{"id":56,"date":"2014-01-02T12:03:40","date_gmt":"2014-01-02T12:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/?p=56"},"modified":"2025-06-12T09:46:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T08:46:32","slug":"working-at-height-rules-regulations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/working-at-height-rules-regulations\/","title":{"rendered":"Working at Height Rules and Regulations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Falls due to working at height are the biggest cause of workplace deaths and injury in the UK, accounting for approximately a quarter of fatal accidents in the workplace each year.\u00a0In this article, we&#8217;ve collated some simple rules for working at height to ensure you and your employees remain safe.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-21168 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/working-at-height-rules-1.png\" alt=\"Man working at height on scaffolding\" width=\"685\" height=\"295\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Safety Rules for Working at Height<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Avoid the need for working at height wherever possible<\/b> \u2013 for example, could you use a long-handled tool or lower the object down to the ground?<\/li>\n<li>Always <b>select work equipment that is safe to use<\/b> and suitable for the task at hand. Think about whether the new equipment will create any new hazards.<\/li>\n<li>Locate <strong>airbags<\/strong> as close as possible to the working area.<\/li>\n<li>Allow <b>adequate clearance<\/b> for safety nets and harnesses.<\/li>\n<li><b>Choose collective protection<\/b> that safeguards multiple people before issuing personal protective measures.<\/li>\n<li>Always have <b>emergency or rescue procedures <\/b>in place to deal with any situation in which an accident may occur.<\/li>\n<li>Always <b>follow the manufacturer\u2019s instructions<\/b> for work equipment.<\/li>\n<li>Use one of the <b>two HSE and industry approved methods for assembling and dismantling<\/b> towers: the \u2018advance guard rail system&#8217; or \u2018through-the-trap\u2019 (3T).<\/li>\n<li>Construct tower scaffolds on <b>firm, level ground<\/b> with locked castors and a supported base plate.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Never use a tower scaffold in strong wind<\/strong> or if any parts are broken or missing.<\/li>\n<li>Introduce <b>daily checks<\/b> to ensure machinery and equipment is safe or decide whether it needs maintenance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Only use ladders when other work equipment is not feasible.<\/strong> Furthermore, you should only use a ladder for work up to 30 minutes in one position, with a load of no more than 10kg.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Always<\/strong> <b>maintain three points of contact<\/b> when using a ladder, i.e both feet and one hand. Don\u2019t over-reach and use the top three rungs as a handhold, not a working position.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"tip__box\">\n<div class=\"tip__title__container\">\n<div class=\"tip__title__text\">\n<div class=\"tip__title__icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/expert-tip-icon.png\" alt=\"expert icon\" \/><\/div>\n<h3>Need a Course?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/courses\/health-and-safety\/working-at-height-training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Working at Height Training<\/a> helps you to comply with the Work at Height Regulations 2005 by providing employers and employees with the necessary information needed to be able to successfully deal with working at height risks and control measures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Working at Height Regulations<\/h2>\n<p>The main legislation for working at height is the <strong>Work at Height Regulations 2005<\/strong>, which cover a wide range of activities, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The use of a ladder or stepladder.<\/li>\n<li>Work on a flat, scaffold or mobile elevated platform (MEWP).<\/li>\n<li>Work on the back or top of a lorry.<\/li>\n<li>Work in areas where someone can fall from an edge, through an opening, or through a fragile surface.<\/li>\n<li>Work at ground level close to an opening, hole in the ground or excavation that someone could fall into.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-21160 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/working-at-height.png\" alt=\"Worker working at height on a cherry picker to fix light\" width=\"685\" height=\"295\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The full Work at Height Regulations 2005 can be found on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/uksi\/2005\/735\/contents\/made\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">government\u2019s legislation website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h4>Under the working at height regulations, employers must:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Assess the risks in their workplace<\/b> so that they can put in place a plan to control the risks. This is done through the form of a risk assessment.<\/li>\n<li>After assessing the risks, <b>ensure suitable control measures are put in place<\/b>, including issuing Personal Protective Equipment, introducing machinery or providing training.<\/li>\n<li>Ensure that no person engages in any activity in relation to working at height or equipment for work at height, unless <b>they are competent to do so<\/b> or, if being trained, are supervised by a competent person. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/courses\/health-and-safety\/safety-harness-training\/\">Safety Harness Training<\/a> is important here.<\/li>\n<li>Ensure that no one passes across, near or works on, from or near<b>\u00a0a fragile surface.<\/b><\/li>\n<li>Take suitable and sufficient steps to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, <b>the fall of any material or object.<\/b><\/li>\n<li>Take steps to ensure that <b>no material or object is thrown or tipped from height<\/b> in circumstances where it is liable to cause injury to any person.<\/li>\n<li>Take steps to ensure that <b>materials and objects are stored in such a way as to prevent risk<\/b> to any person arising from them collapsing, overturning or moving unintentionally.<\/li>\n<li><b>Report to their manager or supervisor any defects<\/b> or activities relating to work at height, which they know are likely to endanger the safety of themselves or another person.<\/li>\n<li><b>Use any work equipment or safety device provided<\/b> for work at height by his employer.<\/li>\n<li><b>Adhere to any training<\/b> in the use of the work equipment.<\/li>\n<li><b>Take care<\/b> to ensure that their activities do not put others at risk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-21163 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/working-at-height-regulations.png\" alt=\"Worker climbing a ladder into an excavation site\" width=\"685\" height=\"295\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Think you know enough about working safely at height? Take our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/working-height-quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">quick online quiz<\/a> to test your knowledge.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Further Resources:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/hierarchy-of-control-measures\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Working at Height Regulations; Hierarchy of Control Measures<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/working-at-height-risk-assessment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Working at Height\u00a0Risk Assessment<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/what-is-a-method-statement\/\">What is a Method Statement &amp; How Do I Fill it in?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/working-at-height-rescue-plan\/\">How to Develop a Rescue Plan for Working at Height<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/courses\/health-and-safety\/working-at-height-training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Working at Height Training<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When working at height you should always be aware of the rules and regulations that govern your safety &#8211; read our summary for guidance information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":27620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[91,85,89],"class_list":["post-56","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-safety","tag-safety-management","tag-site-safety","tag-working-at-height"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.5 (Yoast SEO v19.12) - 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