What are the Working at Height Regulations?
The Working at Height Regulations 2005 are designed to prevent death and injury caused by falls from height. If you are an employer or control work at height (e.g., facilities managers or building owners), these regulations apply to you. The law requires that all work at height is properly planned, supervised, and carried out by competent individuals using appropriate equipment.
Employers must assess the risks, select suitable work equipment, and ensure that fragile surfaces, falling objects, and danger areas are managed effectively. Employees also have a duty to take reasonable care of themselves and others, and to cooperate with safety procedures.
What Activities Do They Cover?
Work at height includes any task where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. This includes working on ladders, scaffolding, platforms, roofs, or near edges and openings. Even low-risk tasks require proper planning and control measures.
The key is risk awareness and control. If work at height is unavoidable, employers must ensure that it is done safely, using collective protection (e.g., guardrails) and personal protective equipment (PPE) where necessary.
What Should You Do?
To comply with the regulations and protect your workforce, you should:
- Assess the risks associated with work at height
- Plan and organise work to minimise exposure
- Ensure competence of those involved
- Select appropriate equipment and inspect it regularly
- Implement control measures such as barriers and PPE
- Provide training and supervision
- Monitor performance and review procedures
- Prepare for emergencies
ISO 45001 and Working at Height
While the Working at Height Regulations are not explicitly named in ISO 45001, the standard provides a robust framework to support compliance. Through hazard identification, risk assessment, and determination of legal obligations, ISO 45001 helps organisations manage health and safety risks—including those associated with working at height.
Implementing ISO 45001 can help you demonstrate legal compliance, improve safety culture, and reduce incidents related to falls from height.
Need Support?
If you’re unsure whether your organisation is meeting its legal obligations under the Working at Height Regulations, QCS International can help. We offer expert consultancy and CQI and IRCA approved ISO 45001 Health & Safety Management training courses to support your compliance and safety goals.
