Safety Height

Full Explanation Of The Working On Heights Regulations

There are 19 Regulations in total, of which 11 actually refer to working at height, and 8 deal with definitions, changes to other Acts and special exemptions. We'll cover the Regs in order so you can scroll through and read them as we talk... The really important sections are in blue, and each Regulation can be scrolled by clicking on the name.

Regulation 1

This simply defines the start date of the Regs as April 6th 2005.

Regulation 2

This defines all the terms used in the rest of the text. Importantly in section (1) it defines what is meant by 'working at height', and in section (2) it clarifies how you are allowed to keep your records of equipment inspection. One change is that electronic records (spreadsheets and databases) must be secure from loss or interference - so your files have to be password-protected or controlled in some similar way. An open-to-all spreadsheet will not do!

Regulation 3

Application. This section describes who these Regulations can apply to. It does not define when, only who. The 'when' is based on Regulation 2 and its definition of what 'work at height' means.

Reg 3(1) to 3(3) make sure the Regs apply as do the rest of the HSAWA categories - when people are at work and for employees, employers and the self-employed. 3(2)b makes sure that even if your workers are not from the UK, if they're working in the UK under your control, then you are responsible for applying the Regulations. This for example covers the use of foreign nationals as casual labour, or for non-UK firms operating in the UK (such as touring musicians, etc).

The master and crew of a ship is exempt provided the master is solely directing the work, and no other persons are likely to be affected. This gives crews the freedom to work normally onboard ship, climbing masts, ladders and so forth. Also, those engaged in certain dockyard and fishing vessel loading operations are exempted as the nature of the work cannot be changed to comply to these Regs, so they are covered by existing and differing rules.

Reg 4(4)d exempts caving and climbing instructors (who are 'at work') as the nature of what they do cannot be performed using industrial techniques. 4(5) exempts offshore installations (wells and rigs) from Regulation 11 which details creation of danger areas (as this is impossible on offshore platforms).