Writing a working at height risk assessment an inspector will pass

What a passable assessment looks like on a wet Tuesday

I see the same pattern. The assessments that pass read like the author has stood on the slab and smelled the cut cement board. The ones that fail look like they were knocked up at 4 pm on a Friday with last job’s template. A working at height risk assessment has to be task specific. Say what you are doing, where, how high, what you are standing on, and what is below. Falls from height are the top cause of fatal injuries in construction, according to HSE’s fatal injury statistics, so the detail matters.

Start with the job. “Fixing 100 mm mineral wool and cement board soffits to the west elevation, bays 14 to 18, off a 12 m boom.” Add obstructions, edge conditions and live risks, like a part loaded transom on the scaffold in bay 16 or a live loading bay under bay 18. Then show your working. Measure the real fall distance, choose access against the hierarchy in the Work at Height Regulations 2005, plan rescue before you leave the ground, and list inspection dates for the kit you rely on.

If you do those four things well, most reviewers will already be nodding. The rest is making sure your controls are proportionate and that you have proof, not promises. That means named supervisors, named operators for MEWPs, actual serial numbers for harnesses, and drawings or photos marked up to show exclusion zones and anchor points. It reads like a plan, not a prayer.

If the reg 6 order is fuzzy, read The Work at Height Regulations 2005 explained for small contractors to get the hierarchy clear and see what each step looks like on site.

Start with the task, place and actual fall distance

I reject more assessments for nonsense fall distances than anything else. Height to eaves is not your fall distance. If you fall in a lanyard, you drop the lanyard length, the deployed energy absorber, the D ring stretch and a bit of body stretch. If your anchor is at foot level, you fall a lot more. If you are on a MEWP, you could swing into steel. So write the numbers. Platform height, anchor height, lanyard length, absorber pack, expected stretch, and required ground clearance.

Do not guess. On a steel frame, anchors move. On a roof, parapet height might hide a drop to a lightwell. In a stair core, you might swing. If you are above poor ground, your clearance might be nil because you will punch through the deck. Show you understand the geometry. Example: “Working at 7.5 m platform height on a boom. If fall arrest is needed for a leaning reach, 1.8 m lanyard plus 1.2 m energy absorber plus 0.3 m harness stretch. Anchor at 1.2 m, potential freefall 1.8 m. Required clearance 4.5 m. Not available. Use restraint, not arrest.”

Think about what you will hit. Pipework, rails, a glass canopy or a scaffold ledger at chest level will turn a survivable drop into a life changer. If there is a risk of swing fall, write where the edge is and how you prevent overreaching. If you cannot get the clearance for arrest, do not pretend. Pick a method that prevents the fall instead, or do the job from a different position.

If you want a structured checklist that matches what reviewers expect, the Work at Height RAMS Guide for UK Contractors sets out the sections and common controls.

Choose the access method against the hierarchy

I want to see the Work at Height Regulations 2005 reg 6 hierarchy used like a decision tree, not as a slogan. First, avoid the height altogether with pre-assembly at ground or using extendable tools. If you must go up, prevent the fall with collective protection like a properly specified scaffold, a platform with guardrails, or a MEWP used in restraint. If you cannot prevent, mitigate with nets, airbags or, only as a last resort, fall arrest with a proper clearance and rescue plan.

Write why you chose the method. “Avoid” was ruled out because service penetrations made ground install impossible. “Prevent” chosen because a podium with guardrails reached all fixings and avoided tie-off. Or, “Prevent” impractical due to obstructions and one-off reach points, so “mitigate” with MEWP plus restraint lanyards set to prevent reaching the edge. Reviewers want to see you weighed ground conditions, loadings, access routes for plant, overheads, wind, and set-down space at street level.

If you pick a MEWP, note pad size, ground bearing checks, wind limits, operator names and the rescue method for a dead basket. If you pick scaffold, confirm the platform widths, toe boards, bay numbers, and that access is by staircase tower not by ladder on a wet day. If you pick a ladder for a quick job, state the duration, three points of contact, stability, and that a safer method was not reasonably practicable for the short task. Do not hide behind the phrase “short duration” without telling me how many minutes.

For platform checks and tags, see Scaffold inspections: how often, who can do them, what to record so your inspection records stand up to a site visit.

Plan rescue before you start, not after

If your method allows the possibility of a fall, write a rescue plan that fits the task and the kit on site. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require you to plan work at height, which includes emergencies and rescue. I need to see the route to get a person down in minutes, not a line that says “call 999”. On a real job you cannot wait for the fire brigade to fetch a casualty from a harness while you stand under a boom with traffic building on the high street.

Write who will do what, with what equipment, and where it will be kept. Example: “If a person is suspended from a fixed line, rescuer uses pre-rigged rope rescue kit with descender to lower to deck. Kit stored in MEWP ground marshal’s wagon. All installers briefed and one trained rescuer on shift at all times.” For a MEWP, write how the ground controls will be operated, where the emergency lowering point is, who has the key, and what to do if the machine is hung on steel.

Think about the environment. If you are over water, you need a recovery plan that deals with immersion. If you are over a road, you need traffic management so your rescue team is not run down while handling a stretcher. If you are over fragile roof sheets, you need crawling boards and a way to reach a casualty without becoming one. If you are using restraint to prevent reaching the edge, rescue might simply be a controlled retreat, but still write who leads it and how the alarm is raised.

Record the kit, the inspections and who is competent

An inspector will look for proof that the equipment you rely on is fit and the people using it are competent. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require inspection of work equipment used for work at height at suitable intervals and that records are kept. So list the kit by type and serial number where possible, state its inspection status and date, and attach or reference the log. If a harness is in play, name the person it is issued to and when it was last inspected.

For ladders, note the pre-use check and the periodic inspection. For scaffolds, state the last formal inspection and where the tag is located so anyone can check on site. For MEWPs, state the pre-use check has been done that morning, that the emergency lowering was demonstrated, and that the thorough examination certificate is in date. If you use anchors, state their rating and how they were verified. If you use nets or airbags, reference the install certificate and the checker.

Do the same for people. Name the supervisor. Name MEWP operators. State the training that is relevant to the method, like using restraint instead of arrest, and any familiarisation needed for the model on site. You do not need to paste every card in, but say what exists and where it is held. Vague statements like “all operators are trained” tell a reviewer you have not checked. Make it easy to pass review by showing you have.

The rejection list and how to fix it fast

Here are the classic reasons I knock back a working at height risk assessment. The height is wrong or not stated. The method was picked first and the hierarchy was written in later to fit it. There is no rescue plan, or it is just “call 999”. There are no inspection dates, or the same date has been copied across five harnesses. The site photos are of a different building. The weather has not been considered on an exposed roof in February. All of these are fixable.

Fix the height by measuring and writing the clearance. Fix the method by showing why avoid was not possible, why prevent is chosen, or why mitigate is the last resort, with ground or obstruction reasons. Fix the rescue by writing who, what, where, and by pointing to the kit you already have. Fix inspections by listing the kit with real dates and by attaching the last page of the log. Fix the weather by writing wind and rain limits, and stating who will call it on the day.

Other common misses. Fragile roofs are treated like normal roofs with one extra line about crawling boards. Put the rooflight locations on a sketch, write your segregation, and name who controls access to the boarded zone. Ladders are treated as a plan, not as a last resort for short duration light work. Edge protection is waved at without saying where the gaps are for loading out and how you will control them. A one line “banksman will control exclusion” on a busy loading bay is a red flag. Show the cones, barriers and who keeps them in place.

I also see method clashes. A fall arrest lanyard while working out of a boom with the basket top below your waist is a nonsense control. You will not arrest anything safely. Or harness in restraint but the lanyard length in the kit list is too long to restrain the reach. Or a rescue plan that says use the adjacent stair tower that has not been built yet. Read your own document like a grumpy inspector on a wet Tuesday and fix the daft bits before you submit.

Questions we get asked

What should a working at height risk assessment include to pass review?

State the exact task and location, calculate the real fall distance and swing risk, choose the access method against the Work at Height Regulations 2005 reg 6 hierarchy, and write a rescue plan before starting. List equipment with inspection dates, name competent people, show weather limits and exclusion zones, and include a sign off that the team was briefed.

Do I need a rescue plan if I am using a MEWP?

Yes, because a MEWP can fail or become stuck. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require planning for emergencies and rescue. Write how to use ground controls, where the emergency lowering point is, who has the key, and how you recover someone if the boom is fouled on steel. Do not rely on 999 as the primary plan.

Can I use a ladder for a short job at height?

Yes, if it is genuinely short duration light work and a safer method is not reasonably practicable. The choice still has to follow the hierarchy in the Work at Height Regulations 2005. State the duration, show three points of contact or suitable alternatives, note pre-use and periodic inspections, and describe footing or stabilisers if needed.

What inspection records do reviewers actually look for?

Harness and lanyard inspection logs with dates and signatures, ladder registers, scaffold inspection records or tags, and MEWP pre-use checks and current thorough examination certificates. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require inspection of equipment used for work at height at suitable intervals, so a line that says “checked” without dates will be challenged.

How do I calculate fall clearance for a lanyard?

Add the lanyard length, the deployed energy absorber, harness stretch and any sag, then add a safety margin. Consider the anchor height. If the anchor is at waist or foot level, the freefall distance increases and so does the clearance needed. If you cannot achieve the clearance, change the method to restraint or collective protection.

The short version

If you want a working at height risk assessment that passes, make it real. Describe the task and place, measure the actual fall distance and swing, choose access against the reg 6 hierarchy, plan rescue before you start, and show inspection dates for the kit you rely on.

Name the people, show your weather and exclusion controls, and attach a marked-up photo. Avoid template fluff, fix the daft bits and make it easy for an inspector to say yes on a wet Tuesday.