& 
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply whenever someone could fall a distance that could injure them. They set a simple order: avoid work at height if you can, prevent falls if you cannot, and minimise the distance and consequences of any fall that could still happen.
What counts as work at height?
Any place where a person could fall far enough to be hurt. There is no minimum height. It includes a stepladder in an office, the back of a lorry, a flat roof, and an open pit or excavation below ground level. Falls from height are the biggest single cause of fatal injuries at work in Great Britain, according to the Health and Safety Executive’s yearly figures, and many are from low heights.
Avoid, prevent, minimise
| Step | What it means |
|---|---|
| Avoid | Do the job from the ground where you reasonably can: long-reach tools, ground-level assembly, lowering lights to clean them. |
| Prevent | Use an existing safe place, or equipment that stops a fall: guardrails, towers, mobile elevating work platforms. |
| Minimise | Where a fall could still happen, reduce how far and how hard: fall arrest, nets, airbags. |
It is a sequence, not a menu. You move down only when the step above is not reasonably practicable.
What employers must do
- Plan and organise the work, including the weather and a rescue plan.
- Make sure people are competent, or supervised by someone who is.
- Choose the right equipment, putting collective protection such as guardrails before personal protection such as harnesses.
- Inspect equipment such as towers and platforms, and keep records where the regulations require.
- Protect people below from falling objects.
Are ladders banned?
No, and they never were. HSE guidance says a ladder or stepladder can be the right choice for low-risk, short-duration work where the ladder can be used safely: maintaining three points of contact and not overreaching. Getting that judgement right, and checking the ladder first, is what training covers.
Employees’ duties
Workers must report anything that could make work at height unsafe and use equipment the way they were trained. If a guardrail is missing or a ladder is damaged, they should stop and say so.
Which training fits which job?
| Course | What it is |
|---|---|
| Working at Height eLearning | About 30 minutes. A grounding for anyone who uses a stepladder. |
| Working at Height Awareness | Half a day, at our centres, live online or on your site. |
| NPORS N711 Safe Use of Stepladders and Ladders | Half a day on choosing, checking and using ladders and stepladders. |
| NPORS N404 Safe Working at Height | Half a day. The card carries the CSCS logo with a current CITB HS&E test. |
Both NPORS courses run for up to ten people at a time, at your site with your own equipment or at a venue near you.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum height for work at height?
No. Any place where someone could fall far enough to be injured counts, including below ground level.
What is the hierarchy in the Work at Height Regulations?
Avoid work at height where you can, prevent falls where you cannot, and minimise the distance and consequences of any fall that remains.
Can I still use a ladder?
Yes, for low-risk, short-duration work where the ladder can be used safely. HSE guidance explains when.
Does working at height training give a CSCS card?
NPORS N404 and N711 lead to an NPORS card that carries the CSCS logo when you also hold a current CITB HS&E test pass.
Read the source
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/735), published on legislation.gov.uk, and the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on working at height and on ladders, with its yearly statistics on fatal injuries at work. Facts checked on 5 October 2026.
Build your NPORS course
Tell it who is coming and it works out the days, the ratio and how many times it has to run.
Your site or ours. Quoted per group, not per head.
