If you are one of the Employers in Construction, working at height is part of the job - and so is the legal duty that comes with it. Here is what Employers in Irish Construction need to know, and how a Working at Heights Course keeps you covered.
The responsibilities of Employers
You carry the legal duty under the SHWW Act 2005. A Working at Heights Certificate for every worker is your cleanest evidence of compliance. In day-to-day Construction work that means you should:
- Provide information, instruction, training and supervision
- Provide a safe place and system of work at height
- Keep training and inspection records for HSA inspection
- Carry out and record risk assessments
The Construction hazards Employers must control
In Construction, the falls that Employers most often have to prevent involve overturning MEWPs on soft or sloping ground, unprotected leading edges on partially built floors 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 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 Employers in Construction.
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
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 Employers in Construction before it becomes an incident. That only happens when supervisors are trained too.
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 Employers 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
Do Employers in Construction need their own height training?
Yes. Whatever your role, if you plan, supervise or carry out work at height you need a Working at Heights Certificate.
What course suits Employers best?
The Working at Heights Course covers the duties of Employers and all other roles in one accredited, online programme.
How long does it take?
About 45 minutes online, with a same-day certificate, so Employers in Construction stay compliant without losing a work day.
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 employers in construction, 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 employers in construction precisely because confidence drifts away from the rules over time, and a quick refresher resets it.
Get certified today
Do not wait for an HSA inspection or a near miss to act. Employers in Construction 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.
