Working at height rescue plans: why 'call 999' is not one

Calling 999 is not a rescue plan

Picture it. Wet Tuesday in Leeds, tiled semi, scaffold to eaves, a roofer steps back onto a loose verge tile. His lanyard arrests and he is hanging just off the scaffold lift, legs kicking, tool bag thumping the boards. Work stops, everyone stares, someone reaches for a phone. I see RAMS that say, at that exact moment, the plan is “call 999”. That is not a plan. That is a hope, and hope is slow.

A working at height rescue plan exists so you do not lose minutes while blood pools in a harness. The first few minutes matter, because a fall arrest is the start of the emergency, not the end. The fire service will come, but you might be on a tight street with no appliance access, or twenty minutes from a station, or they might be busy. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 reg 4(1) says you must plan for emergencies and rescue.

On real jobs, the right answer is almost always already on site. A short pre-rigged lowering line on the parapet. A reach pole and a spare lanyard. A competent second person who knows exactly what knot to tie and where the backup anchor is. None of that is hard, but it has to be written down and drilled until it is boring. The last one I rejected had a five page method for tile cutting and two lines on rescue.

If you want to tighten the front-end thinking, read Writing a working at height risk assessment an inspector will pass to pair your rescue plan with the right controls.

Suspension trauma, plain and simple

Hanging in a harness is not a comfortable rest. The leg straps press on veins, blood pools in your legs, your brain gets less oxygen, you can feel faint, then you can pass out. If you are pinned or twisted, you can also struggle to breathe. It is not a film stunt. On site it looks like quiet, then laboured breathing, then silence, and it happens quickly. That is why the on-site rescue starts straight away.

If the casualty is conscious, keep them talking and trying to move their legs. Stop anyone from grabbing and hauling unless you have them on a proper system. Never unclip anything until you are sure they are protected by your rescue line or on a safe surface. Once they are down, follow your first aid training and manufacturer instructions for the harness. Do not repeat old myths, stick to what you have been trained to do.

The key is to think of a harness arrest as a breathing and circulation problem on a clock. Good rescue plans read like they were written by someone who has seen a person actually hanging. Clear anchor points. Simple attachment. Minimal faff. No clever knots you cannot tie with cold hands. A throw line or reach pole that really reaches. And a kit bag that lives where the job is, not in the back of a van across town.

For a wider view of documents, my Work at Height RAMS Guide shows how the method statement and risk assessment hang together with your rescue plan.

What a real working at height rescue plan contains

A decent plan is simple, specific and drilled. First, the method. How you will get someone to a safe place from the places they could end up. That might be assisted lowering to the scaffold lift, short-haul up to the roof, or a reach-and-release into a MEWP basket you already have in place. Second, the equipment. Exact items, lengths and ratings where it matters, and where the bag lives on site.

Third, named people. I want the document to say who actually does what. Not “competent person”, but “Joe to rig anchor and attach, Sam to control lowering device”. If you only have two on the crew, say what happens if Joe is the one in the harness. Fourth, training and practice. State when the last drill was done, by whom, and how long it took. Fifth, communications. Shout codes are fine if you are side by side. Radios are better on windy days.

Last, triggers and handover. Write down when you call for the emergency services and what you tell them, and how you hand the casualty over once they are down. If you are using a scaffold in your method, make sure it is tied in and has the right lifts decked out where you plan to land the person. If weather changes the method, say so. If neighbours’ parked cars block the MEWP, say what you do instead.

If you want to tighten the front-end thinking, read Writing a working at height risk assessment an inspector will pass to pair your rescue plan with the right controls.

If your rescue depends on a tower or eaves scaffold, make sure it is safe and current by checking Scaffold inspections: how often, who can do them, what to record.

Choosing the method for your job

No two jobs are the same, but the rescue methods repeat. Assisted lowering is the go-to on small roofs. You rig a rated anchor, attach a pre-rigged descender and rope, clip the casualty to it using a reach pole or from safe access, then take their weight and lower to the nearest clear deck. If there is a parapet or eaves scaffold, land them there. If not, you land to the ground if you have a clear drop zone.

Short-haul or raise is useful when the fall leaves someone below a roof edge where there is no deck to lower onto, for example off a sloping roof face. You rig above, connect them, then bring them up a short distance to safety. Self-rescue can be part of the plan where you have guided-type fall arrest on a lifeline and a ladder or stair access, but do not rely on a shocked person doing perfect rope work under pressure.

MEWPs work for some jobs, but do not write “use a MEWP” unless you have already proved the machine can reach, that the ground will take the load, and that you actually have it on site and attended. If you plan to land onto a scaffold, its condition matters, so tie your method to inspections and ties in line with current NASC guidance. If your rescue depends on a tower or eaves scaffold, make sure it is safe and current by checking Scaffold inspections: how often, who can do them, what to record.

Worked example: two-person roofing job

Scenario. Two of you are replacing slipped tiles on a semi on a wet Tuesday. There is a fixed scaffold to eaves with two boarded lifts, tied and tagged. You have a cat ladder on the slope and both wear fall arrest harnesses with shock-absorbing lanyards clipped to a temporary horizontal line at the ridge. You have a small rescue kit in a red bag on the eaves lift by the ladder. You have both practised with it this month.

Rescue equipment on site. 30 metres of low-stretch rope pre-rigged to a simple descender, a spare screwgate, two anchor slings, a short prusik for backup, a telescopic reach pole with a clip adaptor that fits your casualty’s dorsal D-ring, a sharp rescue hook knife with a guarded blade, a lightweight pulley, and a foil blanket. The rope bag has the anchor sling already girth-hitched and a note of the length.

Method for a fall arrested over the eaves. The standby worker shouts stop and secures their own position on two points. They grab the red bag, sling an anchor around the scaffold standard at the node with a tie, or a structural member you have listed, clip the descender to the anchor, and lock it off. They deploy the rope to the casualty. Using the reach pole from the scaffold lift, they clip the descender line to the casualty’s dorsal D-ring.

Once connected, they weight the descender line until it is firm, fit the prusik as a backup on the live rope if trained to do so, then and only then they cut the casualty’s lanyard with the guarded knife if it is still in tension. The casualty is now on the lowering line. They control the device and bring the person slowly down to the eaves lift. If the reach is tight, they use the cat ladder to get closer while staying on two points.

If the fall is onto the roof face and there is no clean landing on the lift, switch to a short-haul. Rig the anchor at the ridge, clip the descender to the anchor and haul a short distance using the device and pulley. Bring the person up over the eaves onto the lift, knees up, then sit them and support their head. The standby calls the supervisor to attend and someone rings 999 to advise a fall at height has happened, but you do not wait to start your rescue.

Roles and training. Name who leads the rig, who controls the device, and who calls the ambulance if there is a third person on site. State that both roofers have had hands-on training with this exact kit within the last six months, and that you will do a quick dry-run before first tile is lifted. Limitations. High winds or icy boards cancel the work. Night work adds lighting at the lift and anchor points. No one cuts unless the descender line is clearly taking weight.

Training, drills and paperwork that pass muster

If you write it, you need to do it. I look for a drill record, even if it is just a dated line in the site diary with how long it took and what went wrong. Practice should include clipping the reach pole to a harness on a dummy or a willing volunteer in a safe setup, handling the device with gloves on, shouting the commands you will actually use, and packing the bag properly so the rope runs clean.

Keep the rescue kit separate from your lifting or access kit, label it, and inspect it as the manufacturer says. If the plan relies on radio, check batteries at the start. Put a laminated A5 prompt card in the bag with the steps and the site address for the 999 call. For a wider view of documents, my Work at Height RAMS Guide shows how the method statement and risk assessment hang together with your rescue plan.

Write the rescue plan into your RAMS where the crew will see it, not hidden in an appendix no one reads. Name the people, list the anchors by description, and put the bag location in plain words. At induction, run five minutes on rescue and point to the kit. If you need help with the risk assessment side, read Writing a working at height risk assessment an inspector will pass and mirror the hazards you identify in your rescue method.

Common rescue plan mistakes I reject

“We will call 999.” Straight to the bin. The next worst is a plan that assumes the fire brigade will do rope access off your untested parapet. Do not write other people into your plan unless they have agreed and are on site. Another regular is the MEWP that does not exist, or cannot reach the point you have drawn. If your street is full of parked cars, your basket is not reaching a hanging roofer under the eaves.

I also see anchor points that are wishful thinking. “Use the ridge” without saying how it is fixed or what you are clipping to. Or “use scaffold” when the rescue sets loads where there is only a guardrail and a part loaded transom. You must state real, tested points, or back it up with a sling around a standard at a tie or a structural steel inside the building. Vague anchors are a red flag for me.

Missing names and unpractised kit finish the set. If you cannot name who is doing it, you probably have not shown them. If your kit list says “rope and descender” but no one has touched it, you will freeze when you need it. I have sent back RAMS where the rescue bag lived in a manager’s car two towns away. If the plan needs it, it lives next to the access, and everyone knows it by sight and by feel.

Questions we get asked

Can I just call 999 if someone falls into their harness?

No. Emergency services are a backstop, not your plan. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 reg 4(1) requires you to plan for emergencies and rescue, which means having a method, kit and trained people on site ready to act. You can and should call 999, but you must start your on-site rescue immediately.

What kit do we actually need for a basic roof rescue?

For small roofing jobs, a pre-rigged descender with a suitable rope, two anchor slings, a locking karabiner, a short prusik, a reach pole with a clip head, and a guarded rescue knife will cover most assisted lowering methods. Add radios if noise or distance is an issue and a foil blanket for aftercare. Keep the bag at the access point and inspect it.

Do we need a MEWP in our plan?

Only if it is already on site, can safely reach the person, and your method uses it. Many good rescue plans do not need a MEWP. If you include one, prove reach and ground conditions in advance and say who is in the basket at all times. Do not write in machines that are not there.

How often should we practise a working at height rescue plan?

Often enough that the method is smooth and quick. I like to see a drill before the first task starts and then refresh if the crew changes or the setup changes. Record who did it and how long it took. Use the exact kit you will use for real so the practice has value.

Who can be the named rescuer on a small job?

Someone competent who is present for the work, trained on the exact method, and confident using the equipment. On a two-person crew you need the standby to be able to rescue the other, and your plan must cover the reverse. If you cannot field a trained rescuer, you should not be starting the work at height.

How do we cover rescue on small domestic jobs without overcomplicating it?

Keep it simple and job-specific. One bag of kit, a short clear method for the likely falls, real anchors, and two named people who have actually practised. Write it into your RAMS where the crew will see it, point to the bag at induction, and run a quick dry run on site.

The short version

“Call 999” is not a working at height rescue plan. A harness arrest is the start of the emergency, not the end, and the Work at Height Regulations 2005 reg 4(1) requires you to plan for emergencies and rescue.

Real plans are simple and drilled. Name the rescuers, state the method, keep the right kit on site, and practise until it is smooth. The worked example shows how a two-person roofing crew can lower or short-haul safely using a small, pre-rigged kit.

If you would not bet your mate’s breathing on your current plan, rewrite it tonight and practise it tomorrow.