Elite Executives Health & Safety Club

Working at Height Regulations 2005

Working at height is the BIGGEST single cause of workplace deaths and one of the main causes of personal injury.

2003/4 - There were 67 Fatal accidents and 4000 major injuries.

The Working at Height Regulations 2005 applies to all work at height where there is a risk of fall liable to cause injury. Even if this is at or below ground level.

They cover requirements for:

• existing places of work and means of access for work at height
• collective fall prevention (e.g. guard rails and toe boards)
• working platforms
• collective fall arrest (e.g. nets, airbags etc)
• personal fall protection (e.g. work restraints, work positioning, fall arrest and rope access)
• ladders and step ladders
• inspection reports (for working platforms in construction only)

What you must do as an employer:

You must do all that is reasonably practicable to prevent anyone falling.

Carry out risk assessments for work at height activities and make sure all work at height is planned, organised and carried out by competent persons;

• Follow the hierarchy for managing risks from work at height - take steps to avoid, prevent or reduce risks;

The Regulations hierarchy

The Regulations set out a simple hierarchy for managing and selecting equipment for work at height.

1. Avoid work at height where they can;
2. Use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls where they cannot avoid working at height; and;
3. Where they cannot eliminate the risk of a fall, use work equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall should one occur.
4. Give instruction and training and/or other means

Further helpful information may be found at the following sources:

• Work at Height Regulations 2005 SI 2005/735 The Stationery Office 2005
  (Available online at: www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si20050735.htm )
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 SI 1999/3242
  The Stationery Office 1999 ISBN 0 11 085625 2
• Lifting Equipment and Lifting Operations Regulations 1998 SI 1998/2307
  The Stationery Office 1998 ISBN 0 11 079598 9
• Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 SI 1996/1592
  The Stationery Office 1996 ISBN 0 11 035904 6

Useful website

www.hse.gov.uk/falls