Working at Height Risk Assessment Template (UK)
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A free, editable risk assessment template for any work where a person could fall a distance liable to cause injury. Structured around the Work at Height Regulations 2005 hierarchy — avoid, prevent, mitigate — with hazard prompts, control measures, and a built-in rescue plan section.
Designed for: Roofing contractors, scaffolders, window cleaners, facilities maintenance, telecoms riggers, solar installers, builders, site managers
UK (RAMS) example document — Two-Storey Rear Extension — 14 Birchwood Lane, Reading. Client: Mr & Mrs A. Whitfield (Private Client). Site: 14 Birchwood Lane, Reading, RG1 5JT. Scope: Construction of a two-storey rear extension (6.4m × 4.2m) to an existing semi-detached dwelling. Works comprise breaking out of existing rear elevation, trench-fill foundations to 1.0m, traditional cavity blockwork to first floor, pre-stressed concrete lintels, timber roof structure with natural slate finish, plus alterations to existing rear wall to form structural opening with rolled steel joist (RSJ 203×102 UB23). Works programmed over 9 weeks with a peak site team of 6 operatives. Hazards assessed: Manual handling — blocks, lintels, plasterboard, Working at height — independent scaffold & roof structure, Buried services strike during excavation, Collapse of excavation / trench wall, Hand-arm vibration (HAVS) — breaking out, drilling, Silica dust — cutting blocks, brick, concrete, Vehicle/pedestrian segregation — narrow domestic street.
Full version
Complete Guide to Risk Assessment (UK)
What is a Risk Assessment?
A working at height risk assessment is a structured evaluation of any task where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. It identifies the hazards, the people at risk, and the controls — applied in the order required by the Work at Height Regulations 2005: avoid, prevent, mitigate.
When is it legally required?
Required under Regulation 3 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 before any work at height begins. There is no minimum height — the test is whether a fall could cause injury. Applies to all industries, not just construction, and to short-duration tasks (changing a lightbulb on a stepladder) as well as long projects.
Who is responsible?
The employer or self-employed person carrying out the work. On CDM-regulated projects, the principal contractor must review and approve the assessment before allowing work to proceed and must coordinate with other contractors working in the same area.
Where is it commonly used?
Construction, roofing, scaffolding, maintenance, facilities management, telecoms, utilities, solar, signage, window cleaning — and any sector where a worker accesses a position from which they could fall.
What a Complete Risk Assessment Includes
- Project details and assessor competence recorded
- WAHR 2005 hierarchy justification documented
- Access equipment selected and justified
- All height-related hazards identified
- Persons at risk listed (operatives + others)
- Risk matrix completed before and after controls
- Site-specific control measures, not generic
- Rescue plan matched to access method, with response time
- Weather suspension criteria documented
- Competence cards checked and recorded
- PPE specified, including inspection records
- Signed off by a competent person
What's included in this template
Project Details
Site address, client, contractor, dates, document reference, assessor name and competence.
Scope of Work at Height
Description of the task, location, height(s) involved, duration, frequency, and number of operatives.
Access Equipment Selected
Scaffold, MEWP, ladder, tower, rope access, harness and line system — and the WAHR 2005 hierarchy justification for the choice.
Hazard Identification
Falls from height, fragile surfaces, falling objects, weather, overhead services, manual handling at height, public exposure, lone working.
Persons at Risk
Operatives, supervisors, other trades, members of the public, building occupants — and any vulnerability such as inexperience or medical conditions.
Risk Matrix (Before Controls)
Severity × likelihood scoring for each hazard before mitigation.
Control Measures
Edge protection, fall arrest, exclusion zones, weather suspension criteria, fragile surface covers, drop zones, permits, competence checks.
Risk Matrix (After Controls)
Re-score each hazard with controls in place — must be reduced to as low as reasonably practicable.
Rescue Plan
Specific rescue arrangements for the access method selected, including suspension trauma response, equipment, and roles — not 'call 999'.
PPE Requirements
Helmet with chinstrap, harness type and inspection date, lanyards, footwear, hi-vis, eye and hand protection.
Competence and Training
PASMA, IPAF, CISRS, IRATA or other certifications required, plus toolbox talk and induction records.
Emergency Procedures
First aid, emergency contacts, nearest A&E, assembly points, incident reporting.
Sign-Off
Prepared by, reviewed by, approved by — with signatures, competence statement and dates.
UK Requirements and Best Practice
Legal expectations
- ● Work at Height Regulations 2005 — Reg 3 requires risk assessment; Reg 6 mandates the avoid-prevent-mitigate hierarchy
- ● Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 — Reg 3 requires the assessment to be suitable and sufficient
- ● CDM 2015 — pre-construction information must include height-related risks; principal contractors must coordinate
- ● PUWER 1998 and LOLER 1998 — apply to access equipment and lifting equipment used for working at height
What inspectors typically look for
- ● Has the duty-holder shown that working at height could not reasonably be avoided?
- ● Is the control hierarchy followed — collective protection (scaffold, MEWP, edge protection) before personal (harness)?
- ● Is there a specific, equipment-matched rescue plan with response times?
- ● Are weather suspension criteria documented?
- ● Are operatives' competence cards (PASMA, IPAF, CISRS, IRATA) checked and recorded?
Common compliance mistakes
- Generic 'working at height' RA used for a fragile roof job — no fragile-surface controls
- Harness use prescribed but no anchor point identified or inspected
- Rescue plan absent or untested — most enforcement notices for WAH cite this
Example Use Cases
Residential Roof Tile Replacement
A roofing contractor assessing tile replacement on a pitched roof at 6m — scaffold access, eaves edge protection, tile hoist, and rescue plan using the same scaffold.
MEWP Inspection of Building Façade
Maintenance team using a 12m boom MEWP to inspect external cladding — exclusion zone for public footpath, ground conditions assessed, harness and short lanyard inside the basket, MEWP rescue / recovery plan.
Short-Duration Ladder Work
Facilities operative using a stepladder to change ceiling lights — justified under the hierarchy as low-risk, short-duration, with three-points-of-contact and a co-worker footing.
How to use this template
- 1
Download the template
Click the download button above to get the editable PDF document.
- 2
Apply the WAHR 2005 hierarchy
Before listing hazards, document whether the work at height could be avoided altogether. Only then move to prevention (edge protection, MEWP) and finally mitigation (fall arrest).
- 3
Fill in project and scope details
Be specific about height, duration and access method — generic entries are the single biggest reason inspectors reject WAH assessments.
- 4
Identify hazards from the prompt list
Work through the pre-loaded hazards and add anything site-specific (overhead lines, public footpath below, fragile rooflights).
- 5
Match a control to every hazard
For each hazard write a practical, site-specific control. 'Use harness' is not enough — specify anchor point, lanyard length, and inspection.
- 6
Write a real rescue plan
Document who recovers a suspended worker, with what equipment, and within what time. Suspension trauma can be fatal in under 15 minutes.
- 7
Score the matrix before and after controls
If a residual score remains high, the control set is not adequate — revise before work proceeds.
- 8
Sign off and brief the team
Have a competent person sign and run a toolbox talk so every operative understands the controls before stepping onto site.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating 'working at height' as a single hazard rather than breaking it down by access method and surface
- No rescue plan, or a rescue plan that says 'call 999' — fire and rescue cannot reach a suspended worker fast enough
- Generic control measures copied from a previous job with no site walk
- Missing weather suspension criteria — at what wind speed or weather does work stop?
- Fragile surfaces not identified — rooflights, fibre cement, corroded metal decking are common killers
- No PASMA / IPAF / CISRS competence check recorded against the operatives actually on site
- Harness and lanyard inspection records not attached or out of date
- Skipping the WAHR 2005 hierarchy — going straight to harnesses without asking whether the work can be avoided or done from a MEWP
Share or Use This Template
This Risk Assessment template is free to use and share. Feel free to reference it with your team, include it in training materials, or link to it from your own resources.
Why templates have limitations
Templates provide a solid starting point, but they require manual editing to match your specific site conditions, hazards, and work activities. This can be time-consuming and important site-specific risks may be missed if sections are left generic.
For projects where accuracy and speed matter, many contractors prefer tools that generate structured documents automatically based on real project inputs.
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