A work at height risk assessment is four questions in a fixed order, because the HSE's work at height law page, cited below, says the purpose of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 is to prevent death and injury caused by a fall from height, and the surest prevention is not being at height. Can the work be done from the ground? If not, what prevents the fall? If it cannot be prevented, what minimises it? Who rescues whom, how, in minutes? The risk assessment template on this site prints the rows, free and without an account.
Avoid
Extending tools, lowering the work, doing it from inside: the first row records that the question was asked and why the answer was no. It is the row an approver looks for first on a height RAMS. Where the answer is no, the row says why, in words the approver can check.
Prevent
A guarded platform, a tied and inspected tower, edge protection up before the edge is reached, a MEWP. Collective measures that protect everyone without their action, before personal ones. The row names the equipment, who inspects it and how often.
Minimise
Fall arrest with anchors that will hold, nets, the distance reduced. And the rescue plan: the people and the equipment on site to bring a suspended operative down within minutes. A height assessment with fall arrest and no rescue plan is incomplete.
The rest of the rows
The dropped object and the exclusion zone, the fragile surface, the weather limit, the ladder where justified for short low-risk work, the equipment inspection. Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, cited below, requires every employer to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees, and regulation 3(6) requires an employer with five or more employees to record the significant findings and any group of employees especially at risk. DailyLogDesk Pro keeps the assessment with the method that places the controls; the template prints it. From the vendors' own pricing pages, cited below: SafetyCulture lists its Premium plan at $29 per seat per month billed monthly or $24 billed annually, with a free plan for small teams; Contractor Foreman lists its Basic plan at $49 per month for one user. DailyLogDesk Pro is $29 per month for the whole site team.
Questions people ask about work at height risk assessment
Is a ladder allowed for work at height?
For short-duration, low-risk work where it can be secured and used properly; the row records the justification.
Who inspects the tower?
A competent person, before use and after any move, with the inspection recorded as a control at a step.
Is the template free?
Yes, without an account.