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:

• Employers.
• Self-employed people.
• People that control the work of others.

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:

• Report any safety hazard to them.
• Use the equipment supplied properly.

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.
• BS 7883 guide released.
• CDM.
• Collective restraint systems.
• CONIAC produces essential messages on safe work at height.
• Crane regulations.
• Dynamic self-retracting lanyard.
• Fall arrest system.
• Fall prevention systems.
• FASET.
• Glazier.
• Health and Safety.
• Hoists.
• How to use a ladder.
• Injuries on construction sites.
• Ladder.
• Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER).
• Near miss.
• Roped access for conservation projects.
• Safety briefing.
• Safety in high places.
• Safety systems for working at heights.
• Scaffold register.
• Scaffolding.
• Toolbox talk.
• Types of crane.
• Urban exploration UE.
• Work at height.
• Work at height checklist for managers.
• Work at height rescue plan.
• Working at height - our duty to prevent harm and protect each other.
• Working at height training.
• Working platform.

[edit] External references

• The Work at Height Regulations 2005.
• HSE: Brief guide to the Regulations.
• https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm