Falls from height remain the single biggest cause of workplace fatalities in the UK construction industry. They are also among the most preventable — the hazard is visible, the controls are well established, and the law is unambiguous. Yet falls from height continue to account for roughly a third of all fatal workplace injuries in construction every year.
A working at height permit to work doesn't just satisfy a legal obligation. Used properly, it forces a specific, documented confirmation that collective protection is in place, that equipment has been inspected, and — critically — that there is a rescue plan before anyone steps off firm ground.
The legal framework
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAH Regs) apply whenever work is carried out at a place where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury — including falls below ground level. There is no minimum height threshold. A fall from a low stepladder onto a hard floor can be fatal.
| Legislation / guidance | Relevance |
|---|---|
| Work at Height Regulations 2005 | Duty to avoid work at height where possible; hierarchy of controls for when it cannot be avoided; requirements for equipment inspection and rescue planning |
| PUWER 1998 | Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations — governs inspection, maintenance, and safe use of all working at height equipment including scaffolds, ladders, and harnesses |
| BS EN 363:2008 | Standard for personal fall protection systems — defines equipment types and performance requirements |
| HSE INDG401 | HSE guidance on working at height — practical advice on the hierarchy of controls |
| TG20:21 | NASC guidance on tube and fitting scaffold — the industry standard for scaffold design and inspection |
The hierarchy of controls
The WAH Regs impose a specific hierarchy that must be followed — and the permit should confirm at which level the controls are operating. The hierarchy is:
- Avoid work at height entirely — can the work be done from ground level? If yes, it must be.
- Prevent a fall — collective protection that physically prevents access to the fall hazard: guardrails, edge protection, working platforms with full toe boarding
- Mitigate the consequences of a fall — safety nets, airbags, or personal fall protection (harness and lanyard) that limits the fall distance or stops the fall
Personal fall protection is the last resort, not the first choice. Harnesses and lanyards are a mitigating control — they reduce the severity of a fall, they do not prevent it. Collective protection must be used wherever practicable. The permit must record why collective protection was not sufficient if personal fall protection is the primary control.
Scaffold and platform inspection
No scaffold or temporary working platform should be used without a written inspection record. The WAH Regs require inspection:
- Before first use after installation
- After any event liable to have affected stability (high winds, impact, flooding)
- At regular intervals not exceeding 7 days while in use
The inspection must be carried out by a competent person and recorded in writing. The permit must confirm that a current, valid inspection record exists and is on site before any person uses the structure. A scaffold that has not been signed off by a competent person must not be used — regardless of how recently it was erected.
⚠ TG20 compliance tags are not the same as an inspection record. A scaffold erector's completion tag confirms erection is finished; it is not a substitue for the statutory 7-day inspection record required by the WAH Regs. Both are required.
Personal fall protection: harness, lanyard, and anchor point
Where personal fall protection is used, three elements must all be confirmed on the permit — not assumed.
The harness
Must be a full-body harness (EN 361) for fall arrest applications. Chest harnesses provide no fall arrest protection. The harness must be inspected before use — including a visual check of webbing for cuts, abrasion, chemical contamination, and heat damage, and an inspection of all buckles, connectors, and stitching. A harness involved in a fall arrest must be withdrawn from service and inspected by a competent person before it is used again.
The lanyard
An energy-absorbing lanyard (EN 355) is required for fall arrest — not a simple restraint lanyard. The energy absorber limits the arresting force on the body. The maximum free-fall distance of any lanyard must be confirmed against the working height: a standard 2-metre energy-absorbing lanyard requires at least 6.25 metres of clear fall space below the anchor point to deploy safely.
The anchor point
The anchor must be capable of withstanding the forces generated in a fall arrest — typically a minimum of 12 kN (the force specified in BS EN 795). The permit must name or describe the anchor point, confirm it has been inspected or tested, and confirm it is positioned correctly relative to the work location to prevent swing falls.
The rescue plan: the requirement that is most often missing
Regulation 4 of the WAH Regs requires that arrangements are made for rescuing a person who is suspended in a harness — and this is the requirement most frequently absent from working at height permit systems.
Suspension trauma (orthostatic shock) can cause loss of consciousness and death within minutes of a worker being left suspended in a harness after a fall arrest. The rescue plan is not a formality — it is a life-saving document that must be specific, not generic.
A compliant rescue plan must answer the following questions:
- Who will carry out the rescue? (Named person or team, with contact method)
- What rescue equipment is available on site — and where is it? (Rescue tripod, abseil device, extending ladder, MEWP)
- How will the suspended person be recovered? (Method appropriate to the working environment)
- What first aid will be provided after recovery? (Recovery position — do not put a suspension trauma victim upright immediately)
- What is the call-out procedure if the rescue team cannot reach the person?
⚠ "Call 999" is not a rescue plan. Emergency services may take many minutes to arrive. If a worker has fallen and is suspended, they need rescue within minutes, not the response time of the fire service. A rescue plan must be in place before work starts — not improvised when someone is hanging in a harness.
Weather assessment
Wind, rain, ice, and extreme heat all increase the risk of falls from height. The WAH Regs require that work at height is not carried out when weather conditions jeopardise health and safety. The permit must specify:
- The maximum wind speed at which the work will proceed (typically 15–23 mph / Beaufort 4 for scaffold and MEWP work — check manufacturer specifications for equipment)
- The trigger conditions for suspending work (ice on surfaces, severe rain reducing visibility and grip)
- Who has authority to suspend and resume work if conditions change during the shift
What a working at height permit must include
Working at Height Pre-Authorisation Checks
- Platform or scaffold inspected and signed off — inspection record on site and in date
- Rescue plan documented and rescue team identified with contact details
- Personal fall protection inspected — harness, lanyard, and connectors checked
- Anchor point(s) verified and confirmed load-rated for fall arrest use
- Weather assessed and confirmed within acceptable limits for the work
- Exclusion zone established below work area and communicated to all personnel
MEWPs: additional considerations
Mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs) require additional controls beyond a standard working at height permit. The permit must additionally confirm:
- The operator holds a valid IPAF PAL card appropriate to the MEWP type (1a, 1b, 3a, or 3b)
- The MEWP has been inspected and has a current thorough examination certificate
- Ground conditions have been assessed and are suitable for the MEWP's ground bearing requirements
- Overhead hazards — power lines, structures, pipework — have been identified and clearances confirmed
- Outriggers are deployed and the MEWP is level before the platform is raised
Common mistakes to avoid
- No rescue plan. The most common gap. "Call 999" is not a rescue plan. A person suspended in a harness may lose consciousness within minutes — the rescue plan must be executable on site, immediately.
- Harness not inspected before use. Visual pre-use inspection takes two minutes and is a legal requirement. A harness with a damaged buckle or abraded webbing provides no protection.
- Using a restraint lanyard for fall arrest. Restraint lanyards prevent a person reaching a fall hazard — they do not arrest a fall. If a person can reach the fall edge, a restraint lanyard is the wrong equipment.
- Anchor point not confirmed. Attaching a lanyard to the nearest convenient bracket is not the same as confirming a tested, load-rated anchor point. The anchor must be confirmed before work starts.
- Scaffold used without a current inspection record. The WAH Regs are clear: a scaffold must be inspected at intervals not exceeding 7 days. If the last record is 8 days old, the scaffold must be re-inspected before use.
- No fall protection below the work area. Persons working below an elevated work area must be protected from falling objects. Toe boards, debris nets, and exclusion zones are all part of the permit requirements.
Download a free working at height permit template
We've produced a free Working at Height Permit to Work template in Word (.docx) format, available in both a pre-filled version (standard hazards and controls already populated) and a blank version.
Working at Height Permit to Work — Free Template
Covers the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and PUWER 1998. Pre-filled with standard controls, rescue plan requirements, and inspection checks. Editable Word (.docx) format.
For all permit types, visit the templates page.
Beyond paper: managing working at height permits digitally
Working at height incidents often come down to a missing step — a rescue plan that was never written, an inspection record that wasn't checked, a weather condition that wasn't formally assessed. Paper permits can't enforce these steps or flag when they're incomplete. PermitDesk generates working at height permits digitally, with all required checks built in and a full timestamped audit trail.
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Start your free 14-day trialRelated reading
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