On Monday 4 April 2016, the New Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) came into effect. HSWA repealed the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992.
Working at height regulations
A summary from Worksafe:
- Have you ensured there is appropriate and fit-for-purpose means to prevent workers from falling from height?
- Have you planned the work properly and identified suitable precautions to make sure work can be carried out safely?
- Have you thought about whether you can avoid working at height by using different equipment or a different work method?
- Can you use equipment that will prevent a fall from happening, such as scaffolding or a mobile elevating work platform?
- Can you put in place measures to reduce the distance and consequences of a fall should one happen, such as nets, soft landing systems or personal fall prevention and protection equipment (eg a harness system)?
- Will the weather conditions threaten the health and safety of those carrying out the work?
- Have you thought about all the options and are you certain that you are gaining access to height using the safest means possible?
Additional resources:
- Preventing falls from height - a series of Factsheets covering height safety, and planning a safe approach to working at height
- Best practise guidelines - (4 Mb PDF) Includes safety requirements and safe use of safety nets.
Bracing Fact Sheet
Download this sheet as a PDF (613 Mb)
