Working at Height Regulations

Category: Loss control & prevention · Reviewed by Mark Fox, Broker · Renewals · Last reviewed

Working at Height Regulations

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/735) require employers and self-employed in Great Britain to plan, supervise and carry out work at height safely. Falls from height remain the single largest cause of workplace fatalities in the UK.

Hierarchy of control (Regulation 6)

1. Avoid working at height where reasonably practicable.
2. Use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls where work at height cannot be avoided (guard rails, scaffolds, MEWPs, towers).
3. Use work equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall where the risk of falling cannot be eliminated (nets, airbags, harnesses).

Specific requirements

• Risk assessment under MHSWR 1999 reg 3 applies to all work at height.
• Selection of equipment under Regulation 7 must consider working conditions, distance, duration and use.
• Inspection of work equipment under Regulation 12 and Schedule 7 (e.g. weekly scaffold inspections; pre-use checks of MEWPs and ladders).
• Competence requirement under Regulation 5 — every person involved must be competent.

Insurance relevance

Particularly relevant for construction, telecoms, roofing, window cleaning, signage installation, theatre and events. EL and PL underwriters frequently exclude or sub-limit work at height above a defined level; some specialist markets price exclusively against documented WAH risk management.

References

• Work at Height Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/735).
• HSE INDG401 — Working at height: A brief guide.
• HSE construction microsite.

Cross-references

• Manual Handling Operations Regulations
• PUWER

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