Work at height regulations
The Work at Height Regulations (2005) came into force on 6 April 2005. They are intended to prevent deaths and injuries caused by falls at work. In 2005/06 falls from height caused 46 fatalities at work and 3350 major injuries. In 2023/2024 Provisional RIDDOR statistics for 2023 / 2024 showed that the total number of 138 workers were killed in work-related accidents, 51% of these were attributed to the construction sector, and of that total exactly 50% of these fatal accidents were recorded as a fall from height.
The regulations apply to all work at any height (even if it is at or below ground level) where there is risk of a fall that may cause injury. The regulations impose duties on:
Duty holders must adopt the following hierarchy:
- Where possible, avoiding work at height.
- Where work at height cannot be avoided, take measures to prevent falls.
- Where risk cannot be eliminated, take measures to minimise the distance and consequences of falls.
Where work at height is necessary, duty holders are required to ensure that:
- Risks are assessed and managed (including the risks of working on or near fragile surfaces and risks from falling objects).
- People involved in work at height are competent, trained, or supervised if they are being trained.
- Work at height is properly planned and organised (including planning for emergencies and for rescue).
- Account has been taken of weather conditions that could endanger health and safety (work should be postponed if weather conditions endanger health or safety).
- Appropriate equipment is used, inspected and properly maintained (giving use of collective protection measures priority over personal protection measures).
People working under the control of others must:
Schedules are provided at the end of the regulations, setting out requirements for specific circumstances:
- Schedule 1: Existing places of work and means of access or egress at height.
- Schedule 2: Guard-rails, toe boards, barriers and similar collective means of protection.
- Schedule 3: Working platforms.
- Schedule 4: Collective safeguards for arresting falls.
- Schedule 5: Personal protection systems.
- Schedule 6: Ladders.
- Schedule 7: Particulars to be included in a report of inspection
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- BS 7883.
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- Collective restraint systems.
- CONIAC produces essential messages on safe work at height.
- Crane regulations.
- Dynamic self-retracting lanyard.
- Fall arrest system.
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- FASET.
- Glazier.
- Health and Safety.
- Hoists.
- How to use a ladder.
- Injuries on construction sites.
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- Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER).
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- Working at height - our duty to prevent harm and protect each other.
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