What is work at height?

When you mention work at height many people automatically think of roofwork or construction, but work at height is in fact an inherent part of many jobs from window cleaning and maintenance of air conditioning units through to decorating, maintaining office lighting and even putting up notices in a school or hospital.

As a general rule, if a person can fall (even if they are at or below ground level) then they are working at height so need to be protected as well as trained on how to carry out the task and use any equipment safely. In fact 60% of falls from height occur from below head height, so it is essential that all tasks are assessed thoroughly before work is carried out.

The following list is by no means exhaustive but provides an idea as to what jobs involve work at height:

External
Air Conditioning Units Maintenance & CleaningBoiler Maintenance
CCTV
Chimney Inspections
Fascia & Soffit Maintenance
Lightning Conductor/Maintenance
Parapet/Balustrade Inspection & Maintenance
Plant Room Access
Rooflight Cleaning/Maintenance
Window Cleaning/Maintenance

Internal
Boiler maintenance
Curtain & blind removal/cleaning
Electrical equipments maintenance
Emergency lighting
Lift shaft maintenance
Lighting maintenance
PA System maintenance
Signage maintenance
Sprinkler system maintenance

A more comprehensive list of work at height tasks can be found in the Technical Papers section under Downloads at www.safesite.co.uk.