implemented to minimise the damage. This emergency
plan should be shared with all of the workers involved in working at height.

11 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

Why is risk assessment important?
Health and safety management plans necessarily include the risk assessments because
they are helpful;

• In creating awareness about the risks and hazards.

• To determine all the risks involved in a task and also identify which person might
be at risk.
• To understand whether a control program is essential for a specific hazard or risk.
• To check the adequacy of the existing control measures.
• In preventing injuries and illness at the workplaces.
• For prioritising different hazards and risk.
• It also fulfils the legal requirements.

Risk assessment process

Working at height involves the risks of lethal injuries, therefore to prevent these issues,
it becomes necessary to manage the different kinds of risks and dangers involved in
work at height. For this purpose, the risk assessments should be placed carefully to
identify and eliminate the different kinds of risks. By definition, a risk assessment is
about analysing the workplace and identifying that what could cause harm to the
worker, so you are able to take the right precautions to ensure the safety of workers. As
work at heights should be planned, therefore risk assessments should be the part of
work at height because they offer a planned framework to control the risks. For creating
an effective risk assessment, it is necessary to follow these steps accordingly.

Step 1: Identifying the Potential Hazards

The first and most important step is to determine all the possible hazards within a work.
Therefore, while creating a risk assessment think about the different activities,
processes and substances involved in work. Now identify which activities or processes
can be dangerous and which material can cause injury. Some of the steps involved in
identification of potential hazards are;

• Deeply observe the workplace

• Check out the instructions provided by the manufacturer
• Read through accident book.
• Consider the long-term hazards such as high level of noise

12 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

 • Consider the feedback from workers

According to WAHR 2005,following things should be considered within your risk

assessment.

• The distance and impact of potential falls

• The time duration and use of different equipment and appropriateness of
equipment should be checked to evaluate that equipment is right for performing
the task.
• Does the work equipment allow the passage without work?
• Place safe and emergency evacuation for unexpected situations.
• The overall working conditions of the workplace where equipment is going to be
used.

Step 2: Deciding who may be harmed and how

At the time of carrying out a risk assessment, it is necessary to think that which workers
are at risk and how a risk can harm them. For each of the risk or hazard,it is needed to
identify the workers or group of workers under harm. By doing this, you will be able to
determine the best way of controlling the risk. Therefore, consider every person at the
workplace such as workers, contractors, visitors, general public etc.

Step 3: Evaluate the Risks

After the identification of potential hazards, it is necessary to evaluate the level of risk
because precautions will be taken according to the level of risk. There is no need to
eliminate all the risks but ensure that you are aware of all the risk, and they are
documented. Your risk assessment should include what you are expecting to know.
Being employer or supervisor, you are not responsible for predicting the unforeseeable
risks. Examine closely that what are you doing already and control measures. If it is
possible to evaluate how risk can be eliminated, and if it is not possible,then how you
can reduce the occurrence and impact of risk.

Some important steps involvedin preventing the risks areas follow;

• Use the right kind of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

• Restrict access to hazards.
• Make certain that all the workers are competent and are trained effectively

13 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

 • Ensure that all the workers understand the hazards and precautions are placed.
• Always adopt the less risky option and approach.
• Plan all the work activities to lessen any exposure to the hazard.
• Offering welfare facilities such as first aid.

Step 4: Record Your Findings

All the findings of a risk assessment should be documented. For documentation, it is

important to record the findings in simple and easy to read language. A right kind of risk
assessment should depict the following;

• A proper inspection and check have been made.

• The people who might be affected.
• Identification of entire potential hazard.
• Risk management strategies to eliminate or reduce the risk.
• Precautionary measures should be taken sensibly.
• Inclusion of all the workers in risk assessment process should be ensured.

To put off any confusion, it is necessary to carry out different risk assessments on
different sheets for workplace activities. Date on the risk assessment should be
mentioned, and details of the risks, as well as the personal details of a person who is
taking the risk assessment, should be written clearly.

Step 5: Review & Update Your Assessment

Workplaces change abruptly due to integration of new work equipment, changing

nature of work, procedures, and materials. These changes could possibly lead to a new
hazardous situation; therefore, it is important to review the risk assessments
periodically and analyse the following;

• Any important change in the workplace

• Need for improvement in working process
• Identification of a new problem from workers
• Occurrence of any accident

Safety equipment for working at height

While working at height, ensure that proper safety measures are in place. In this
context, there are different kinds of safety equipment that can be used.

14 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

 Working Equipment Personal Safety Equipment
• Ladders are used for short time • Protective head gear or hard hats
working activities and in limited are quite important in different
situations.It is beneficial for industries, including the work at
minimising the risk, but I can act as a height. Although they hinder the
risk itself. work at height but offers
• Scaffolds towers offer vertical protection from the falling
access to a fixed height and have objects and in case of a fall,
steady platform and protective protect the head and reduce the
guardrails. They are more secure as impact of injury.
compared to the ladders. • Protective hand gear or rubber
• Scissor lifts are useful because its gloves are used at the time of
height can be changed from 7m to welding at heights. It also offers
18m and offers a levelled platform protection from abrasion and
for work. These are more effective cuts.
in indoor working environment. • Protective glasses, gas masks,
• Boom lifts offer both horizontal and welding masks are also important
vertical movement and usually for protecting eyes and face.
manufactured in articulated or • Personal fall arrest equipment is
telescopic varieties. A work of 10m important in stopping an active
to 30m height can be performed fall with the help of tie-off
with boom lifts. Boom lifts are system.
available in different cage sizes, and • Full bodyharness safety
weight capacities. distributes the fall forces across
the worker’s body and offers a
freedom of movement for worker
to perform the duty.
• Shock absorbing Lanyards is a
staple of any fall arrest system
and are designed to keep
arresting the forces on the body
up to 900lbs.s
• Hard helmet with chin strap
offers prevention for head
injuries from falling objects and

15 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy

 reduce the electrical shocks while
working near high voltage
transmission lines.
• Rope grab devices allow the
workers to move freely up and
down along vertical life line.

16 | P a g e Copyright © - All rights reservedUK Professional Development Academy