The importance of Working at Height Regulations
JOIN THE FIGHT. SAVE THE WORKING AT HEIGHT REGULATIONS.
The Government is currently proposing to ‘scrap’ the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at the end of the current year (2023), following the UK leaving the European Union.
The Revocation and Reform Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament, is seeking to remove EU-derived laws that remain in the UK statute book following Brexit - the move that saw the UK vote to leave the European Union in 2020. The Revocation and Reform Bill includes the Working at Height Regulations 2005, and the proposed move by the Government would see the Regulations removed from UK law.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT REGULATION FOR WORKING AT HEIGHT?
Introduced in April 2005, The Work at Height Regulations 2005 were brought into force to help prevent injuries and deaths caused by a fall from height. The Regulations apply to anyone that is in control of working at height. This includes employers, worksite managers, onsite facilities managers, building owners or contractors.
Anyone deemed in control of a type of work to be undertaken at height must make sure the work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by a competent workforce. This includes using the right working-at-height equipment. Low-risk, or tasks that are deemed relatively straightforward, require less effort when it comes to planning, however, they must be treated the same way as a high-risk tasks with the regulations followed at all times.
As an employer in control of a working-at-height task, it is your obligation to assess the risks first. Employees have a legal obligation to take reasonable care of themselves and others around them that may be affected by their actions. Co-operation with the employer is a must and enables both parties’ health and safety duties and requirements to be completed. For more information, read the guidance published by the HSE.
DO THE WORKING-AT-HEIGHT REGULATIONS HAVE A MINIMUM HEIGHT REQUIREMENT?
No. The Working at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR) does not have a minimum height requirement for work at height. The regulations cover all work activities where there is a need to control the risk of falling a distance liable to cause injury.
“The Working at Height Regulations have helped to slash the number of accidents by half.”
WHY DO WE NEED THE WORKING-AT-HEIGHT REGULATIONS?
Safety is something all of us LFI are passionate about, and we strongly believe that the regulations have helped to reduce injuries and fatalities in the UK. Operations Director, Darren Smart, who also oversees all matters of safety at LFI, shared his thoughts on the UK Government’s proposal: “Safety measures have been recognised and incorporated into the legislation for many years. They have undoubtedly saved lives and prevented accidents in the process. Scrapping many EU safety directives including the Working at Height Regulations 2005 will have major, and immediate consequences.”
Darren isn’t wrong. His opinions are based on years of experience, education and pure facts. At the time of writing, it is estimated that 10 million people climb and use access equipment every year in the UK. The scrapping of the Working at Height Regulations 2005 would put 10 million people in immediate jeopardy whilst working at height.
The statistics clearly show that there were far more accidents before the Regulations were introduced. The raw numbers are alarming but speak for themselves. “67 fatal falls made up 29% of total fatalities before the regulations were put in place. Comparing that to last year (2022), there were 29 fatal falls, accounting for 24% of total fatalities. 29 is still too many of course, and we wish that number could be 0, but, the Working at Height Regulations 2005 has helped to slash the number of accidents by half.” Darren passionately resites.
“Unfortunately, falls are still the most common cause of workplace fatalities - 683 since 2005. Falls also cause 8% of non-fatal injuries, according to the HSE statistics. The working at height regulations must remain in place, to drive down the numbers further still.”
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP SAVE THEM?
You can write to your local Member of Parliament and ask them to push for the exclusion of the Work at Height Regulations from the EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill and to propose that the Work at Height Regulations are assimilated into standard UK laws. You can find your local MP by browsing the UK Parliament website.
Raise awareness of the news with friends, family, colleagues, and customers and ask them to join in the fight to save the Work at Height Regulations. Seek further help by posting and sharing your opinion on the matter via social media.
No matter what, we must save the Work at Height Regulations to prevent future falls from heights.
For more information, please email us.