Working Safely at Height in the Workplace

1. Section C
Working Safely at Height in the Workplace
Building Faculty2014
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2. You are considered to be working at height if you are at any height that could cause an injury if
you fall.
Working at Height
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3. Working at Height Regulations
The Working at Height Regulations 2005 outline the legal responsibilities of employers and
employees in relation to working at height within the UK. The purpose of these regulations is to
prevent death and injuries caused by falls from height..

4. Definition of Access Equipment
Access equipment can be
defined as all scaffolds,
ladders, mobile towers and
vehicular and mechanical
hoists that are designed to
enable an operative to access
a designated workspace. The
WAHR state that the need to
use access equipment should
be avoided if possible but
where it is required it must
be fit-for-purpose.
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5. Amendments
Unless you are a trained, competent and qualified person you should never make any
amendment to a scaffold. This includes even minor amendments like removing a guardrail
temporarily.
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6. Guardrails and Handrails
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There are no minimum or maximum requirements identified within the regulations with the
exception of the height of guardrails and handrails. A handrail must not be lower that 950mm
and there must be no more than 470mm between each guardrail and handrail. This is to
reduce the likelihood of an operative or material falling from the scaffold.

7. Tower Scaffolds
To erect a mobile access tower scaffold
you must be a trained, qualified and
competent person. The industry
recognised standard for this activity is
the PASMA (Prefabricated Access
Suppliers and Manufacturers
Association) card which can be
achieved by attending a PASMA training
course.
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8. Using a Ladder
When climbing a ladder you must have three points of contact at any one time. This reduces
the likelihood that you will fall from the ladder.

9. Using a Ladder
When using a ladder it
should be placed on a firm
and stable grounding at an
angle of approximately 75°
or at a ratio of 1 to 4. This
means that if a ladder was
four metres tall, it should be
extended from the bottom
of the structure by one
metre.

10. Scaffold Inspection
Scaffold inspection should
only be carried out by a
competent person. A
competent person can be
defined as someone who is
trained, qualified and
experienced in the
inspection process.
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11. Pedestrian Safety
It is important to consider the safety of those who may be within the vicinity of the scaffold as
well as those who are working on the scaffold. The best way to avoid an incident involving
materials or objects falling from a scaffold is to introduce brickguards. The scaffold should also
be kept clean and tidy at all times.
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12. Working at Height Signage
It is important that you understand and are able to easily identify signage on a construction site.
The images above contain a collection of warning and/or hazard signs you may see when
working at height.

13. Working at Heights Safety
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As a construction worker you may work at heights that do not involve an access platform or
equipment. For example, if you are working on a multi-storey building where floors are being
installed and there are voids in the floor that you could potentially fall down, you should ensure
that mesh guards are fitted over the void throughout the work.