Falls from work at height are one of the leading causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries, but there is likely to be more managers can do to, firstly, ensure any work at height that has to be undertaken is unavoidable, and secondly that if it must be carried out, it is completed in as safe a manner as is possible.

What is work at height?

Work at height may commonly be thought of as work on ladders or roofs, but the legal definition is much more extensive than this, describing any workplace situation where a person could fall and injure either themselves or others. This therefore can include any work above or below ground level on platforms, trap hatches, on top of vehicles, ladders, roofs or any other position that could result in a dangerous fall.

Critically, it is the potential to cause harm that needs to be considered by managers when approving any work from height as opposed to the distance someone (or something) might fall.