For Construction employers and workers, this guide explains what HSA inspectors look for and how to be ready, and how a Working at Heights Course ties it to your day-to-day Construction work.
HSA Inspections in Construction
A two-storey block where roofers, blocklayers and a MEWP operator all work above ground on the same day, each needing their own safe system of work. When it comes to what HSA inspectors look for and how to be ready, Construction teams have to control hazards such as collapsing or poorly tied scaffolds, falls through fragile roof lights and openings and falling materials striking workers below. Construction sites also fall under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013, with the PSCS coordinating work-at-height between contractors. Safe Pass covers site access but is not a Working at Heights ticket.
The Construction action list
- Record a risk assessment for each Construction task at height
- Choose collective protection before personal protection
- Certify the team with a Working at Heights Course
- Inspect equipment and keep the logs
- Plan rescue before work begins
The Working at Heights Course makes compliance simple
You do not need a classroom or a lost work day to fix this. Our Working at Heights Course is delivered fully online, takes about 45 minutes, and issues a downloadable certificate the same day. It is CPD certified, RoSPA approved and QQI aligned, and it is written specifically for Construction teams across Ireland.
The Working at Heights Training covers the avoid-prevent-minimise hierarchy, ladder and stepladder safety, MEWPs and scaffolds, harnesses and anchor points, and how to carry out a proper risk assessment. Every learner finishes with a recognised Working at Heights Certificate that stands up to HSA inspection and supports your insurance position.
Training that goes beyond the tick-box
The rescue plan is the part most teams forget. If a worker doing HSA Inspections in Construction falls and is left hanging in a harness, suspension trauma can become life-threatening within minutes. Calling the emergency services is not a rescue plan; having the equipment, the trained people and the method to recover them quickly is. Our Working at Heights Training makes that planning routine.
Young and new workers are over-represented in fall statistics, and HSA Inspections in Construction is no exception. Setting good habits from the very first day - never climbing on furniture, never overreaching, always inspecting equipment - is far easier than unlearning bad ones later. Early certification with a Working at Heights Course pays back for an entire career.
Frequently asked questions
What does an HSA inspector check for work at height?
Risk assessments, training records, equipment inspection logs, PPE records and a rescue plan, the five files that make an inspection short.
How does this affect Construction specifically?
In Construction, the same rules apply with sector-specific hazards. Our Working at Heights Training covers both.
Is online training enough for Construction?
Yes for the core legal and safe-system knowledge; add equipment-specific tickets where the Construction task requires them.
More on staying safe at height
Falls from height remain one of the leading causes of serious and fatal workplace injury in Ireland, year after year. The pattern is depressingly consistent for construction work at height: a short task, a familiar setting, a ladder or platform that seemed fine, and a single moment of overreach. Proper training breaks that pattern by making the safe choice the automatic one.
Get certified today
Do not wait for an HSA inspection or a near miss to act. Construction employers and workers can complete the Working at Heights Course online in 45 minutes and download a certificate the same day. For 10 or more learners, see our team training rates, or contact our team for a tailored quote.
Start the online Working at Heights Training now and put a recognised certificate in every worker's file before the next job at height begins.
