If you are one of the Employers in Forestry, working at height is part of the job - and so is the legal duty that comes with it. Here is what Employers in Irish Forestry 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 Forestry work that means you should:
- Provide information, instruction, training and supervision
- Supply suitable, inspected access equipment
- Provide a safe place and system of work at height
- Carry out and record risk assessments
The Forestry hazards Employers must control
In Forestry, the falls that Employers most often have to prevent involve work with chainsaws at height, unstable and weather-affected access and lone or small-team working. Aerial tree work is specialist height work needing dedicated arborist training and rescue capability.
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 Employers in Forestry.
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 Employers in Forestry 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 Employers in Forestry 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
Do Employers in Forestry 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 Forestry stay compliant without losing a work day.
More on staying safe at height
Documentation is what turns good practice into proven compliance for employers in forestry. 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.
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 forestry: 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. Employers in Forestry 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.
