Section CWorking Safely at Height in the Workplace

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Faculty of Building, Engineering and Energy 2015

You are considered to be working at height if you are at any height that could cause an injury if

you fall.

Working at Height

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Working at Height Regulations

The Working at Height Regulations 2005 outline the legal responsibilities of employers and

employees in relation to working at height within the UK. The purpose of these regulations is to

prevent death and injuries caused by falls from height..

Definition of Access Equipment

Access equipment can be

defined as all scaffolds,

ladders, mobile towers and

vehicular and mechanical

hoists that are designed to

enable an operative to access

a designated workspace. The

WAHR state that the need to

use access equipment should

be avoided if possible but

where it is required it must

be fit-for-purpose.

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Amendments

Unless you are a trained, competent and qualified person you should never make any

amendment to a scaffold. This includes even minor amendments like removing a guardrail

temporarily.

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Guardrails and Handrails

There are no minimum or maximum requirements identified within the regulations with the

exception of the height of guardrails and handrails. A handrail must not be lower that 950mm

and there must be no more than 470mm between each guardrail and handrail. This is to

reduce the likelihood of an operative or material falling from the scaffold.

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Tower Scaffolds

To erect a mobile access tower scaffold

you must be a trained, qualified and

competent person. The industry

recognised standard for this activity is

the PASMA (Prefabricated Access

Suppliers and Manufacturers

Association) card which can be

achieved by attending a PASMA training

course.

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Using a Ladder

When climbing a ladder you must have three points of contact at any one time. This reduces

the likelihood that you will fall from the ladder.

Using a Ladder

When using a ladder it

should be placed on a firm

and stable grounding at an

angle of approximately 75°

or at a ratio of 1 to 4. This

means that if a ladder was

four metres tall, it should be

extended from the bottom

of the structure by one

metre.

Scaffold Inspection

Scaffold inspection should

only be carried out by a

competent person. A

competent person can be

defined as someone who is

trained, qualified and

experienced in the

inspection process.

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Pedestrian Safety

It is important to consider the safety of those who may be within the vicinity of the scaffold as

well as those who are working on the scaffold. The best way to avoid an incident involving

materials or objects falling from a scaffold is to introduce brickguards. The scaffold should also

be kept clean and tidy at all times.

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Working at Height Signage

It is important that you understand and are able to easily identify signage on a construction site.

The images above contain a collection of warning and/or hazard signs you may see when

working at height.

Working at Heights Safety

As a construction worker you may work at heights that do not involve an access platform or

equipment. For example, if you are working on a multi-storey building where floors are being

installed and there are voids in the floor that you could potentially fall down, you should ensure

that mesh guards are fitted over the void throughout the work.

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