What Are the Risks of Working at Height?

The main hazards when working at height are that an object or person could fall. In the UK, the majority of fatal and non-fatal accidents are the result of people or objects falling from height. Even light objects can cause serious injury or death when they fall from a high work platform.

It is not just the danger of plummeting while sitting on a girder 50 floors up or when fitting a high window that can be dangerous. Other risks of working at height include the following:

• Fall arrest injuries: Fall arrest systems prevent you from hitting the floor but do not stop the fall itself. When you fall in a fall arrest system, the safety harness, ropes, and trajectory of the fall can cause tangling and a lot of energy to redistribute itself in the body. It is not uncommon for ligaments and bones to be stretched, torn or broken.
• Shock: Falling is a traumatic event, even if you happen to be uninjured. The severe psychological effects of a fall at height can not be understated. A fast heart rate, hyperventilation and severe anxiety are common symptoms, and the shock itself can cause cardiac arrest and other potentially fatal health complications.
• Chronic injuries: The force of a fall can cause severe complications for the neck, spine, and arms or legs. These may be minor, but they might take a long time to heal or even become permanent injuries that the person who has the fall needs to deal with for the rest of their life. In the construction industry, this can lead to a loss of livelihood too.

To boost the safety of your site , please feel free to browse our products, such as safety harnesses to prevent a person from falling or lanyards to prevent tools or other objects from falling. Our equipment will give you the best chance of avoiding the risks of working at height and are available for next day delivery. Feel free contact us if you have a question about one of our products.

Creating a Working at Height Risk Assessment Checklist

While working at ground level has its health and safety considerations, working at height requires awareness of the fall hazards and controls to limit the danger. To do this, you can create an inspection checklist for both your protective equipment and work practices.

Unfortunately, there is no single risk assessment checklist as the hazards and controls will vary widely between construction sites. Developing a checklist will typically involve the following:

• Identify hazards: Finding the points in your workflow where the risks from working at height are likely to occur is the first step. Hazards could be the distance of a potential fall, the frequency of the work practices conducted at height or the suitability of work equipment. Independent risk assessments are available for an impartial analysis.
• Create a working at height rescue plan: An emergency rescue plan is essential for all work at height and will also result in a need for training on rescue procedures for site staff. Rescue equipment also needs to be inspected regularly. In the case of fall arrest systems, this will also involve calling the emergency services after the rescue.
• Review and update processes and test equipment: Safety processes develop cumulatively, so they change all the time as business needs and situations change. This includes regularly testing work equipment, which has to be done every 6 months according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The risks of working at height are many and will depend on the specific nature of an operation. Failure to establish a working at height risk checklist will mean the work you carry out is unsafe. The HSE has the power to enforce all regulations and will publish non-compliant firms.

Working at Height Hazards List

Risks of working at height will occur in the following common construction situations:

• Work on ladders and step ladders
• Work on elevated platforms
• Work on scaffolding
• All types of roofing
• Warehouse racking

There are some interesting statistics available on the HSE website, this time related to the food industry, that says work on ladders and step ladders are the most dangerous in terms of the likelihood of a fall occurring - even though the injury can often be relatively minor.

The Risks of Working at Height Explained

We are the leading providers of a wide range of workwear and personal protective equipment, building supplies and site set up or safety equipment, and we appreciate the need for fast, flexible delivery options when you need to get something as efficiently and safely as possible.

While work at ground level has its unique health and safety considerations, anything that involves working at height requires awareness of the hazards and controls to limit the danger. Please browse our amazing products and buy online or get in touch if you have any questions.

The Working at Height Regulations Explained

The Working at Height Regulations 2005 exist to improve safety in the UK construction trade. As an employer, you have a legal duty to protect all employees who work at height. Management of health and safety is something people in the UK often like to poke fun at, due to the reach of the control measures, but the regulations greatly help to avoid personal injury and even save lives.
‘Work at height’ is defined as a height liable to cause personal injury, so anywhere a person could fall from one level to another. An overview of the regulations includes the following:

• They are there to prevent death and injury
• If you employ or contract people to work at height, the regulations apply to you
• If the regulations apply to your company, you must ensure all work is properly planned
• As part of the planning you must conduct a risk assessment
• Workers must take ‘reasonable care’ of themselves or others affected by their actions

Key Regulatory Points & FAQs

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the government body that enforces the regulations. The following are some of the implications of the working at height regulations and common questions, which will help to cut through the jargon of the legislation:

At What Height Do Regulations Apply?

There is no set minimum height in terms of distance within the working at height regulations. The regulations state that in any work where, should there be no precautions in place, a person can fall far enough to injure themselves, the rules apply.

Examples of such situations are many, but they commonly include the following:

• Using a fixed or portable ladder
• Working on a flat roof Working on a fragile surface, such as a fibre-cement roof or a roof with slabs, slates or tiles
• Working near an opening in the floor, such as a space for a staircase, or a hole on the ground level, such as when laying foundations for a building

Many people think of work at height as being very high up, but it is easy to experience personal injury from very low heights too. When you are considering precautions the regulations say you should take a ‘common sense approach’, so they may be unnecessary in a low-risk situation.

Are Ladders and Step Ladders Banned?

No. A persistent myth and source of confusion is that ladders or step ladders are banned from UK construction sites. In many cases, a ladder or step ladder is the ideal piece of equipment for the task. So, while there are rules in place, using a ladder can be entirely safe.

Remember the following when using a ladder or step ladder so you comply with regulations:

• A ladder should only be used for work that has a short duration
• Ladders should be used infrequently, so repetitive work may require another solution
• Using ladders should only be considered for straightforward work, so this may include low-risk tasks like painting a wall that does not require heavy machinery or materials

There are many occasions where a lightweight, easy-to-transport and set up ladder is the most suitable option. Ladders are easy to manoeuvre and take up much less room than other options like elevated work platforms or scaffolds. The work at height regulations do not forbid ladders.

What Do I Consider Before Working at Height?

The HSE’s regulations state that you should avoid working at height wherever possible. A simple example would be cleaning windows with an extendable jet wash system instead of using a ladder.

• The rules state to avoid it if it is ‘reasonable practical’, if not consider the following:
• Whether there is a place you could do the work safely without precautions, like a balcony
• What the right type of equipment would be if not, which will involve a risk assessment, such as rails, barriers and fall arrest or fall restraint systems
• Ways to reduce the distances or consequences of a fall, such as by installing a net, harness or air cushion

The rules and regulations are structured to minimise the need to work at height, which is the best method for 100% safety. So, before you start working at height, you should always look for viable alternatives and the need for fall safety equipment should be considered as a last resort.

How Do I Avoid Dangers and Consequences of a Fall From Height?

Before resorting to the use of fall protection equipment there are a few best practices you can build into the workflow of a construction site to boost site safety, either when working at height or on ground level. The principle of ‘safety first’ should be at the forefront of your mind.

• The regulations include some helpful guidelines for working at height, such as the following:
• Work on the ground wherever possible, never cut, or prepare materials at height
• Ensure there is safe access to the areas where working at height is essential
• Use strong, durable equipment and check, maintain and clean it regularly

You should also ensure workers are not overloaded when working at height, such as when carrying tools or materials. Helmet protection from falling objects is also necessary. If working at height is essential, emergency and rescue procedures also reduce the consequences of a fall.

The Importance of Working at Height Regulations

Falls are the biggest cause of workplace fatalities and also the cause of the largest number of non-fatal injuries in the UK construction trade. As a result, the regulations are crucial to workplace safety.

• Potential injuries that can arise from a fall, even from a low height, include the following:
• Broken and fractured bones Ligament damage, such as when tangled in a fall arrest system
• Psychological trauma from a fall
• Shock, which is potentially fatal
• Permanent chronic injuries, which can result in loss of livelihood

There are also severe financial and legal penalties for employers and contractors who neglect the regulations. In March 2022 a roofing company was fined by the HSE after an employee fell through a gap in scaffolding. After a guilty plea, the fine was £22,667, as well as £7,228 in costs.

How Companies Can Best Comply with Working at Height Regulations

There are a few things companies can do in their approach to working at height, and health and safety in general, which will give you the best chance of compliance with the HSE’s regulations:

1. Conduct a risk assessment, which will determine the right type of equipment to use
2. Ensure work is planned correctly
3. Ensure work is carefully supervised
4. Ensure the supervision and the carrying out of work are done by a competent person
5. Be practical, so consider the height, frequency of work and surface conditions

You can learn about what a risk assessment will include on the HSE website. Independent risk assessments are also available. You must also ensure you have a reliable equipment supplier.

The Working at Height Regulations 2005 Explained

The UK has some of the safest work environments on the planet, which is thanks in part to the wide-ranging legislation that covers almost any situation. Nevertheless, a fall from height remains the most dangerous situation in a UK workplace and compliance with the working at height act is a legal obligation. All regulations and requirements are legally enforced by the HSE.

Please feel free to browse our PPE and workwear, which will ensure full compliance with the height regulations and offer greater site safety. You can buy online with fast, flexible delivery options, so you can begin working at height according to the legislation in the fastest possible time. You can also get in touch with us should you have a question about a specific product.