For Construction employers and workers, this guide explains how to carry out and record a work-at-height risk assessment, and how a Working at Heights Course ties it to your day-to-day Construction work.
Risk Assessment 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 to carry out and record a work-at-height risk assessment, Construction teams have to control hazards such as overturning MEWPs on soft or sloping ground, falling materials striking workers below and falls through fragile roof lights and openings. 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 Risk Assessment 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.
Insurers now ask directly whether your team holds current Working at Heights certification before they price a policy or settle a claim involving Risk Assessment in Construction. A worker hurt at height with no Working at Heights Certificate turns a defensible incident into an indefensible one, and that follows your premium for years.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a risk assessment for working at height?
Yes. A written, task-specific risk assessment is a legal requirement before any work at height begins.
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
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 construction work at height, 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.
Young and new workers are over-represented in fall statistics, and construction work at height 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.
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.
