Working at Height Regulations: UK Trades Guide

What counts as working at height?

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/735) apply to any work where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. That definition covers a wide range of trade tasks. If you are fitting fascia boards, replacing a chimney pot, installing a satellite dish, painting a two-storey gable end, or refelting a flat roof, the regulations are likely to apply to you.

The definition does not include walking up and down a permanent staircase in a building. But anything involving a ladder, scaffold, mobile elevating work platform, or work on a roof counts as working at height, even if it feels like a routine domestic job.

The hierarchy of controls for working at height

Regulation 6 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 sets out a clear hierarchy. You must:

The hierarchy is not optional. You have to work through it in order. Only move to the next step when the previous one is not reasonably practicable.

Avoiding work at height means doing as much as possible from the ground. Using extendable tools to fit a gutter from ground level is a better solution than climbing to do it. Assembling edge protection on the ground before lifting it into position is another example. Every trade has tasks where this approach is possible.

Preventing a fall means using equipment that stops the fall before it happens. Tower scaffolds, mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), and existing permanent guardrails are collective protection measures. Work restraint systems that prevent a worker reaching a fall position are personal protection. Collective protection (protecting everyone in the area) comes before personal protection (protecting the individual wearing it).

Minimising consequences is the last resort. Safety nets, soft landing systems like air bags, and fall arrest equipment (a harness attached to an anchor point designed to take the load) all fall into this category. These are not alternatives to preventing the fall in the first place.

Ladders: when they are and are not acceptable

Ladders are not banned. This is one of the most important things to understand. What the regulations do require is that using a ladder is the right choice based on the task, the duration, the conditions, and the risks. Ladders should not be the default option simply because they are the cheapest or quickest.

HSE defines short duration on a ladder as no more than 30 minutes at a time. Beyond that, a scaffold or MEWP will usually be more appropriate. The task must also be low risk. Working at height on a stable, solid surface with minimal handling of materials may suit a ladder. Working at height for an extended period with heavy or awkward items to move does not.

Regulation 7 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 sets out the duty to prevent falls. When a ladder is chosen as the right option, the work must be properly planned, the ladder must be suitable and in good condition, and the user must be competent.

If your risk assessment shows a ladder is appropriate, you still need to use it correctly. The ladder must be on a stable, solid surface. It must be secured where practicable to prevent it slipping or falling. Where it cannot be secured, a second person should foot the ladder. The ladder should extend at least one metre above the landing point to give a secure handhold when stepping off.

Ladders must be of the right type for the job. Domestic-grade ladders are not appropriate for construction site work. BS EN 131 is the relevant standard for professional-use ladders. Check the ladder footings, rungs, and stiles before use. Any damaged ladder should be taken out of service immediately.

Scaffolding: when it becomes the right choice

Scaffolding becomes the appropriate choice when the task involves working at height for extended periods, handling heavy or bulky materials at height, working on an uneven or soft surface where a ladder would be unstable, or working on a surface where guard rails can be set up to provide collective protection.

For a painter or decorator working on the fascias and soffits of a two-storey house, scaffold is generally the safer and more practical option if the job will take more than a couple of hours. For a roofer doing pointing work along a ridge, scaffold with a proper guard rail is almost always preferable to working from a ladder.

Scaffolding must be designed and erected by competent people. Basic scaffolding used for straightforward tasks, such as a tower scaffold, can be erected by someone with the appropriate training. More complex scaffolding may require a professional scaffolding company. All scaffolding should be inspected before first use and at regular intervals by a competent person.

Regulation 12 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 requires that places of work at height are inspected. If you are using hired scaffolding, check who is responsible for inspection under the hire agreement.

Mobile elevating work platforms and podiums

MEWPs such as scissor lifts and cherry pickers are collective protection. The platform prevents the worker from falling, provided it is used within its designed parameters. MEWPs are covered by the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) as well as the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Using a MEWP requires adequate space to set up and move, a suitable level surface, and a trained and competent operator. MEWPs are not always practical on soft ground, in confined spaces, or near overhead power lines. They require a banksman for reverse movements on site.

Podium steps, also known as podium towers, are low-level access equipment useful for tasks at heights up to about 3 metres. They provide a guarded platform and are more stable than ladders for extended tasks. They are not suitable for uneven surfaces without special feet or plates, and they should not be used on soft ground.

Fragile surfaces and roof work

Roof work introduces specific hazards that require particular attention in your risk assessment. Fibre cement roof sheets, old felt roofs, and plastic skylights are all liable to be fragile. That means they cannot support the weight of a person and will fail if stepped on.

Falls through fragile surfaces account for a notable proportion of fall-from-height fatalities in construction. Many of the workers involved were not professional roofers. They were bricklayers, gutter specialists, service engineers, and maintenance workers who did not know the surface they were standing on would not hold them.

Where work on or near fragile surfaces cannot be avoided, Regulation 9 requires that sufficient measures are taken to prevent falls. This means using crawl boards with guard rails, roof safety systems with harness anchor points, or MEWPs that allow work without placing any weight on the fragile surface.

What your working at height risk assessment must cover

A working at height risk assessment is not a separate exercise from your general risk assessment. It is part of it, and for any job involving work at height, it needs to be done properly. Regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 requires that work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised, and carried out in a manner that is so far as reasonably practicable safe.

Your assessment should cover the full hierarchy of controls. Identify whether the work can be done from ground level. If not, identify what equipment will prevent falls. Consider the surface the equipment will stand on, the conditions on the day (wind, rain, ice), the duration and frequency of the work, the weight and nature of any materials or tools to be handled, and the competence of everyone who will be doing the work.

For each hazard identified, the assessment must set out the controls. Controls must be specific to the task, not generic. "Use PPE" is not a sufficient control for work at height. Specific controls might include: using a three-metre fibreglass ladder with stabiliser bar, secured to the fascia at the top, on a solid concrete driveway surface, with a second person foot the ladder at all times.

The assessment must also cover what will happen if someone falls. That means identifying the rescue plan. If a worker is suspended in a harness after a fall arrest, how will they be retrieved? This is particularly important for rope access work and any situation where a fall arrest system is used.

Common mistakes tradespeople make with height work