​A1.1 General

In the event that work at height cannot be avoided, a suitable and sufficient risk assessment must be carried out and a safe system of work developed including the provision of emergency procedures. This should be completed in accordance with STFC guidance in STFC Code 6 'Risk Management'. Where the risks are significant the assessment and method statement must be written.

A permit to work on roofs will be required where access is to be gained to any roof area without adequate fixed protection against falls.

A1.2 Assessing the Risks

When assessing the risks, use must be made of all the information available about the work to be carried out. All foreseeable hazards must be considered in advance and the following issues may need consideration:

Work at height can include, but is not exclusively limited to:

• working at ground level adjacent to an excavation;
• working on roofs without adequate fixed protection;
• working on roofs with unprotected roof lights;
• workinf from a ladder; and
• working from a scaffold or scaffold tower.

A1.3 Areas for consideration in the assessment should include:

• the work activity being carried out;
• frequency of access;
• the duration of the work;
• the location in relation to the presence of hazards such as open excavations, overhead services etc;
• the working environment with regard to weather or lighting;
• safe means of access and egress;
• lone working;
• condition and stability of work surfaces such as fragile materials, slippery surfaces etc ;
• physical capabilities of the workers such as pregnancy or vertigo sufferers;
• the equipment to be used and its inspection;
• falling objects;
• impact on adjacent work activities, or passage of staff adjacent to work at height;
• prevention of access by unauthorised persons;
• Weather conditions.

Written risk assessments must be entered in the risk assessment section of Evotix Assure ​the STFC web based SHE management system. Staff should be made aware of the results of the risk assessments. Risk assessments provided by contractors should be attached as documents in ​Evotix Assure.

In gathering information for an assessment, managers may need expert advice.

Information on work at heights is available from the HSE website here or from the site Safety Offices.

A1.4 Developing a Method Statement

In the development of a written method statement, the information gathered during the risk assessment will be used to construct a document that will give information and instruction to the employees who are to carry out the work.

It will also detail, where necessary:

• collective fall prevention;
• personal fall arrest;
• requirements for inspection;
• the means for preventing unauthorised access to the area underneath the work being carried out;
• any supervision that may be necessary;
• any weather conditions that workers may be exposed to e.g. icy roofs, slippery surfaces in the rain, wind; and
• any emergency or rescue conditions e.g. it is not acceptable just to rely on the emergency services, this needs to be covered in the risk assessment and planned prior to the work being carried out.

Collective protection measures, e.g. guard rails, should be deployed in the first instance rather than personal protection. Fall arrest/restraint equipment should be the last in the hierarchy of control.

A1.5 Rescue Plan

Any method statement must include a rescue plan that considers how an injured worker could be ​safely recovered. Speed of response is an essential consideration, especially where a safety harness is being used as a control measure. A person suspended in a harness may be unconscious within five minutes and dead within fifteen minutes if help is not immediately available.

A1.6 References and further reading

Further information on working at height can be found at the Health and Safety Executive's website (link opens in a new window).