Working at heights

Keeping your team safe when working at height 

Falls from height are the biggest cause of work-related fatalities, and as someone managing health and safety, you need to make sure that working at height is avoided where possible – but if you have to do it, you need to properly risk assess, plan and supervise it, and make sure it’s carried out safely. 

 

Here’s what you need to know to protect your workers and stay compliant with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulations. 

 

What counts as ‘working at height’? 

Working at height includes any task where a fall could result in injury, including: 

• Working on ladders, scaffolds, or platforms 

• Working on roofs, fragile surfaces, or near open edges 

• Working near floor openings or holes where it’s possible to fall into them. 

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it gives you some idea of the tasks that might be counted as working at height. 

 

What you need to do: 

To keep your workers safe, you need to: 

• Avoid work at height wherever possible – for example, removing the risk of cleaning windows at height by investing in a pole and reach system. 

• Risk assess, plan and supervise – think about the height, how long the task will last and how often the task needs to be done,  as well as surface stability. You also need to make sure risks are properly assessed and managed, including planning for any emergencies and how to rescue workers where necessary. 

• Make sure workers are competent – they should have the right training, skills, and experience, and be medically fit to work from heights.

• Use suitable equipment – ladders, scaffolds, or harnesses need to be well-maintained and the right ones for the job. 

• Provide clear instructions – workers need to understand how to use safety equipment properly. 

 

How to reduce the risk 

HSE recommends a hierarchy of control measures to reduce risks when working at height: 

 

Avoid working at height where possible 

Before anything else, ask yourself if the job could be done from the ground. For example, using long-handled tools or extending poles for maintenance work might eliminate the need to work at height altogether. 

 

Prevent falls 

If working at height is unavoidable, put measures in place to prevent falls: 

• Use scaffolding, podium steps, or mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) instead of ladders where possible (but make sure you have the correct controls in place, including training, checks and maintenance, to reduce the risk of falls from these too). The HSE says that: 

• Ladders can be used for work at height if you carry out a risk assessment and it shows that using equipment that has a higher level of fall protection isn’t justified. 

• This is because of the low risk and short duration of use, or there are existing workplace features which can’t be changed. 

• Short duration isn’t the deciding factor in establishing whether you can use a ladder – you need to consider the risk first. 

• As a guide, if your task would require staying up a leaning ladder or stepladder for more than 30 minutes at a time, it’s recommended you use alternative equipment. 

• Install guardrails, edge protection, or secured covers over openings. 

 

Minimise the consequences of a fall 

If there’s still a risk of falling, take steps to reduce the impact: 

• Use safety nets, fall restraint or arrest systems, or soft-landing systems. 

• Make sure workers wear harnesses with appropriate anchor points. 

 

Best practices for working at height 

To make sure your operation stays safe, follow these key principles: 

• Only use ladders for light, short-duration work (e.g. under 30 minutes). Never overload them with excessive weight or tools. 

• Check equipment before use – make sure ladders, scaffolds, and harnesses are in good condition. 

• Secure ladders properly – avoid resting them on fragile surfaces like plastic gutters. 

• Train workers on safe ladder use – including maintaining three points of contact at all times. 

• Prevent falling objects – use tool tethers and toe boards to stop items from dropping onto workers below. 

• Develop emergency procedures – make sure workers know how to respond if a fall or accident happens.

 

Collective vs. personal protection 

Where possible, collective protection like guardrails and platforms should be used over personal protection like harnesses and lanyards, as it reduces reliance on individual actions.