Work safely at heights

Everything this unit expects you to know — planned, plain and printable. Read it end to end, then keep it as your revision sheet.

≈ 8 minute read Australian WHS context Prerequisite: CPCCWHS2001 (White Card unit)

✦What this unit is about

This unit covers planning, setting up and carrying out construction work at heights above two metres — using fall prevention and fall protection systems so that nobody falls and nothing gets dropped on the people below. Falls from height remain one of the biggest killers on Australian construction sites, so getting this right isn’t paperwork for its own sake — it’s the difference between finishing the shift and not going home.

The golden rule

Work through the hierarchy of control every time: do the work from the ground if you can; if not, use passive protection (scaffold, guardrails, EWP); if not, use fall restraint so you can’t reach the edge; and only when nothing else is reasonably practicable, use fall arrest — with a rescue plan ready.

1Plan the job before you leave the ground

Read the work order and drawings first. Then talk to the supervisor and other relevant persons to pin down exactly what the task is, where it will be done, how it will be done, and what plant and equipment you’ll need.
Help write the SWMS. Work with a risk of a fall of more than 2 m is high-risk construction work — a safe work method statement must be in place before work starts, and you’re expected to contribute to it, not just sign it.
Choose control measures deliberately, following workplace and regulatory requirements: decide whether the job needs edge protection, a platform, a fall restraint system (which stops you reaching the edge) or a fall arrest system (which catches you after a fall).
Plan anchor point locations for harness work before going up. Anchors must be rated for the job, positioned so you can safely reach the whole work area, and arranged to avoid free-fall and pendulum-swing risks.
Review the completed SWMS. If anything is unclear, doesn’t match the site, or has changed, raise it with the relevant persons and get it resolved before work starts.

Left — restraint: the line is set short so the edge is physically out of reach; you never fall. Right — arrest: the system catches you after you fall — a 2 m lanyard plus a deployed absorber can need more than 6 m of clear space below the anchor, and someone must be ready to rescue you fast.

2Set up and get up there safely

Select and inspect your PPE — helmet (with chinstrap at height), footwear, gloves, eye protection and harness where required. Check serviceability before every use; report and tag out anything defective. Never “make do” with damaged gear.
Check the surface before anyone steps on it. Fragile or brittle materials — old fibro or asbestos-cement roofing, skylights, corroded sheeting — and unstable surfaces need control measures first: walk boards, mesh, covers, barriers or exclusion of the area entirely.
Inspect all fall restraint and fall arrest equipment: webbing for cuts, fraying, UV or chemical damage; stitching intact; buckles and adjusters working; energy absorber not deployed; snap hook and karabiner gates self-closing and self-locking; inertia reel lock test passes; inspection tags in date. Report problems and remove faulty gear from service.
Install signage and barricades per the SWMS or safe work procedure — exclusion zones under the work area to protect people from falling objects, and warning signs at access points.
Stay inside your authority. Only install fall protection you are trained and authorised for; some systems need a licensed person — for example, scaffold with a platform above 4 m must be erected by a licensed scaffolder.
Confirm the system is complete and certified where required. Check scaffolds, guardrails and edge protection are fully installed, handover-certified or tagged where the regulations demand it, before anyone relies on them.
Connect before you’re exposed. Clip on to the anchorage — including temporary anchors — from a position where you are not at risk of a fall. Aim for 100% attachment at all times.
Get a second set of eyes. Consult with relevant persons to confirm the harness is fitted and adjusted correctly, connections are right, and the whole system suits the task.
Move up — and move gear up — safely. Three points of contact on ladders; raise tools and materials on a line or hoist in bags rather than carrying them by hand; tether tools at height; keep the drop zone below clear.

On site

An inspection tag that’s out of date means the gear is out of service. Tag it, report it, replace it — don’t debate it.

3Do the work — and stay protected the whole time

Work to the SWMS, always. If the method needs to change, stop, consult and revise the SWMS before continuing.
Never unclip to move. When traversing between anchor points, transfer one connection at a time (twin-tail lanyard technique) so you stay connected to the fall prevention system throughout.
Use PPE the way the manufacturer says — correct fit, correct attachment point (dorsal for arrest), within its rated limits.
Keep communication open with your spotter, ground crew and supervisor — voice, two-way radio or agreed hand signals, as set out in the plan.
Keep fall protection on and adjusted as you move. Take up slack in lanyards and adjustable lines so movement is possible without creating a fall hazard.
In restraint mode, stay in restraint. Keep the line adjusted so you physically cannot fall off the edge or through a fragile surface or penetration — that’s the whole point of the restraint technique.
Leave the protection alone. Guardrails, scaffold planks, kickboards and barriers stay in place while you work. If a component genuinely must be removed, put alternative controls in first — and reinstate it straight after.
Monitor conditions constantly. Wind picking up, rain, heat, other trades below, a changed surface — consult with relevant persons and adjust the controls when the site changes.
Exit properly. Lower tools and materials under control (never drop them), leave the area clean, deal with waste per site environmental requirements, and only disconnect once you’re clear of any fall risk.

✔Assessment snapshot — what you must show

Work safely at heights above 2 m on three separate occasions, using different fall protection equipment or devices each time.
One occasion must use a restraint technique (anchor point) system with at least three anchor points.
On each occasion you must access the work area, traverse between anchor points, and exit — removing your tools and materials as you go.

★Know this cold

The paperwork trail

WHS legislation — the Commonwealth, state or territory WHS Act and Regulations that apply where you work, plus the code of practice on managing the risk of falls and the relevant Australian Standards for harness systems, anchorages and scaffolding.
SWMS — mandatory for high-risk construction work, including any work with a risk of a fall of more than 2 m. JSEA — job safety and environmental analysis used on many sites for the same step-hazard-control thinking.
SDS — safety data sheets for any hazardous substances used at height (adhesives, sealants, membranes).
Manufacturer documents — operation manuals, specifications, safety signs and load charts for plant. The manufacturer’s instructions set the limits; follow them.
Site documents — environmental and worksite safety plans, and the site’s procedure for reporting problems: defects, incidents and near misses get reported and recorded, every time.

Planning checks before work at height

Weather and ground conditions — wind speed, rain and wet surfaces, heat and UV exposure, and soft or uneven ground under scaffold soleplates and EWP outriggers.
Inspect the worksite, assess conditions and hazards, confirm exactly what the work requires, and check every piece of equipment for defects before it’s used.

Spotting scaffold and platform faults

Missing planks, guardrails, mid-rails or kickboards; gaps at the platform edge.
Unstable footing — missing soleplates or baseplates, undermined ground, out-of-plumb standards.
Missing ties or braces, bent or corroded components, unauthorised alterations, and a handover certificate or scafftag that’s missing or out of date.

Equipment: uses and limitations

Equipment	What it’s for	Watch-outs and limits
Ladders & stairways	Access and short-duration light tasks	4:1 lean angle; extend ~1 m above the landing; secure top and bottom; three points of contact; never overreach
Trestles & platforms	Light-duty low-level work platforms	Rated duty only; need edge protection where a fall over 2 m is possible; firm level footing
Scaffolding	Passive fall prevention with a full working deck	Licensed scaffolder required above 4 m; check tag/handover certificate; never alter it yourself
EWPs	Scissor and boom lifts for elevated access	Check ground conditions and load charts; harness anchored in boom-type EWPs; high-risk work licence for boom lifts of 11 m or more
Guardrails & edge protection	Passive protection at edges and openings	Full system: top rail, mid rail, toe board; installed and checked before work; never removed for convenience
Anchor points (incl. fall arrest & temporary anchors)	Rated connection points for harness systems	Must be rated (typically at least 15 kN for one person in arrest), identified in planning, installed and certified per the manufacturer
Static lines	Horizontal lifeline to traverse while staying connected	Engineered system; respect the rated number of users and required clearances
Harness, lanyards, snap hooks & karabiners	Connect the worker to the anchorage	Correct fit; dorsal attachment for arrest; gates must self-close and self-lock; inspect before every use; retire after any fall
Shock absorbers & inertia reels	Absorber limits force on the body; reel locks on a sudden pull	Absorber deployment adds length — include it in clearance maths; test the reel lock before use; reels over an edge only if rated for it
Ropes & rescue equipment	Rated lines for lowering gear; rescue kit for retrieving a fallen worker	Rescue equipment and a trained rescuer on site whenever fall arrest is in use — before work starts, not after a fall
Power leads, air compressors & hoses	Power and air for tools at height	Leads RCD-protected, tested and tagged, kept on stands off walkways; secure hoses so they can’t drag tools off the edge
Hand & power tools (incl. nail guns)	The actual work	Tether tools at height; raise and lower in bags on a line; use nail guns strictly per the manufacturer — never disable safety mechanisms

Safe movement at height

Access: connect before exposure, use the planned access route, three points of contact on ladders.
Traverse: move between anchor points one connection at a time so you’re never unclipped; keep lines adjusted as you go.
Exit: remove tools and materials under control, leave the area safe and clean, disconnect only once clear of the fall risk.

⚠Where people slip up

“A harness makes me safe, so I’ll just wear one.” A harness in fall-arrest mode is the last resort, not the first choice. Work through the hierarchy: ground-level methods, then passive protection like scaffold or guardrails, then restraint — arrest means you’ve already fallen.

“That beam looks solid — I’ll clip to it.” Only rated, identified anchor points — planned before you go up. A single-person fall-arrest anchor typically needs a rating of at least 15 kN. “Looks strong” is not a rating.

“Fall arrest works at any height.” Do the clearance maths. Lanyard length plus absorber deployment plus your body plus a safety margin can exceed 6 m below the anchor — on a low level, an arrest system can let you hit the ground or structure, and swing (pendulum) can slam you sideways.

“I’ll just unclip for a second to get across.” Never. Use a twin-tail lanyard and transfer one hook at a time so you keep 100% connection while traversing between anchor points.

“If someone falls, we’ll work out the rescue then.” The rescue plan comes before the work. Hanging in a harness causes suspension intolerance, which can become fatal within minutes — rescue equipment and a trained rescuer must be ready on site whenever arrest systems are used.

A–ZMini-glossary

Anchor point: A rated, engineered point you connect a harness system to — permanent or temporary, always installed and certified per the manufacturer and relevant standards.
Fall restraint (restraint technique): A system adjusted so you physically cannot reach a position where you could fall — off an edge or through a fragile surface.
Fall arrest: A system that stops a fall that has already started — harness, energy-absorbing lanyard or inertia reel, and a rated anchor. Needs clearance below and a rescue plan.
Free-fall distance & clearance: How far you drop before the system takes hold, and the total clear space needed below the anchor so you don’t hit anything.
Swing (pendulum) effect: The sideways arc after a fall when the anchor isn’t directly above you — you can swing into the structure or the ground.
Energy (shock) absorber: A lanyard component that tears out under load to reduce the force on your body — its extra deployed length must be counted in clearance.
Inertia reel (self-retracting lifeline): A retracting line that pays out with movement and locks on a sudden pull — test the lock before use.
Twin-tail (double) lanyard: A lanyard with two hooks so you can move between anchors one connection at a time, staying attached the whole way.
Static line: An engineered horizontal lifeline you stay connected to while traversing a roof or structure.
Edge protection: Guardrails at edges and openings — top rail, mid rail and toe board — providing passive protection with no action needed from the worker.
EWP: Elevating work platform — scissor lift or boom lift used to reach work at height from a protected platform.
SWMS: Safe work method statement — the mandatory document for high-risk construction work setting out the steps, hazards and controls. Workers help develop it and work to it.
JSEA: Job safety and environmental analysis — a step-by-step hazard and control breakdown used on many sites.
SDS: Safety data sheet — the manufacturer’s hazard and handling information for a substance.
Exclusion zone: A signed, barricaded area — often under the work — that keeps people out of the falling-object drop zone.
Suspension intolerance: The dangerous effect of hanging motionless in a harness after a fall; circulation is restricted and it can turn fatal within minutes without prompt rescue.
Scaffold handover certificate / scafftag: The record that a scaffold has been erected, inspected and is safe to use — check it’s current before stepping on.
Relevant persons: Supervisors, safety advisers, licensed installers, other trades — anyone you must consult when planning, checking and adjusting the work.
High-risk construction work: Categories of construction work defined in the WHS Regulations — including work with a risk of a fall of more than 2 m — that require a SWMS before starting.
Serviceability: Fit for use: undamaged, within inspection date, and functioning as the manufacturer intended. Anything less is reported and removed from service.

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