DRAGON SAFETY SYSTEMS HEIGHT SAFETY CONSULTANCY

The Work at Height Regulations 2005
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 came into affect from on the 6th of April 2005. The Regulations will apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury. The Regulations place duties on employers, the self-employed, and any person that controls the work of others to the extent of their control (for example facilities managers or building owners who may contract others to work at height). The Regulations will not apply to the provision of paid instruction or leadership in caving or climbing by way of sport, recreation, team building or similar activities. As part of the Regulations, duty holders must ensure: all work at height is properly planned and organised; those involved in work at height are competent; the risks from work at height are assessed and appropriate work equipment is selected and used; the risks from fragile surfaces are properly controlled; and equipment for work at height is properly inspected and maintained. The Regulations include Schedules giving requirements for existing places of work and means of access for work at height, collective fall prevention (e .g . guardrails and working platforms), collective fall arrest (e.g. nets, airbags etc.), personal fall protection (e.g. work restraints, fall arrest and rope access) and ladders. There is a simple hierarchy for managing and selecting equipment for work at height. Duty holders must: avoid work at height where they can; use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls where they cannot avoid working at height; and where they cannot eliminate the risk of a fall, use work equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall should one occur. Our key messages to duty holders are: those following good practice for work at height now should already be doing enough to comply with these Regulations; follow the risk assessments you have carried out for work at height activities and make sure all work at height is planned, organised and carried out by competent persons; follow the hierarchy for managing risks from work at height - take steps to avoid, prevent or reduce risks; and choose the right work equipment and select collective measures to prevent falls (such as guardrails and working platforms) before other measures which may only mitigate the distance and consequences of a fall (such as nets or airbags) or which may only provide personal protection from a fall. A full copy of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 is available at

http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2005/20050735.htm

HSE has also published a brief guide to the Regulations which can be found at
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.pdf

or downloaded from this site page downloads and links

A question and answer brief has been developed aimed at people who work at height in construction. Visit the HSE Construction website for more information. The guide will be available from HSE Books shortly. It can be ordered by telephone on 01787 881165 or by post from, HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA.