There is no minimum height in the Work at Height Regulations 2005. No two metres, no six feet, no threshold at all. Work at height means working anywhere a person could fall a distance liable to cause injury — which includes standing on a chair, and includes places below ground level.
The “two metre rule” is the most persistent myth in UK construction safety. It was abolished when these regulations came in, and falls from below two metres still cause serious injuries and deaths every year.
What the regulations actually define
Regulation 2 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 defines work at height as work in any place:
“including a place at or below ground level… where, if measures required by these Regulations were not taken, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury”
Three consequences follow immediately:
- No height threshold. If the fall could injure someone, it is work at height. A fall onto reinforcing bar from half a metre can be fatal.
- Below ground counts. Working beside an excavation, an inspection pit or a tank opening is work at height.
- Access and egress count. Getting to and from the place of work is covered, not just the work itself.
The regulations apply to employers, the self-employed, and anyone who controls the work of others — including facilities managers and building owners directing contractors.
Regulation 6 — the hierarchy that governs everything
This is the core duty, and it runs in strict order:
- Avoid work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do the work safely otherwise
- Prevent falls where work at height cannot be avoided — using an existing safe place of work or the right equipment
- Minimise the distance and consequences of a fall where the risk cannot be eliminated
Regulation 7 adds a rule that cuts across all three: collective protection before personal protection. A guardrail protects everyone near it, passively, whether or not they are paying attention. A harness protects one person, only if worn correctly, clipped to a suitable anchor, with a rescue plan behind it.
Reaching for harnesses first is the most common and most expensive way to get Regulation 6 wrong. See the hierarchy of control for work at height.
Regulation 4 — planning, supervision and weather
Work at height must be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a manner which is so far as is reasonably practicable safe.
Two elements of Regulation 4 are routinely missed:
- Emergency and rescue must be planned in advance. If someone is left suspended in a harness after arresting a fall, suspension trauma can develop quickly. “We’ll call 999” is not a rescue plan.
- Weather. Work at height must not be carried out when weather conditions jeopardise health or safety. Wind is the usual culprit — a sheet of ply becomes a sail long before conditions feel dangerous at ground level.
Regulation 5 — competence
Everyone involved must be competent, or supervised by someone competent while training. That extends to planning, organising and supervising the work, not just doing it.
Competence means knowledge, skills, training and experience appropriate to the task — not a specific certificate. Awareness training contributes; it does not by itself make someone competent to erect a scaffold or operate a MEWP.
The rest of the regulations, briefly
| Reg | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 8 | Requirements for particular equipment — guardrails, working platforms, nets and airbags, personal fall protection, ladders (Schedules 2–6) |
| 9 | Fragile surfaces — do not pass across or near unless there is no alternative, with platforms, coverings, guard rails and warnings |
| 10 | Falling objects — prevent material falling, and prevent injury where that is not practicable |
| 11 | Danger areas — clearly marked and access restricted |
| 12 | Inspection of work equipment — including scaffolding inspected before use and at intervals not exceeding 7 days |
| 13 | Inspection of places of work at height, so far as reasonably practicable, before use |
| 14 | Duties of persons at work — report defects and use equipment as trained |
Fragile surfaces deserve particular attention. Roof lights and old asbestos cement or fibre cement sheets fail without warning, and they are a recurring cause of fatal falls. A roof light painted the same colour as the roof is effectively invisible. If asbestos may also be present, see where asbestos is found in UK buildings.
Ladders are not banned
Nothing in the regulations prohibits ladders or stepladders. They remain a legitimate choice for low-risk, short-duration work where the risk assessment supports it. The myth that they are outlawed leads people to use unsuitable alternatives, or to do the job badly on something worse.
Where enforcement lands
Falls from height remain one of the largest single causes of workplace fatalities in Great Britain, and the HSE publishes the current figures annually in its statistics release. Recurring failures inspectors find:
- No plan — work improvised on the day
- No rescue plan where harnesses are in use
- Harnesses chosen ahead of guardrails and platforms, inverting Regulation 7
- Anchor points never assessed for the loads involved
- Fragile roof lights unguarded and uncovered
- Scaffold not inspected within the 7-day interval, or the report missing
- Ladders used for work that plainly needed a platform
Further reading
- Work at Height Regulations 2005
- HSE — Work at height
- HSE INDG401 — The Work at Height Regulations: a brief guide
Working at height training
- Working at Height Awareness — the legal duties, the hierarchy, equipment and planning
- Ladder Safety Awareness
- Slips, Trips and Falls Awareness
Related reading: Hierarchy of control · Ladder safety rules
£9 per course. CPD accredited, 100 % online, verifiable e-certificate on completion. Pay for 2, get 3 — any 3 courses for £18.
Please note: this is a CPD-accredited awareness course and general information, not legal advice. It is not an Ofqual-regulated qualification and does not make anyone competent to erect scaffolding, operate a MEWP or supervise work at height — those require specific practical training. Always check your employer’s and scheme’s requirements.