Work at Height

Training Presentation
What is Work at Height?
According to the Work at Height
Regulations 2005, “work at height” means:

 work in any place, including a place at or

below ground level
 obtaining access to or egress from such
place while at work, except by a staircase
in a permanent workplace
 where a person could fall a distance
liable to cause personal injury
Work at Height Hazards
The main hazards of work at height are:
 falls of persons
 falling objects injuring those
below
 falls from collapsing
structures, eg fragile roofs
 access to hazards normally
out of reach, eg power cables
 What are the Risks?
 Falls from height are the most common
cause of fatal injury and third most
common cause of major injury to
employees
 Work at height incidents have resulted in:
– 52 fatalities
– 3750 major injuries
– 66% of injuries as a result of falling less than
2m
– 19% of the total number of workplace fatalities
[based on HSE statistics 2006/07]
 Legislation
Legislation that covers safe working at
height includes the:
 Work at Height Regulations 2005
 Management of Health and Safety at
Work Regulations 1999
 Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974

These apply to all workplaces, and to both

employees and the self-employed.
The Work at Height Regulations
2005
Under the regulations, work at height must
be:
 properly planned
 adequately supervised
 carried out by competent persons

Work at height should:

 be avoided wherever reasonably
practicable
 be carried out from an existing safe place
 use effective means to prevent falls
 Additional Legislation
Other pieces of legislation that specifically cover
safe working at height are the:
 Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare)
Regulations 1992: duties relating to dangers
associated with the design and cleaning of
windows and skylights
 Construction (Design and Management)
Regulations 2007: duties for designers to assess
risks
 Provision and Use of Work Equipment
Regulations 1998: general duties for the
selection, use and maintenance
of equipment
General Safety Requirements
 Avoid or eliminate risk
 Carry out risk assessment prior to work
 Apply controls applied in priority order
 Monitor and review controls
 Ensure emergency arrangements are in
place
 Implement maintenance procedures
 Provide information and training
Hierarchy of Control Measures
Regulations that cover work at height set
out the following hierarchy of control for
determining how to carry out the work
safely.

 Avoid: eliminate the need for work at

height
 Prevent: combat the risks at source; use
physical safeguards
 Mitigate: use collective safeguards;
install personal fall protection systems
Organisation and Planning
The planning of all work at height should
consider:
 all aspects of the task and how it should be
carried out and supervised
 evaluation of the task to identify the most
practicable ways to eliminate or minimise
risk, in the form of a risk assessment
 the potential a fall from height has to
cause personal injury
 Risk Assessment
The main factors to consider in assessing the risks
of work at height include:
 the type of work and the height to be worked at
 the expected frequency and duration of the task
 how many people will require access
 the potential for injury
 the effects of the weather for outdoor work
 the physical health of workers performing the
task
 the methods of “evacuation in the
event of imminent danger”
 the degree of supervision required
 Competence
Every person working at height must be competent
to do so, and should be capable of:
 undertaking the activity safely
 understanding the potential risks related to the
activity
 detecting and reporting any defects or omissions
 recognising any implications for the health and
safety of themselves and others
 specifying appropriate remedial
actions that may be required
 refusing to do a particular task if
the potential risk is too great
Safe Systems of Work
 Fixed access gantries
 Scaffold platforms
 Mobile elevating work
platforms
 Scaffold towers
 Platform steps and
stepladders
 Ladders
 Working Platforms

Working platforms are any platforms

used as workplaces or as a means of
access to or egress from such a place.
These include:
 scaffolds  gangways
 suspended scaffolds runs
 cradles  gantries
 mobile platforms  stairways
 trestles  crawling ladders
Safe Use of Access Towers [1]
 Avoid overhead cables and other
obstructions
 Do not mix parts from different
suppliers
 Follow instructions for erection,
use and dismantling
 Ensure that towers are vertical
and on firm level ground, with
wheels and outriggers locked
 Tie to building and protect base
from
impact
 Use base plates if tower does not
have to be moved
Safe Use of Access Towers [2]
 Use handrails and toe-boards at platforms
and landings
 Ensure safe access to work platform, eg
internal ladders
 Ensure there are no materials or persons
on moving, wheeled towers
 Follow makers’ advice on height-to-base
ratio and other lateral forces
 Inspect towers (and keep records) before
first use after damage, extreme weather,
and
every seven days
Fall Arrest Equipment
Where physical safeguards
are not reasonably
practicable, use:
 collective protection
measures, eg safety nets,
mats or inflatable mattresses
 personal protection
equipment, eg safety
harnesses and lanyards
attached to suitable fixing
points
Maintenance of Equipment
 All equipment for work at height comes
under the Provision and Use of Work
Equipment Regulations 1998
 Competent inspectors require specialist
knowledge, skills experience
 Frequency of inspection depends on use,
environment, risk from malfunction and
data from suppliers
 Textiles are prone to rapid wear, and their
condition is hard to monitor
 Equipment treated as “personal” may
be difficult to locate and check
Emergencies and Training
Risk assessment should
examine emergency procedures
and training requirements.
Consider:
 difficulty in escaping in the
event of a fire
 groups of untrained people
entering a work at height area
 difficulty in rescuing fallen
persons
 rescue of persons suspended
by personal fall arrest systems
 Summary
 Work at height should be avoided wherever
possible
 Where work at height cannot be avoided,
appropriate equipment to prevent falls must be
used
 Where risk of a fall cannot be eliminated, control
measures and equipment must be used to minimise
the consequence of a fall
 Any work at height task requires careful planning
for it to be carried out safely, including a thorough
risk assessment
 All employees must be competent to work at height
 All equipment must provide the most effective
protection against falls, and be inspected regularly