An Introduction to Health & Safety

Falls from a Height

Do you perform work at height and if so is it done safely?

Falls from a height account for around 70 fatalities and 4000 major injuries every year. One of the main causes is falls from ladders. To help prevent falls from height you should consider the risks to all your workers, ensure they are trained and have suitable and safe equipment for the tasks, are properly managed and supervised. You should also ensure that sufficient protection measures (eg suitable and sufficient personal protective equipment) are in place while they are working at height.

Does this concern me?

Do you carry out simple maintenance or cleaning tasks that require working at heights?

Do you have the most appropriate equipment for the task? It may often be safer to use an access tower or mobile elevating work platform rather than a ladder.

Do you know what work is done at height and how it is performed? For example, does anyone ever have to work on the roof, or on or near fragile surfaces?

Are your employees trained in the use of the particular equipment they use for working at height

What law applies?

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998

Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996

How and where you can get more help

'Simple guide to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998' INDG291 FREE (available in packs of 15 ISBN 0 7176 2429 3 £5.00)

'Simple guide to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998' INDG290 FREE (available in packs of 15 ISBN 0 7176 2430 7 £5.00)

'Using work equipment safely' INDG229 (rev1) FREE (available in packs of 10 ISBN 0 7176 2389 0 £5.00)

You can order any of these titles through HSE Books.