Work at height guide

How to make a work at height rescue plan that works on site

When work at height is necessary, plan how people would be brought to safety if access equipment fails, someone is injured, or a fall is arrested. HSE says the law requires planning for emergencies and rescue, and that arrangements should not rely on the fire brigade because delay may be critical.

The short answer

The plan must fit the access method, location and people available during the actual shift. A line in a generic risk assessment saying “call emergency services” does not explain how an injured person will be reached and recovered. Start by applying the work-at-height hierarchy: avoid work at height if reasonably practicable; otherwise prevent falls; then minimise the distance and consequences where a fall risk remains. Rescue planning supports those controls. It does not justify choosing an exposed method where a safer one is available. See HSE: construction work at height questions and the HSE step-by-step guide. This guide is a framework for asking the right questions, not a rope-rescue manual; the recovery technique, anchorage and equipment must be selected and verified by competent people for the task.

Start with the incident, not the template

“Rescue from height” is not one event. A worker may be suspended after fall arrest, trapped in a MEWP, injured on a roof behind a fragile surface, or unable to descend from a tower. Each situation changes how rescuers reach the casualty and what they can do without creating a second casualty. Write a short scenario for each material exposure: who is where, what failed, whether the person may be conscious, and how a second person learns of it.

Do not inflate the list with every imaginable disaster. Choose situations the work method makes credible. Then test whether the response still works if the normal operator is the casualty, the nearest ladder is unavailable or the access route is closed. That simple challenge often reveals a plan dependent on a single person or a piece of equipment that is not on site.

Decide who owns the plan

HSE places duties on employers, the self-employed and those controlling others’ work at height, including facilities managers or building owners in relevant situations. Shared sites often involve a contractor, principal contractor, premises controller and equipment supplier with differing control, but a worker needs one coherent arrangement for this job. Record who chooses the access method, who supplies and checks rescue equipment, who is competent to carry out the method, who calls for help, who controls the area below, and who gives first aid. “Site rescue team” is not useful if that team has left before an evening maintenance shift.

Choose a rescue method that matches the access method

The safest overall work method may remove the need for an exposed rescue entirely. Review the work method before buying rescue kit. Where fall arrest is used, the plan must address where the person could come to rest, how rescuers reach them, what equipment and anchors are available, and how the casualty is transferred to a safe place, with enough trained people present when the job is done. Where a MEWP is used, determine who on the ground can use the emergency controls for that particular machine, whether they are reachable from the actual position, and what happens if the primary lowering route fails. Do not copy emergency steps from a different make or model into a generic method statement.

Restraint, arrest and collective protection are not interchangeable

A restraint system that keeps a worker from reaching an edge presents a different rescue scenario from a fall-arrest system designed to stop a fall after it begins. Guardrails or a properly selected platform may prevent many falls, but they do not remove the need to consider an ill or injured person who cannot descend. Label the actual system correctly in the risk assessment and check the rescue method against it; avoid the vague phrase “harness rescue plan” when the harness is only one component.

Check the location before accepting the method

Name the work area and the possible casualty positions. Can a rescuer get there with the proposed equipment? Is there clear space to operate it? Will doors, gates, roof hatches, plant or stored materials block the route? Can the area below be isolated from pedestrians and vehicles? Consider conditions that change during the job. A MEWP moves, a scaffold is altered, and a night shift changes visibility and numbers. Mark the ambulance access point, gate instructions and the person who will meet responders. Calling for help is part of the plan; it does not replace the planned immediate response.

People, competence and coverage

Name roles, then test the roster. Who raises the alarm, leads the rescue, operates the equipment, stays at ground level, contacts and meets emergency services, and provides first aid once the casualty is safe? In a two-person team the casualty may be one of the two. Training must match the method and equipment. A certificate alone does not show a person can execute the specific site plan. Coverage is operational: does the trained person work every shift, and are people available throughout set-up, the main job, inspection and dismantling? Put a simple pre-start coverage check into the briefing.

Equipment, checks and readiness

List the equipment for the chosen method, where it is kept and who checks it: access equipment, rescue devices, communications, barriers and first-aid resources. Follow manufacturer instructions and the relevant inspection regime. Do not assume a fall-arrest kit is also a usable rescue kit, or that a hired machine arrives with site-specific rescue arrangements. Check compatibility before the task: anchors, connectors, reach, casualty path and landing area. The “available within minutes” claim sometimes appears in marketing. Do not turn it into a universal legal time limit; the real question is whether this site can initiate and complete a timely rescue with the people and equipment available.

Alarm, communication and medical handover

The plan begins when someone recognises the problem. Specify how workers communicate from the work position, how the alarm is raised, and what happens if the first channel fails, so test mobile coverage or radios where they are used. Give the caller the address or coordinates, access point, height and nature of the incident, known hazards and a contact. Have a person meet emergency services and guide them in. First aid and medical assessment follow the recovery; do not instruct untrained workers to carry out specialist medical interventions from an internet article.

Brief it, rehearse it and change it when the job changes

HSE’s emergency guidance emphasises procedures that are understood, practised and kept up to date. See HSE: emergency procedures. Before work, brief the team on the scenario, roles, alarm, equipment position and stop conditions, and ask a worker to explain the first action in their own words. Review when the access method, machine model, anchor layout, building position, crew, shift, weather or site arrangement changes, and after a drill, near miss, incident or equipment defect. Connect the rescue review to the work-at-height risk assessment and method statement so one document does not silently contradict the other.

A pre-start test for the supervisor

Ask six questions aloud: What event are we planning for? Who will notice and raise the alarm? Who is qualified and present to act? What exact equipment and route will they use? What if the first method cannot be used? What has changed since this was written? If the team cannot answer any of these, resolve the gap before exposure begins.

Common failures to remove

“Call the fire brigade.” HSE says the planned arrangement should not rely on it; provide a credible immediate site response.
A kit with no people. Rescue equipment is not a plan if nobody present is trained and able to use it.
A trained person with no coverage. Check the actual roster, including late work and breaks.
A method for a conscious casualty only. Test what happens if the worker cannot help.
An access route that crosses the hazard. Rescuers should not enter an unprotected fragile roof or fall zone without a safe method.
A copied machine procedure. Verify the make, model, site position and manufacturer instructions.
A plan never practised, or one that conflicts with the RAMS. Test communication, access and roles; update both documents when the method changes.

FAQs

Is a rescue plan needed if workers wear harnesses?

Yes. Fall arrest makes recovery after an arrested fall an important scenario, and HSE says emergencies and rescue must be planned for work at height. A harness does not bring a person back to a safe place by itself; the method depends on the system and site.

Can we rely on the fire service?

HSE advises against relying on the fire brigade because delay may be critical. Emergency services may still be called, particularly for injury or specialist assistance, but the employer should plan a workable response from the people and arrangements available at the job.

Does every task need the same rescue kit?

No. The credible incident and recovery method differ between a guarded platform, a MEWP, a roof and a fall-arrest system. Decide the work method first, then have competent people select and verify the equipment for its rescue scenarios.

Can a RAMS generator write the plan?

It can prompt for scenarios, roles, equipment, access and review and keep a draft linked to the job. It cannot confirm a person is competent, a ground control is accessible, an anchor is suitable or the method works at today's location. Those checks need people on site.

Where Complys fits

Complys helps you draft and organise the job-specific working-at-height RAMS and record team sign-off. It does not perform rescues, verify equipment or guarantee legal compliance. The responsible team must verify the rescue method, people, equipment and access on site before work.

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