Working at Height

Safe working at height

A recent Health and Safety Executive (HSE) survey found that 92% of people working in education work at height at some point; 87 of these people suffered a major injury following a fall during 2004-05.

According to information from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), more than 40,000 people end up in hospital annually as a result of ladder and stepladder accidents. 

Figures from the HSE relating to 2010/2011 show a moveable ladder was the agent of injury in about a fifth (20%) of 41 fatal falls to workers, 18 (44%) were falls less than 2 metres high.

Many of these accidents are caused by using inappropriate equipment or not using access equipment in a safe way.

You can find further information on the HSE's website about safe working at height in education.

Ladders, stepladders and kickstools

Ladders, stepladders and kickstools should be regularly inspected to ensure they are in a safe condition. In offices an annual inspection is usually sufficient. More frequent inspections may be needed if ladders and stepladders are used frequently or in environments where they could become damaged more easily.

Ladders and stepladders should be marked or tagged with the last date of inspection. If they fail an inspection, they must be marked to indicate that they are not safe to use and taken out of use.  For more information see Ladder Safety.

Training in safe use

It is important that staff who use ladders and stepladders as part of their work are given instruction in their safe use. Regular users should attend a ladder safety course or be given formal instruction by a competent supervisor.

Refer to the HSAS website on induction and training (link to the left of this page) for details of our courses. Alternatively contact HSAS for details on training supervisors to deliver courses.