where, if measures required were not taken, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury.”

Falls from height are not the only potential cause of injury. Falls onto things, such as; hot work; wet concrete; protruding reinforcement; onto equipment, such as machinery; moving plant or vehicles, can also have serious consequences, regardless of the distance involved.

In all circumstances, HSE favours a risk-based approach, applied in the following three stages:

Firstly, measures should be put in place to avoid working in a way which could result in a fall. If that is not possible, then the amount of that work should be minimised, and as a last resort, protective measures should be put in place to mitigate the possible consequences of a fall.

The third item can also be subdivided into two parts, general or “collective” protective measures, such as guard rails or improved lighting, and personal protective measures, such as harnesses or protective clothing.

Protective measures may be categorised as “fall arrest” or “fall restraint” systems. The former stops someone who is experiencing a fall, for example by using a net or a harness, while the latter is designed to stop them falling in the first place, perhaps by means of guard rails, warnings or edge protection.

However, although the individual may also be a contributing factor, these kinds of accidents come about for one of two reasons; either the workplace itself is not safe, or access to the workplace is inadequate.

There are a number of ways of dealing with both issues, so let us look at some of the options.