The Definition of Work at Height

Definition of Work at Height

Work at height means any work where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury if no precautions were taken. It includes work on ladders, scaffolds, roofs, mobile platforms, mezzanines, loading docks and vehicle trailers, as well as work near open edges, floor openings, fragile surfaces and excavations.

The term is used most formally in Great Britain, where the Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to work at any height, including at or below ground level, with no minimum distance. In the United States, OSHA uses the term fall protection and sets specific heights at which protection is required.

Falls from height remain one of the leading causes of workplace deaths, especially in construction, and OSHA's construction fall protection standard has topped its list of most frequently cited standards year after year.

Regulations

Great Britain

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require employers to:

• Avoid work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do so.
• Use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls where work at height cannot be avoided, giving priority to collective protection, such as guardrails, over personal protection, such as harnesses.
• Where the risk of a fall cannot be eliminated, minimize the distance and consequences of a fall.
• Make sure work at height is properly planned, supervised and done by competent people.

United States

OSHA sets trigger heights for fall protection:

• General industry: 4 feet under 29 CFR 1910.28.
• Construction: 6 feet under 29 CFR 1926.501, with 10 feet for most scaffolds.
• Shipyards: 5 feet.
• Longshoring: 8 feet.

Protection is also required at any height when working over dangerous equipment or machinery.

Planning Safe Work at Height

A simple hierarchy works in most situations:

1. Avoid: do the work from the ground, such as using extendable tools, prefabricating at ground level or lowering equipment for maintenance.
2. Prevent: use an existing safe place of work, such as a roof with permanent edge protection, or equipment that prevents falls, such as a guardrail system, scaffold or mobile elevating work platform.
3. Restrain: use travel restraint that stops a worker from reaching an edge.
4. Arrest: where a fall is still possible, use nets, airbags or a personal fall arrest system to limit the distance and consequences of a fall.

Every plan should also consider safe access, weather, fragile surfaces, falling objects, the condition of equipment and a rescue plan for anyone left suspended in a harness.

Ladders

Ladders are suited to short-duration, low-risk tasks. Workers should maintain three points of contact, set extension ladders at the correct angle and extend them above the landing. See ladder safety.

Example of Work at Height

A facilities team regularly cleaned gutters on a two-story office building using extension ladders, with workers leaning out to reach sections of gutter. After a near miss in which a ladder slipped sideways, the team reviewed the task.

The team bought a vacuum gutter cleaning system with extendable poles that allowed most of the work to be done from the ground. For the few areas that still needed access, it hired a scissor lift with guardrails and trained operators. Ladders were kept for short inspections only, with a second person footing the ladder and a check of ground conditions before use.

Frequently Asked Questions: Work at Height

Is there a minimum height for work at height?

Under the GB regulations, no. Any height from which a fall could cause injury counts. In the U.S., OSHA sets specific heights at which fall protection is required, but employers must still manage fall hazards below those heights.

Is a harness always required when working at height?

No. Collective measures such as guardrails and scaffolds are preferred because they protect everyone without relying on each person to use equipment correctly. Harnesses are used when collective protection is not practicable.

Does working near an excavation count as work at height?

Under the GB definition, yes, if a person could fall into it and be injured. OSHA also requires protection at the edges of excavations 6 feet or more deep that are not readily seen.