Is It Essential That You Work at Height?

We talk a lot about the safety implications of working at height and what you should do to ensure you comply with all the rules and regulations. We also talk a lot about the risk to life and limb as staying safe should always be your priority.

However, we haven’t covered the one major consideration here and that is – do you even have to work at height?

Sometimes it’s absolutely necessary to get the cherry picker out, pop on a harness and head up to the sky, but often it might not be needed. For example, if it’s to repair a complex bit of machinery then have all attempts to bring it down to ground level been investigated?

It could be that a failed part just has to be fixed in-situ, but often it may be possible to remove the part, bring it to the ground and repair it safely on the bench. Doing this will give you more time, easier access to the tools you may require and possibly better access to the repair.

It also, importantly, means you don’t have to wear height safety equipment – that in itself may be a good enough reason.