Working at Height & Falls from Height

Employer's Obligations 

All employers have statutory and common-law obligations in relation to the health and safety of their employees and premises. It is the duty of all employers to protect their employees from all accidents and injuries in the workplace. They must do all that is reasonably practical to prevent any of their employees from falling. It is essential that a risk assessment is carried out before any work at height is undertaken and that the risk assessment process continues and is repeated, if necessary, throughout the duration of the job. The assessment should highlight the measures that must be taken to ensure people are not at risk of falling from height. The risks associated with working at height should be assessed, and the risk of slips, trips and falls should also be considered.

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in the UK. The Act places an obligation on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 place an obligation on employers to assess risks and where necessary take action to eliminate or control the risks.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and The Construction Health Safety and Welfare Regulations 1996 cover all aspects of workplace and construction sites respectively, including the requirement to ensure that all areas where people could fall from a height over 2 metres are properly guarded or covered.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005, as amended by the The Work at Height (Amendment) Regulations 2007, apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury. The Regulations place obligations on employers, the self-employed and any person that controls the work of others (for example facilities managers or building owners who may contract others to work at height). Such duty holders must:

1. firstly avoid work at height where possible;
2. use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls where they cannot avoid working at height; and
3. 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.

Duty holders must also:

The HSE have produced a Guide to the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (as amended),

This publication is written for employers, the self-employed and anyone who works at height, and tells you what you need to do to comply with the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (as amended).

For all of the above legislation click here.

If you or someone you love has been involved in an accident call our No Win No Fee Lawyers today FREE on 0800 0891331 and we can advise you on your first steps toward receiving compensation.