A working at heights inspection asks one question several ways: if a person or an object falls here, has everything reasonable already been done to stop it? This form works through the order of control — avoid going up, prevent the fall, then limit the consequences — records every ladder, platform, harness and anchor as its own entry, and asks for fall clearance and a rescue plan. You can fill it in here and download a finished PDF without creating an account.
Work down the order, not across it
Controls for work at height come in a fixed order, and the order is the point. First, avoid it: assemble at ground level and lift into place, use long-reach tools, bring the item down. Second, prevent the fall with something that protects everyone without them doing anything — guardrails, a working platform, a MEWP. Only third, limit the fall: nets, soft landing systems, and last of all a personal harness.
An inspection that ticks "harness worn" without asking why the edge has no rail has checked the wrong thing. The planning section comes before the equipment for that reason.
One entry per piece of kit
"Ladders in good condition — Yes" on a job with eleven ladders tells nobody which one had the cracked stile. Every ladder, tower, scaffold and MEWP here is its own entry, with its number, where it is being used, and the questions that apply to that type of equipment — a stepladder is not asked about outriggers and a boom lift is not asked about its angle against the wall.
Harnesses and anchors get their own lists for the same reason. Each check on each entry is scored, so one bad lanyard shows up as one bad lanyard.
Fragile surfaces
Roof lights, fibre cement sheets, old glazing and rotten decking will not take a person's weight, and they are often hard to see — painted over, covered in moss, or looking exactly like the sound sheet next to them. Falls through fragile surfaces are among the most common ways people die in roof work.
Treat every roof as fragile until someone competent has said otherwise in writing. The controls are physical: covers or rails on the roof lights, staging or crawling boards to cross, nets underneath where people must work beside them.
A harness needs a rescue plan and room to fall
A fall arrest system only works if there is enough clear space below it. Add up the lanyard length, the distance the shock absorber opens, the height of the person below the anchor point, and a safety margin. On a low roof or a mezzanine that total can exceed the drop, and the person reaches the floor anyway.
The second half is getting them down. Someone hanging in a harness needs to be reached in minutes, not in the time it takes the emergency services to arrive with a ladder long enough. If the rescue plan is "call 999" or "call 911", there is no rescue plan.
What a finding needs
A failed check is only useful if somebody else can act on it without asking you. Record what the defect is, exactly where, who is fixing it, and by when. "Tower 3, east stair, missing toe board on top lift, scaffold supervisor, before use tomorrow" gets fixed. "Towers — No" does not. Say it while you are standing there; the detail is gone by the time you are back at a desk.
Common questions
What counts as working at height?
In the UK, any place where a person could fall a distance liable to cause injury if no precautions were taken — including at or below ground, such as the edge of an excavation. There is no minimum height. In the US, OSHA sets triggers for fall protection: generally 6 feet in construction and 4 feet in general industry, with different figures for scaffolds and some trades.
How often should work at height equipment be inspected?
Users should check ladders, harnesses and lanyards before every use. On top of that, each item needs a periodic detailed inspection by a competent person at an interval set by the manufacturer and your own procedure — for harnesses, commonly every six months. Scaffolds have statutory intervals: at least every seven days in the UK, before each shift in the US, and after anything that could have affected them.
When is it acceptable to use a ladder?
When a risk assessment shows a platform is not justified because the work is low risk and short — commonly understood as no more than about 30 minutes in one position — and the ladder can be set up securely with three points of contact kept. Heavy or awkward materials and work that needs both hands are signs that a ladder is the wrong choice.
Should I record the names of the people exposed?
Record roles and numbers here — "two roofers, one labourer". Names belong in training and competence records, where they can be checked against qualifications. A list of names on an inspection form goes out of date as soon as the crew changes.
Who is allowed to carry out this inspection?
A competent person: someone with the training and experience to recognise the hazards of work at height, knowledge of the equipment involved, and the authority to stop the work. The competence required rises with the complexity — a scaffold or a MEWP needs someone who understands that equipment.