Working at Height Regulations UK — Ladders, Scaffolding and MEWP Safety Guide (2026)

Work at Height Regulations 2005: key duties

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 came into force in April 2005 and remain the primary legal framework for this area. They apply wherever there is a risk that a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. Critically, there is no minimum height threshold — if a fall from a position could injure someone, the regulations apply. That includes working at floor level where there is an open hole or gap.

The regulations impose a clear hierarchy of control that every duty-holder must work through in order:

• Elimination: avoid work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do the task from ground level — telescopic tools, repositioning the work, or using extending equipment.
• Prevention: where work at height cannot be avoided, use collective protective measures to prevent a fall. Scaffolding, guardrails, edge protection, and working platforms all sit here. Collective protection protects everyone in the area without requiring individual action.
• Mitigation: if collective prevention is not reasonably practicable, minimise the distance and consequences of a fall using safety nets, airbags, or personal fall protection (harnesses and lanyards). Personal protection is the last resort in the hierarchy — not the first response.

Both employers and self-employed tradespeople carry duties under the regulations. Work must be properly planned, appropriately supervised, and carried out only by competent people. Weather conditions that could endanger safety must be taken into account before starting.

What counts as “working at height”

The definition is broader than most people assume. Working at height is not limited to roofs or high structures — it covers any place from which a person could fall and injure themselves. That includes:

• Any elevated surface: roofs, roof edges, flat roofs, pitched roofs, parapets, and unguarded edges at any level above the floor
• Working platforms, scaffolding, and MEWPs at any height above the ground
• Floor level where there is an open hole, pit, shaft, or gap through which a person could fall
• Working below ground level: excavations, inspection pits, trenches, and confined spaces where falling into the void could cause injury
• A ladder or stepladder at any height where a fall could cause injury

The test is always whether a fall from that position could injure the person. A half-metre drop onto concrete at the base of an excavation is covered; a drop of two metres onto soil might not cause serious injury but still attracts the duty to assess the risk. When in doubt, treat it as working at height and plan accordingly.

Ladder safety rules

Ladders remain legitimate equipment, but only in specific circumstances. Under the 2005 regulations, a ladder can be used as a work location — not just for access — only where a risk assessment shows the work is low risk, short duration (no more than 30 minutes at any one position), and a safer platform is not reasonably practicable.

When you are using a ladder, the following rules apply:

• Select the right class: EN131 ladders are rated for commercial use; Class 1 industrial ladders are required for heavier duty applications. Check the label before putting a ladder into service.
• Angle correctly: use a 1-in-4 angle (75° from horizontal) — one unit out for every four units up. Too steep and the feet slip; too shallow and the top can slide away.
• Three-point contact at all times: two feet and one hand, or two hands and one foot, when ascending, descending, or repositioning. Do not carry tools or materials in your hand while moving.
• Secure the ladder: tie off at the top or have a second person footing it at the base. Never rest a ladder against a fragile or unstable surface at the top.
• Inspect before every use: check stiles, rungs, feet, and locking mechanisms. Take any defective ladder out of service immediately — do not attempt temporary repairs.
• Maximum practical height: provide a rest platform for ladders over 9 metres before proceeding higher.
• When ladders are not appropriate: if both hands are needed for the task, or the work will take more than 30 minutes at one position, a safer platform must be used instead.

Scaffolding compliance

For work of any significant duration or complexity at height, scaffolding is typically required. Only competent scaffolders may erect, alter, or dismantle scaffolding — on most commercial and larger domestic jobs this means holding a CISRS (Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme) card at the appropriate grade.

Key compliance requirements for scaffolding:

• Scaffold tag system: a green tag means the scaffold has passed inspection and is safe to use; amber indicates a restricted use scaffold with specific limitations; red means unsafe — do not use under any circumstances.
• Inspection frequency: scaffolding must be inspected before first use, after any alteration, after any event likely to affect stability (including severe weather), and at least every seven days during use. A competent person must carry out and record each inspection.
• TG20 guidance: the NASC's TG20 code of practice is the industry standard for tube-and-fitting scaffolding. Compliance with TG20 is expected on all general-purpose scaffolds.
• Notifiable scaffolds: scaffolds over 6 metres in height are notifiable to the HSE under CDM 2015 if the project has a construction phase plan. Check your CDM duties before starting.
• Inspection records: keep written scaffold inspection records on site. Clients and principal contractors will ask for them, and inspectors expect to see them.

Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPs)

MEWPs — including scissor lifts, boom lifts (cherry pickers), and push-around vertical platforms — offer a controlled and flexible alternative to scaffolding. They are particularly useful for short-duration tasks where erecting scaffold would be disproportionate. For powered MEWPs, operators must hold a current IPAF (International Powered Access Federation) licence covering the relevant category:

• Category 3a: self-propelled push-around platforms (non-boom)
• Category 3b: self-propelled boom-type MEWPs including cherry pickers

Using an uncertified operator on a powered MEWP is a Health and Safety at Work Act offence. IPAF training covers pre-use inspection, emergency procedures, and the specific hazards of each machine type.

Safe use requirements include:

• Pre-use inspection every shift: fuel or battery levels, controls, tyres, outriggers, emergency stop functions, and SWL placards
• Outriggers must be fully deployed on soft or uneven ground — confirm ground-bearing capacity before positioning
• Never lean over the basket or use the guardrail as a step to gain extra height
• Harnesses and lanyards must be worn in boom-type MEWPs and clipped to the designated anchor points inside the platform at all times
• Establish exclusion zones on the ground beneath and around the MEWP to prevent struck-by incidents

Mobile tower scaffolds

Aluminium mobile access towers are widely used for interior and exterior work at low to medium heights. They are simple to erect but frequently misused. If you erect a mobile tower on a construction site, you are expected to hold a current PASMA (Prefabricated Access Suppliers' and Manufacturers' Association) card. The one-day training course costs approximately £100–£180 and is valid for five years.

Rules for safe tower use:

• Height-to-base ratio: do not exceed 3:1 for outdoor use or 3.5:1 for indoor use without ties — always check the manufacturer's instructions, which may be more restrictive
• Outriggers must be deployed and adjusted to level the platform before anyone climbs
• Lock all castors before ascending — never move a tower with anyone on it
• Fit toe boards and double guardrails (top rail and intermediate rail) on all open sides of the platform
• Do not exceed the platform's safe working load
• Inspect all components before erection — replace any damaged or missing parts before use

Fall arrest and restraint systems

Where collective fall prevention is not reasonably practicable, personal fall protection must be used. There are two distinct types, and the difference matters:

• Fall restraint: a system (typically a short lanyard connected to an anchor point) that physically prevents the worker from reaching the fall edge. No fall can occur because the worker cannot get close enough to the edge. This is preferable to fall arrest where the anchor point position allows it.
• Fall arrest: a system designed to catch the worker if a fall does occur. This includes a full-body harness, a self-retracting lifeline or energy-absorbing lanyard, and a certified anchor point rated to at least 12 kN. A fall arrest system does not prevent the fall — it limits the fall distance and arresting force.

Additional requirements for fall arrest systems:

• All lifting equipment including harnesses and lanyards must be inspected under LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998) by a competent person at least every six months, with records kept
• Check SWL ratings before use and confirm the anchor point can withstand the rated arresting force
• A written rescue plan is required whenever fall arrest equipment is deployed — a suspended worker can lose consciousness within minutes due to suspension trauma, so passive rescue must be available rapidly
• Inspect harnesses and lanyards before every use for cuts, abrasion, chemical damage, and distorted buckles or connectors

Fragile surfaces

Fragile surfaces are one of the most underestimated risks in roofing and maintenance work. Fibre cement sheets (including asbestos-free replacements), glass rooflights, corrugated plastic, fibreglass panels, and old corrugated metal can all fail without warning when a person steps on them. Age makes the problem worse: surfaces that carried loads when installed may have become brittle and structurally compromised over decades.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require that fragile surfaces are clearly marked, and that any work near them uses equipment to prevent a person falling through. Never step on a fragile sheet, even briefly. The correct approach:

• Crawler boards and roof ladders: spread the load across structural members (purlins or rafters) rather than the fragile sheet itself. Purlin clamps anchor the roof ladder to the structure rather than relying on pressure against the ridge.
• Safety netting: install netting beneath the working area to catch a person or materials if the surface fails.
• Identify rooflights before starting: any roof section with a different profile, colour, or texture from the surrounding material should be treated as potentially fragile. Mark all rooflights clearly before any worker accesses the roof.
• Never assume age means safety: HSE guidance (INDG284) is explicit that old fibre cement and similar materials must be treated as fragile regardless of apparent condition.

HSE enforcement and penalties

The HSE has broad enforcement powers for working at height breaches. Inspectors who identify a risk of serious personal injury can issue a Prohibition Notice that stops all work immediately. Ignoring a Prohibition Notice is a criminal offence carrying an unlimited fine and up to two years' imprisonment. An Improvement Notice gives a minimum of 21 days to remedy a breach; failure to comply converts it to grounds for prosecution.

Prosecutions under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 are heard in the Crown Court and carry unlimited fines. The Definitive Guideline for Health and Safety Offences ties fines to the organisation's turnover and degree of culpability, so larger contractors face proportionally higher penalties. Individual directors and sole traders face fines calculated against personal income, and courts have consistently held that financial hardship does not substantially reduce the penalty.

From 2026, the HSE's Fee for Intervention (FFI) scheme charges £166 per hour for inspector time when a material breach is identified. A single visit resulting in a Prohibition Notice can generate an FFI bill of several hundred pounds before any prosecution costs are counted.

Employer responsibilities extend to subcontractors: if you engage a subcontractor who works unsafely at height on your site, you may share liability for the outcome. Document your site safety arrangements, conduct toolbox talks, and keep records of equipment inspections and workers' training cards. That paperwork is evidence that you discharged your duty of care.

Sole traders carry the same substantive duties as employers for their own work. You cannot use self-employment status to avoid the hierarchy of control or equipment inspection requirements. The regulations apply to any work where the duty-holder — employer or self-employed — could fall and be injured.