Working at Height Regulations: A Site Manager's Guide [2026]

Falls from height remain the single biggest cause of fatal injuries in the UK construction industry. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 set out the duties that employers and those who control construction work must follow to prevent falls. As a site manager, understanding and implementing these regulations is one of your most important responsibilities. Getting it wrong can cost lives.

What the Regulations Require

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury. There is no minimum height threshold. Work from a stepladder at one metre is subject to the same regulations as work on a scaffold at thirty metres.

Key duties

• Avoid work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do so. Can the work be done from ground level? Can prefabrication reduce the amount of work at height?
• Where work at height cannot be avoided, prevent falls by using an existing safe place of work or appropriate work equipment
• Where falls cannot be prevented, minimise the distance and consequences of a fall by using appropriate work equipment or other measures

This hierarchy is the foundation of all working at height management. Every decision about how to carry out work at height should follow this sequence.

The Hierarchy of Controls

Guard rails and working platforms

Collective protection measures such as guard rails, toe boards, and working platforms are the preferred solution for preventing falls. They protect everyone in the area without requiring individual action. Scaffolding, edge protection systems, and mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) all provide collective protection.

Personal fall protection

Where collective protection is not reasonably practicable, personal fall protection systems such as harnesses, lanyards, and fall arrest devices may be used. These require individual fitting, training, and inspection, and they only protect the wearer. They should not be used as the primary protection method where collective measures are available.

Ladders and stepladders

Ladders should only be used for work at height when the use of more suitable work equipment is not justified because of the low risk and short duration of the work, or because of features of the site that cannot be altered. A ladder is an access method, not a working platform. If the work requires two hands or takes more than 30 minutes, a ladder is probably not the right equipment.

Scaffolding on Construction Sites

Scaffolding is the most common form of work-at-height equipment on UK construction sites. The regulations require that scaffolds are designed, erected, altered, and dismantled by competent persons, and that they are inspected at regular intervals.

Scaffold inspections

Scaffolds must be inspected by a competent person before first use, after any event likely to have affected stability (such as high winds), and at intervals not exceeding seven days. The results of each inspection must be recorded in a scaffold inspection report. This is not optional; it is a legal requirement under Schedule 7 of the Work at Height Regulations.

Scaffold handover

Before any scaffold is used, it should be formally handed over by the scaffolding contractor to the site team. The handover should confirm that the scaffold has been erected in accordance with the design, that all required components are in place, and that it is safe to use for the specified purpose and loading.

Falls from height killed 40 construction workers in the UK in the last reporting year. Every one of those deaths was preventable. The regulations exist because they work; the challenge is ensuring consistent implementation on every site, every day.

Mobile Elevating Work Platforms

MEWPs (cherry pickers, scissor lifts) are increasingly used on construction sites as an alternative to scaffolding for short-duration tasks. They offer flexibility and can be more cost-effective than erecting scaffold for brief works. However, they bring their own risks and management requirements.

• Operator training: All MEWP operators must hold a valid IPAF or equivalent card for the type of MEWP being used
• Ground conditions: MEWPs require firm, level ground. Assess the ground conditions before deploying and check for underground services and voids
• Harness use: Operatives in boom-type MEWPs must wear a harness with a short restraint lanyard attached to the basket anchor point
• Exclusion zones: Establish exclusion zones below MEWPs in use to protect ground-level workers from falling objects

Roof Work

Roof work is among the highest-risk activities on construction sites. Falls from roofs account for a disproportionate number of fatal falls in construction. Specific considerations include fragile roof surfaces (which must be treated as a fall hazard even if they appear solid), edge protection at eaves and verges, and weather conditions (wet or icy surfaces significantly increase fall risk).

Every roof work activity requires a specific risk assessment that addresses the particular hazards of the roof being worked on. Generic roof work risk assessments are not acceptable.

Documentation and Records

Maintain records of all working-at-height activities including risk assessments, method statements, scaffold inspection reports, MEWP pre-use checks, harness inspection records, and training certificates. These records demonstrate compliance and provide essential evidence in the event of an incident or HSE investigation.

Record any incidents, near misses, or unsafe conditions observed during work at height in the site diary. Near-miss reporting is particularly valuable for work at height because a near miss today can be a fatal fall tomorrow if the underlying cause is not addressed.