Preloaded UK policy

Working at Height Policy template

WAH Regulations 2005: hierarchy of controls, collective measures, rescue plan and inspection requirements.

Legal basis
  • Work at Height Regulations 2005
  • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Last reviewed April 2025. Guidance, not legal advice.

What the policy covers

  1. 1. POLICY STATEMENT
    your company is committed to eliminating falls from height, which remain the single biggest cause of workplace fatalities in construction.
  2. 2. THE HIERARCHY OF CONTROLS
    All working at height must be managed using the following hierarchy in order:
  3. 3. RISK ASSESSMENT
    A specific working at height risk assessment must be completed and recorded before any work at height commences.
  4. 4. RESCUE PLAN
    A rescue plan must be prepared before any work at height begins where there is a risk of suspension trauma (e.g., use of fall arrest harness).
  5. 5. EQUIPMENT
    All equipment used for working at height (ladders, scaffolding, MEWPs, harnesses, lanyards, anchor points) must be:
  6. 6. COMPETENCE AND TRAINING
    No person will undertake work at height unless they are competent to do so.
  7. 7. FRAGILE SURFACES AND ROOF WORK
    No person will pass across or work on or near a fragile surface (including roof lights, older asbestos cement and plastic sheeting) unless suitable precautions are in place (e.g.,
  8. 8. LONE WORKING
    Working at height alone is prohibited unless the risk assessment specifically provides for it with appropriate check-in and rescue arrangements.
  9. 9. INCIDENT REPORTING
    All falls, near misses and equipment defects must be reported immediately via the company incident reporting system.
  10. 10. REVIEW
    This policy will be reviewed annually and following any incident involving work at height.

Who needs it

Any UK employer whose people can get hurt, handle personal data or spend company money. Inspectors, insurers and principal contractors ask to see these first.

Questions people ask

Is a working at height policy a legal requirement?

It rests on Work at Height Regulations 2005 and Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Some policies must be written down once a business reaches a certain size or does certain work; others are simply how a tribunal, an inspector or a client's auditor expects to see that you have thought about it. A clear, dated, signed policy is the evidence either way. Guidance, not legal advice.

Can I change it to suit how we work?

Yes. Inside Work-Lynx it is a starting point: put your company name in, adjust the arrangements to what you actually do, set the review date and publish it. Staff read and acknowledge it on their phones, and you can see who has not.

Is it up to date?

Last reviewed April 2025. The pack is updated when the law moves, and every policy carries a review date so it does not quietly go stale.

How do I get it?

It is preloaded in Work-Lynx with the other 48 UK policies. Work-Lynx is £2.50 a month plus £1 per employee, 14 days free, no card, and what you see on the pricing page is the bill.

Who is it for?

Any UK employer whose people can get hurt, handle personal data or spend company money. Inspectors, insurers and principal contractors ask to see these first.

All 49 UK policies, £2.50 a month

This policy and 48 others are already in Work-Lynx, alongside GPS clock-in, rotas, timesheets, leave and Employ AI for UK employment law. £2.50 base plus £1 per employee a month. 14 days free, no card, no sales call.

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