# Work at Height Regulations 2005

> The Work at Height Regulations 2005 are the main UK law on preventing falls, requiring a hierarchy of avoid, prevent and minimise for all work at height.

- URL: https://roof.wiki/work-at-height-regulations-2005/
- Topic: Installation & Methods
- Also known as: WAHR 2005; Work at Height Regs; WAH Regulations
- Regions: Europe
- First published: 2026-11-02 · Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
- Cite as: "Work at Height Regulations 2005." roof.wiki. https://roof.wiki/work-at-height-regulations-2005/

## Key facts

- **Statutory instrument:** SI 2005/735
- **Hierarchy:** Avoid, prevent, minimise (regulation 6)
- **HSE roofing guide:** HSG33 Health and safety in roofwork

The **Work at Height Regulations 2005** (SI 2005/735) are the principal regulations in Great Britain for preventing death and injury from falls. They apply to employers and to anyone who controls work at height, including facilities managers and building owners who hire contractors. Roof work is one of the activities most affected: the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports that almost one in five construction deaths involve roof work.

## The hierarchy (regulation 6)

Regulation 6 sets out a three-step approach:

1. **Avoid** work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do the work safely another way, for example from the ground.
2. **Prevent** falls where work at height cannot be avoided, using an existing safe place of work or suitable work equipment such as scaffolds and guardrails.
3. **Minimise** the distance and consequences of a fall where the risk cannot be eliminated, using work equipment such as safety nets or fall arrest systems, together with training and instruction.

## Duties

Duty holders must ensure that work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out by competent people with suitable equipment. Risks must be assessed first, and simple, low-risk tasks need less planning than complex ones. Employees must take reasonable care and cooperate with their employer.

## Application to roof work

HSE roof work guidance, together with its publication **HSG33, Health and safety in roofwork**, applies the regulations to roofing:

- **Sloping roofs:** scaffolding or edge protection at the eaves, including the rear of terraced houses; secured ladders and roof ladders only for short tasks lasting minutes.
- **Flat roofs:** secure double guardrails and toeboards around the edge.
- **Fragile roofs:** treat every roof as fragile until confirmed otherwise by a competent person; use stagings, guard rails, nets or harness systems, and protect fragile rooflights with secured, labelled covers or barriers.

## Enforcement

The HSE and local authorities enforce the regulations. Prosecutions following falls through fragile roofs and rooflights are regularly publicised.

## Sources

1. The Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 6 — legislation.gov.uk. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/735/regulation/6
2. Work at height: the law — Health and Safety Executive (UK). https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/the-law.htm
3. Roof work — Health and Safety Executive (UK). https://hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/roofwork.htm