What is work at height?

What do the schedules to the regulations cover?

1. Existing places of work and means of access for work at height
2. Collective fall prevention (e.g. guard rails and toe boards)
3. Working platforms
4. Collective fall arrest (e.g. nets, airbags etc)
5. Personal fall protection (e.g. work restraints, work positioning, fall arrest and rope access)
6. Ladders and step ladders
7. Inspection reports (for working platforms in construction only)
8. Revocations

Employers Duties

1. Avoid work at height where you can.
2. Use work equipment or other means to prevent falls where you cannot avoid working at height; and
3. Where you 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.

Employee’s duties

1. Report any safety hazard to them;
2. Use the equipment supplied (including safety devices) properly, following training and instructions (unless you think that would be unsafe, in which case you should seek  further instructions before continuing).

Duty Holders responsibilities

1. Ensure that no work is done at height if it is safe and reasonably practicable to do it other than at height
2. Ensure that the work is properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in as safe a way as reasonably practicable
3. Plan for emergencies and rescue
4. Take account of the risk assessment carried out under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

1. You must ensure that work is postponed while weather conditions endanger health or safety.

1. You must ensure that everyone involved in the work is competent (or, if being trained is supervised by a competent person). This includes involvement in organisation,   planning, supervision, and the supply and maintenance of equipment.
2. Where other precautions do not entirely eliminate the risk of a fall occurring, you must train those who will be working at height how to avoid falling, and how to avoid or  minimise the risk of injury to them selves should they fall.

The place where work is done

1. You must provide equipment for preventing (as far as is reasonably practicable) a fall occurring.
2. If this does not entirely eliminate the risk of a fall occurring, you must do all that is reasonably practicable to minimise the distance and effect of a fall.

1. Use the most suitable equipment;
2. Give collective protection measures (e.g. guard rails) priority over personal protection measures (e.g. safety harnesses);
3. Take account of the working conditions; and risks to the safety of all those at the place where the work equipment is to be used.
4. You must ensure that all equipment, temporary structures (e.g. scaffolding), and safety features comply with the detailed requirements of Schedules 2 to 6.

1. After it is assembled or installed (or after it has been assembled and installed if both are required),if its safety depends on how it is assembled or installed;
2. As often as is necessary to ensure safety, and in particular to make sure that any deterioration can be detected and remedied in good time.

1. Prepares a report before going off duty
2. Gives the report (or a copy) within 24 hours of completing the inspection to the person for whom the inspection was done (e.g. you or your site manager).

1. At the construction site until the work is completed;
2. Then at an office of yours for another three months.
3. You must keep all other records of inspection until the next inspection has been carried out.

If anyone does work on or near a fragile surface you must:

1. Ensure (as far as it is reasonably practicable to do so) that suitable platforms, coverings, guardrails, and the like are provided (and used) to minimise the risk;
2. Do all that is reasonably practicable, if any risk of a fall remains, to minimise the distance and effect of a fall.

1. Thrown or tipped from height if it is likely to injure anyone;
2. Stored in such a way that its movement is likely to injure anyone.

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