Working at Height
As a leading provider of Health & Safety eLearning, our experts are often asked about Working at Height. We've collected all of those questions and answered them for you below...
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Frequently asked questions
HSE classifies working at height as when you:
work above ground/floor level
could fall from an edge, through an opening or fragile surface or
could fall from ground level into an opening in a floor or a hole in the ground
Ladders may be used when it is determined by a risk assessment that no other safer and lower risk equipment can be used and that there is a low risk because of the short duration of use. You should only use ladders when they can be used safely and where it is practicable to do so.
A working platform is now classed as:
a roof
a floor
mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs)
treads of a stepladder
a platform on a scaffold.
Collective protection refers to equipment that doesn't require an individual to be effective. An example of this would be a guardrail.
Personal protection equipment requires an individual to do something for it to be effective. For example, this could mean putting on a safety harness correctly.
Someone working at height has to have the right skills, knowledge and experience to perform the task. If they are in the middle of training then they need to be supervised at all times in the tasks that they are carrying out.
Documents & other resources
Ladder Safety Steps
This checklist runs through the choice of ladder you take, the pre-checks you should conduct, the set-up of your ladder and how to use your ladder.
Checks to make before using Ladders
This useful checklist should be used before you use any type of ladder for any type of work. It assesses all of the parts of a ladder and aims to reduce the risk of injury.