For Forestry employers and workers, this guide explains what Irish law requires before anyone works at height, and how a Working at Heights Course ties it to your day-to-day Forestry work.
Regulations and the Law in Forestry
An arborist sectioning a storm-damaged tree in a Wicklow plantation, relying entirely on climbing systems and a rescue-ready colleague. When it comes to what Irish law requires before anyone works at height, Forestry teams have to control hazards such as unstable and weather-affected access, work with chainsaws at height and tree climbing and aerial cutting. Aerial tree work is specialist height work needing dedicated arborist training and rescue capability.
The Forestry action list
- Record a risk assessment for each Forestry 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
Certifying your people is quicker than most employers expect. 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 Forestry 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
Weather turns a routine job into a dangerous one faster than anything else in Ireland. Wind, rain, frost and poor light all raise the risk of Regulations and the Law in Forestry, and the right call is often to stop and reassess rather than push on. Knowing where that line sits is part of being properly trained.
Competence is not the same as experience. A worker who has used ladders for twenty years can still carry twenty years of bad habits. Refresher training matters for Regulations and the Law in Forestry precisely because confidence drifts away from the rules over time, and a quick refresher resets it.
Frequently asked questions
What law covers working at heights in Ireland?
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the General Application Regulations 2007, Part 4, Chapter 2 (Regulations 95-104), enforced by the HSA.
How does this affect Forestry specifically?
In Forestry, the same rules apply with sector-specific hazards. Our Working at Heights Training covers both.
Is online training enough for Forestry?
Yes for the core legal and safe-system knowledge; add equipment-specific tickets where the Forestry task requires them.
More on staying safe at height
The most expensive mistake employers make with forestry work at height is treating training as a box-ticking exercise. The Health and Safety Authority does not just want a certificate on file; it wants evidence that the worker understood the avoid-prevent-minimise hierarchy and applied it on the day. A genuine Working at Heights Course builds that understanding, which is exactly why our online programme uses real scenarios rather than slides.
The cheapest control is always to avoid the work at height in the first place. For forestry work at height, that can mean long-handled tools, lowering the task to ground level, or designing the job so no one needs to climb. Where that is impossible, collective protection such as guardrails and platforms beats personal protection every time.
Get certified today
Do not wait for an HSA inspection or a near miss to act. Forestry 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.
