WAH/General/TBT-WAH-014

Working at Height Hierarchy of Control

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Working at Height Hierarchy of Control

Toolbox Talk Record

Ref: TBT-WAH-014  |  Issue: 1  |  Date: March 2026
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What?

  • The Work at Height Regulations 2005 establish a legal hierarchy for controlling fall risks.
  • Step one: avoid working at height entirely where it is reasonably practicable to do so.
  • Step two: where height work cannot be avoided, use equipment to prevent falls occurring.
  • Step three: where falls cannot be prevented, use equipment to minimise the distance and consequences.
  • Examples of avoidance include ground-level assembly, prefabrication, and extending tool reach.
  • Fall prevention includes guardrails, scaffolds, MEWPs, and properly boarded working platforms.
  • Fall mitigation includes safety nets, airbags, harnesses with lanyards, and soft landing systems.
  • The hierarchy must be followed in order; you cannot jump to harnesses if scaffolding is feasible.
  • Falls from height remain the single biggest cause of workplace fatalities in UK construction.
  • Every working at height task must have a risk assessment that follows this hierarchy.

Why?

Legal requirementThe Work at Height Regulations 2005 Regulation 6 legally requires duty holders to follow this hierarchy for every height task.
Prevent deathsFalls from height kill more construction workers than any other single hazard in the UK every year.
Collective over personalThe hierarchy prioritises collective protection like guardrails over personal protection like harnesses, protecting everyone.
Do Don't
  • Always consider whether the task can be done without working at height.
  • Follow the hierarchy in order: avoid, prevent, then mitigate fall risks.
  • Use guardrails and working platforms as the first choice for fall prevention.
  • Record your hierarchy assessment in the task risk assessment document.
  • Consider ground-level assembly and lifting into position where practicable.
  • Select collective protection such as scaffolds over personal fall protection.
  • Ensure all access equipment is suitable for the task duration and conditions.
  • Review the hierarchy again if site conditions or the task scope change.
  • Provide training so all workers understand why the hierarchy matters.
  • Challenge any plan that jumps straight to harnesses without justification.
  • DON'T default to harnesses when guardrails or platforms are reasonably practicable.
  • DON'T skip the hierarchy and choose access equipment based on speed alone.
  • DON'T assume a risk assessment from a previous project covers this task.
  • DON'T ignore the option to avoid height work through design or planning.
  • DON'T use ladders for tasks that could be done from a scaffold.
  • DON'T treat personal fall protection as equivalent to collective edge protection.
  • DON'T allow work at height without a documented risk assessment in place.
  • DON'T continue with an outdated plan if site conditions have changed.
  • DON'T rely on operative experience as a substitute for proper fall prevention.
  • DON'T forget that the hierarchy applies to every height task, however brief.

See also: Falls From Height Awareness | Edge Protection Requirements
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