Working at Height Equipment: A Brief Guide
The term working at height equipment covers a wide range of products that are designed to prevent falls and/or minimise their consequences.
There are many different types of equipment that can help workers to stay safe while operating at height. Here are some of the most widely-used types of working at height equipment:
Different work situations require different safety measures. For example, working at height on scaffolding and climbing a tree to carry out arboriculture work are two very different situations that may require totally different gear. All safety precautions should be based on the findings of a thorough risk assessment conducted by a competent individual.
Also, it's important to differentiate between the two main categories of working at height equipment. Fall ARREST products (such as shock-absorbing lanyards and soft landing bags) are designed to limit the consequences of a fall, whereas fall RESTRAINT products (like work restraint lanyards and restraint harnesses) aim to prevent falls from occurring in the first place. Take a look at Fall Restraint vs Fall Arrest for more info on this distinction.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves. There's an important question we need to answer before we take a closer look at the different types of working at height equipment...
What does 'working at height' actually mean?
If you're in a situation where you could fall from one level to a lower level and sustain injuries as a result of that fall, you're working at height.
Note that 'working at height' doesn't always mean 'working high above the ground'. Working on the ground near an open manhole still counts as work at height because you could fall in the hole and drop to a lower level. See Working at Height Meaning for a more detailed definition.
The Health & Safety Executive distinguishes between 'falls from height' (which involve a drop from one level to a lower level) and 'slips and trips' (which take place on a single level). Both of these can result in serious injuries and must thus be given careful consideration when planning workplace safety measures, but for the purposes of this guide, we're specifically focusing on equipment that's designed to prevent falls from height.
Types of working at height equipment
Rule #1 of working at height is to avoid it entirely if possible. If you and your team can get the job done without creating a situation where someone might fall from height, you should always do so. (Example: a window cleaner might use a telescopic pole to work from the ground instead of being suspended in mid-air.)
But if there's no practical way to tackle the task at hand without working from height, you'll have to decide what type of safety equipment to use. To that end, the HSE offers two key pieces of guidance:
- Preventing falls entirely is always preferable to minimising the distance and/or consequences of a fall.
- Collective protections (e.g. guard rails) should always be considered before resorting to personal protection measures (e.g. a harness and lanyard for each worker).
Collective fall prevention equipment
Ideally, you want to create a space where everyone can work safely without fear of falling and without any personal protections that rely on the individual.
Here are some examples of collective protections:
- Installing edge protection to keep workers away from a dangerous ledge
- Using a mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) with guard rails that prevent users from falling off
- Erecting a scaffold that can accommodate multiple workers at a time
Personal fall prevention equipment
If collective protections are not feasible, personal protections should be used instead.
For example, you could give each worker a restraint harness and tether them to a suitable anchor point via a work restraint lanyard that's short enough to hold them back from unprotected ledges.
Minimising the distance and/or consequences of a fall
If you cannot eliminate the possibility that a worker might fall from height, you should instead concentrate on limiting the consequences of that fall. Note that these measures should only be considered as a last resort in situations where fall prevention is impossible.
Once again, collective safety measures (like a safety net or air mat that will provide a soft landing for anyone who hits it) should be considered before personal protections (like a fall arrest harness that exclusively protects the wearer).
Other types of working at height equipment
Not every piece of working at height equipment is designed to prevent or arrest a fall. For example:
- Tool tethers prevent dropped tools from causing damage below.
- Safety helmets can be useful if you're working at height in a spot where you're at risk of bumping your head.
- Confined space equipment may be required if you're working at height in a confined space (e.g. suspended in a narrow passage).
Working at height equipment from Safety Harness Direct
Here at Safety Harness Direct, we offer a huge range of working at height products from trusted manufacturers at competitive prices. No matter what type of safety equipment you're after, we can help.
Browse & Buy Height Safety Gear
If you require any guidance when shopping for working at height equipment, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team. We can advise you on the best products to suit your needs.
