For Construction employers and workers, this guide explains how a safe-system method statement supports height work, and how a Working at Heights Course ties it to your day-to-day Construction work.
Method Statements 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 how a safe-system method statement supports height work, Construction teams have to control hazards such as overturning MEWPs on soft or sloping ground, collapsing or poorly tied scaffolds and unprotected leading edges on partially built floors. 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
The practical fix is straightforward. 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 Method Statements 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.
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 Method Statements in Construction: 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.
Frequently asked questions
What is a method statement for working at height?
A step-by-step safe system of work that turns your risk assessment into clear, controlled instructions for the task.
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
Supervision is the quiet control that holds everything together. Even a perfectly trained worker drifts under time pressure, so someone on site needs the knowledge and the authority to stop unsafe work involving construction work at height before it becomes an incident. That only happens when supervisors are trained too.
Documentation is what turns good practice into proven compliance for construction work at height. Keep your risk assessment, your method statement, your equipment inspection logs and your training records together, and an HSA visit becomes a short, calm conversation rather than a drawn-out investigation.
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.
