Planning for Working at Height: All working at height has to be planned
Published on February 27th, 2023 | by Sophie West
Working at height remains one of the biggest causes of fatalities and major injuries. On average, 25% of all workplace fatalities that occur every year in the UK are falls from height.
Working at height should be managed like any other work activity; avoid, prevent, minimise. This can be achieved with sufficient planning, risk assessments, training and supervision. Before we go into these elements we first need to understand what working at height is so let’s jump straight in.
What is Working at Height & Why Is It Important for UK Businesses?
Work at height is work in any place, including a place at, above or below ground level, where a person could be injured if they fell from that place. For example, you are working at height if you:
- Are working on a ladder or a flat roof;
- Could fall through a fragile surface;
- Could fall into an opening on a floor or a hole in the ground.
As stated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) “Employers and those in control of any work at height activity must make sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people. This includes using the right type of equipment for working at height. Low-risk, relatively straightforward tasks will require less effort when it comes to planning.”
If you are an employer or you control work at height The Work at Height Regulations 2005 applies to you. Therefore, as an employer, it is important for you to carry out risk assessments to ensure safe working practices are followed and the correct equipment is issued.
The Risks of Working at Height & How to Minimise Them
The most common risks of working at height can be categorised quite simply as, falling from height or dropping equipment from height. With this in mind, it is paramount that relevant fall prevention and safety measures are put into place as the outcome can range from near-misses to fatalities.
Working at height sometimes cannot be avoided. So, it is important to know the most common causes of falls so we can minimise the risk of height-related accidents.
- Over reaching
- Over balancing
- Equipment failure
- Misuse of equipment
- Unexpected movement
- Failure of a fragile material
- Lack of understanding and purpose of the equipment
The first step to reducing risk is to make sure your team are fully trained, competent, have the correct skillset needed to carry out their tasks and know the area they are working in. The lack of understanding can mean you end up with the wrong equipment being used and accidents.
Are your team using ladders, working on scaffolding or Mobile Elevated Working Platforms (MEWPs)? All these types of equipment need risk assessments and regular inspections, testing and maintenance and competent persons to operate them. A risk assessment will outline the need for fall arrest and prevention devices such as harnesses and lanyards as well as other equipment such as tool tethers, hoists, or pulley systems helping to reduce risk.
Understanding the Laws and Regulations for Working at Height
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- Provide and maintain safe plant and equipment, systems of work
- Ensure articles and substances are used, transported and stored safely
- Provide any necessary information, instruction, training and supervision
- Safe place of work with safe access/ egress
- Safe working environment, with adequate welfare facilities
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury.
They place duties on employers, the self-employed, and any person who controls the work of others (eg facilities managers or building owners who may contract others to work at height) to the extent they control the work.
Main Requirements of Working at Height Regulation 2005
- Organise and plan work at height
- Competence
- Avoid risk from work at height
- Select suitable work equipment
- Requirements for work equipment
Employers should also keep their staff up to date with any risks that may arise from their work and highlight how they intend to manage these risks to keep their team safe.
Best Practices for Employees When Working At Heights in the UK
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommend the following:
Before working at height work through these simple steps:
- Avoid work at height where it’s reasonably practicable This means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to control the real risk in terms of money, time or trouble.
- Where work at height cannot be easily avoided, prevent falls using either an existing place of work that is already safe or the right type of equipment
- Minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, by using the right type of equipment where the risk cannot be eliminated.
Below we look at the three steps of how to prevent falls from height.
