Preventing accidents when working at heights
Falls from heights is the leading cause of fatality on construction sites in NSW and every year there are numerous serious incidents occuring1.
Construction workers risk serious injury or even death when working at heights. Falling from heights between 2 to 4 metres can lead to devastating injuries and are often fatal. Even falling a short distance can also be serious and fatal if a worker sustains a head injury.
Falls from heights is the leading cause of fatality on construction sites
What is working at heights?
Work at heights is work in any place, including above or below ground level, where someone could fall and injure themselves.
The following situations are particularly hazardous when working at heights.
Working near:
• Unprotected open edges of floors or roof
• Unguarded holes, penetrations and voids
• Unguarded excavations, trenches, shafts, lift wells
Working from:
• Unstable structures (for example, incomplete scaffolding)
• Unprotected formwork decks
• Unsecured ladders, and
• Working on, or near fragile, brittle surfaces
Employer obligations
Employers have a duty of care to protect workers from the risk of falling from one level to another – no matter the height. This includes conducting all reasonably practicable steps to:
• Identify the hazards – find out what could cause harm
• Assess the risks – understand the nature of the harm that could be caused by the hazard, how serious the harm could be and the likelihood of it happening
• Control risks – Determine the most appropriate controls to be used to manage hazards when working at heights.
Employers should set up a Work Health and Safety Management System (WHSMS) to allow workers to perform the hazard identification process. A good WHS Management System should consist of:
• WHS Manual – A document outlining the processes by which each safety issue will be managed in that particular workplace, including working at heights.
• Induction – A document to allow employees, contractors and visitors to learn relevant hazards and risks specific to that workplace. The workplace areas where work at height hazards are present should be identified and communicated to workers in the induction process.
• Procedures or Safe Work Instructions (SWI) – Specific instructions relating to particular tasks, equipment or substances that will allow workers to adopt controls to manage the risk. For example, when working at heights in an Elevated Work Platform, the SWI will outline the accompanying safety equipment and procedures needed to work safely.
• Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) – Construction work carried out where there is a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres is considered High Risk Construction Work (HRCW) and requires a Safe Work Method Statement to be developed. The SWMS should be developed in consultation with the workers carrying out the HRCW before the commencement of any work.
• Risk identification forms – A checklist given to workers to guide them in identifying the hazards in the work they will perform.
Every worker should undergo a safety induction where work at heights risks are identified and communicated
Hazard identification when working at heights
Workers should be made to systematically identify hazards before commencing work at heights. A checklist should be given to workers to identify hazards which should include an examination of the:
• Height at which the work is to be performed
• Surface underneath the work area (i.e. whether it is solid or brittle and likely to give way)
• Potential for slipping on work surfaces
• Slope of surfaces
• Stability of the structures on which the work will be undertaken
• Stability of the ground that work structures are resting on, and
• Protection that is present to protect anyone or anything from falling from open edges where there is a change of level.
Workers should be made to systematically identify hazards before commencing work at heights
Remember to always plan ahead and assess the risks before work commences, so that all controls such as safety equipment are ordered ahead and ready to be used when needed.
Why safety management is valuable
Far too many workers have lost their lives due to falls when they are just doing their job. It may seem like extra effort to follow safety protocols when planning to work at heights, but it will be worth it when your workers gets home safely to their loved ones at the end of the day.
All the extra effort in keeping your workers safe is worth it
References
1. SafeWork NSW, 6th June 2024, Incident Information Releases, media release, accessed 24th February 2025, <https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/compliance-and-prosecutions/incident-information-releases/industries/construction>
2. WorkSafe ACT, Working at Heights, accessed 25th February 2025, <https://www.worksafe.act.gov.au/health-and-safety-portal/safety-by-industry/building-and-construction/working-at-heights>
