What you should do to comply with the Work At Height Regs 2005

The Regulations apply to all work at height where there is risk of a fall that is liable to cause personal injury. They place duties on employers, the self-employed and any person who controls the work of others (such as facilities managers or building owners who may contract others to work at height).

As part of the Regulations, duty holders must ensure:

• all work at height is properly planned and organised

(i) those involved in work at height are competent
(ii) the risks from work at height are assessed, and appropriate work equipment is selected and used
(iii) the risks of working on or near fragile surfaces are properly managed
(iv) the equipment used for work at height is properly inspected and maintained

There is a simple hierarchy for managing work at height and selecting the appropriate access equipment.

Duty holders must:

• avoid work at height where possible, for example doing the work from ground level
• use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls, where work at height cannot be avoided
• use work equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequences of potential falls, where the risk cannot be eliminated

For more information, see: The Work at Height Regulations 2005.