You must make sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people with the skills, knowledge and experience to do the job. You must use the right type of equipment for working at height.
Take a sensible approach when considering precautions. Low-risk, relatively straightforward tasks will require less effort when it comes to planning and there may be some low-risk situations where common sense tells you no particular precautions are necessary.
Assessing and controlling the risks
First assess the risks, considering the:
- height of the task
- duration and frequency
- condition of the surface being worked on
Before working at height follow these simple steps:
- avoid work at height where it’s reasonably practicable to do so
- where work at height cannot be easily avoided, prevent falls using either an existing place of work that is already safe or the right type of equipment
- where the risk cannot be eliminated, minimise the distance and consequences of a fall by using the right type of equipment
For each step, consider measures that protect everyone at risk (collective protection) before measures that only protect the individual (personal protection).
Collective protection
Collective protection is equipment that does not require the person working at height to act for it to be effective. Examples are:
- permanent or temporary guardrails
- scissor lifts
- tower scaffolds
Personal protection
Personal protection is equipment that requires the individual to act for it to be effective. An example is putting on a safety harness correctly and connecting it, with an energy-absorbing lanyard, to a suitable anchor point.
