Updated 5 March 2026 · 6 sections
Practical guide to the Work at Height Regulations 2005 for UK construction. Covers the hierarchy of controls, duty holder responsibilities, and common compliance failures.
Falls from height remain the single biggest killer in UK construction. In the most recent HSE statistics, falls from height accounted for approximately 40% of all construction fatalities. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 were introduced to address this, replacing a patchwork of older regulations with a single, comprehensive framework. They apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury — there is no minimum height threshold.
The regulations establish a clear hierarchy that must be followed in order: 1) Avoid work at height where possible (can the task be done from ground level?), 2) Use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls (guardrails, scaffolding, MEWPs), 3) Where the risk of a fall cannot be eliminated, use work equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall (safety nets, airbags, harnesses). You must not move to a lower-level control without first demonstrating that a higher-level control is not reasonably practicable.
Regulation 4 requires that work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised, and carried out in a manner that is, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe. The planning must include: selection of work equipment, emergency and rescue procedures, weather conditions that could affect safety, and the condition of surfaces where equipment will be placed. A written plan (usually within the RAMS) is expected for all but the simplest work at height activities.
All persons involved in work at height must be competent, or if being trained, supervised by a competent person. For scaffold erection, this means CISRS-trained scaffolders. For MEWP operation, this means IPAF-trained operators. For harness use, specific training in the type of harness system, attachment points, and self-rescue is required. Competence includes not just the ability to do the work, but the ability to recognise the risks and apply the correct controls.
Equipment used for work at height must be inspected: before first use on site, after any event likely to have affected its stability or integrity, and at regular intervals (scaffolds must be inspected every 7 days at minimum, and after adverse weather). Inspections must be carried out by a competent person and the results recorded. For scaffolds, the inspection report must be kept on site and available for HSE review. FORGE Command includes scaffold inspection tracking with automatic 7-day reminders.
The most frequently cited WAH failures on construction sites include: working from ladders when a more secure platform should have been used, incomplete edge protection (missing toe boards, mid-rails, or sections of guardrail), failure to inspect scaffolds within the 7-day window, workers not wearing harnesses when required by the RAMS, fragile roof surfaces not identified or protected, and inadequate rescue plans for harness users (suspension trauma can be fatal within 20 minutes). Each of these is a potential prohibition notice and prosecution.
Track inspections, generate documentation, and stay compliant with UK regulations.
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