What Is Work at Height? The Work at Height Regulations 2005

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Working at height means work in any place, including a place at or below ground level, where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury if no precautions were taken. There is no minimum height. The definition comes from the Work at Height Regulations 2005, which require employers to avoid work at height where reasonably practicable, prevent falls where it cannot be avoided, and minimise the distance and consequences of any fall that could still happen.

For a one-day course on planning and doing this work safely, see our working at height course page. This guide explains what counts, what does not, and what the regulations expect.

The legal definition of work at height

Regulation 2 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 defines work at height as:

work in any place, including a place at or below ground level, and
getting to or from such a place while at work, except by a staircase in a permanent workplace,

where, if the measures required by the regulations were not taken, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury.

Two parts of that wording catch people out. First, “at or below ground level” means an open excavation or a hole in the floor can be work at height. Second, there is no height threshold: the test is whether a fall could cause injury, not how many metres it is.

What counts as working at height, and what does not

HSE’s work at height FAQs and its brief guide (INDG401) give these examples:

Situation	Work at height?
Working on a ladder or stepladder	Yes
Working on a flat roof	Yes
Working where you could fall through a fragile surface, such as a roof light	Yes
Working near an edge or opening you could fall from	Yes
Working at ground level next to an excavation or a hole in the floor you could fall into	Yes
Slipping or tripping on the level	No: a fall from height has to be from one level to a lower one
Walking up and down a permanent staircase in a building	No

HSE also notes that a working platform can be almost any surface you work from, including a roof, a floor, a scaffold platform, a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) and the treads of a stepladder.

Why it matters

Falls from height are the most common cause of fatal injuries to workers in HSE’s latest figures. The provisional figures for 2025/26 show falls from a height caused 31 of the 126 worker deaths in Great Britain, more than any other kind of accident. HSE says common causes include falls from ladders and through fragile roofs.

Who the regulations apply to

According to HSE’s summary of the law, the regulations apply to employers and to anyone who controls work at height, such as facilities managers or building owners who contract others to do it. Employers and those in control must make sure work at height is:

properly planned, including for emergencies and rescue (regulation 4)
appropriately supervised and carried out as safely as reasonably practicable
only done when the weather does not put people at risk
done by competent people, or by trainees supervised by a competent person (regulation 5)

The hierarchy: avoid, prevent, minimise

Regulation 6 sets out the order in which risks must be tackled, and HSE’s INDG401 guide gives practical examples for each step:

Step	What regulation 6 requires	Examples from HSE
1. Avoid	Do not work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do the work safely another way	Extendable tools used from the ground, installing cables at ground level, lowering a lighting mast, assembling edge protection on the ground
2. Prevent	Where work at height is needed, prevent falls by using an existing safe place of work or, if that is not reasonably practicable, suitable work equipment	A flat roof with permanent edge protection, a guarded mezzanine, scaffolds, tower scaffolds, MEWPs such as scissor lifts, or a work restraint system
3. Minimise	Where the risk of a fall remains, use work equipment to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall	Safety nets or air bags close to the level of the work, rope access, or a fall arrest system with a high anchor point

Regulation 7 adds a second rule when choosing equipment: collective protection comes before personal protection. Collective protection, such as a guard rail or a scissor lift, works without the worker having to do anything. Personal protection, such as a harness and lanyard, only works if the person wears it correctly and connects it to a suitable anchor point.

Other key requirements

Fragile surfaces. Regulation 9 requires employers to avoid work on or near fragile surfaces where reasonably practicable, provide platforms, coverings or guard rails where it is not, and put up prominent warning notices.
Guard rails. For construction work, HSE says main guard rails must be at least 950 mm high, with no gap of more than 470 mm between the top rail and any intermediate rail. A toe board of at least 100 mm would be acceptable.
Inspection. Any working platform used for construction work from which a person could fall more than 2 metres must be inspected after assembly, after any event liable to affect its stability, and at intervals of no more than seven days.
Falling objects. Stop materials and objects falling, or use measures such as exclusion zones and scaffold mesh so nobody can be hurt.

Are ladders banned?

No. HSE lists this as one of its common work at height myths. Ladders and stepladders can be used where a risk assessment shows that equipment offering more protection is not justified because the risk is low and the use is short (HSE’s guide is no more than 30 minutes at a time), or where there are existing site features that cannot be altered. Users do not need a formal qualification, but they must be competent. Our ladder safety course covers how to choose, position, use and inspect ladders and stepladders. For MEWPs, our IPAF courses cover boom and scissor lifts.

What workers must do

Under regulation 14, anyone working under someone else’s control must report any activity or defect relating to work at height that they know is likely to endanger themselves or others. They must also use the equipment and safety devices provided in line with their training and instructions. These sit alongside the general duties in the Health and Safety at Work Act, explained in our guide to what the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 covers.

Working at height with Target Zero

Our one-day working at height course is aimed at anyone involved with work at height. It covers the definition of working at height, the hazards, the regulations, employer and employee responsibilities, risk assessments and safe systems of work, passive, restraint and fall arrest systems, harnesses, lanyards and anchor points with practical harness fitting, scaffolding and other working platforms, and ladders and stepladders. Delegates finish able to plan and organise work at height, select the right equipment, and inspect and maintain it, including controlling the risks from fragile surfaces.

Target Zero has more than 10,000 verified reviews on Reviews.io and a 4.9 rating on Trustpilot.

FAQs

What is classed as working at height?

Any work in a place where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury if no precautions were taken. That includes ladders, roofs, scaffolds and places at or below ground level, such as the edge of an excavation.

Is there a minimum height for working at height?

No. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 do not set a minimum height. The test is whether a fall could cause personal injury, not the number of metres.

Is working on a stepladder classed as working at height?

Yes. HSE lists the treads of a stepladder as an example of a working platform, and working on a ladder or stepladder is work at height.

What is the hierarchy for working at height?

Avoid work at height where reasonably practicable, prevent falls using an existing safe place of work or suitable equipment, and minimise the distance and consequences of a fall where the risk remains. Collective protection comes before personal protection.

Does walking up stairs count as working at height?

No. Getting to or from a place of work by a staircase in a permanent workplace is excluded, and HSE confirms walking up and down a permanent staircase in a building is not work at height.

Do you need a qualification to use a ladder at work?

No formal qualification is required by law, but the user must be competent: they need the skills, knowledge and experience to use the ladder properly, or must be supervised by someone who has them.

Knowing what counts as work at height is the first step to planning it safely. To give your team the knowledge and practical harness skills, see dates on our working at height course page, or call 0333 444 0018 to talk to our team.