CalmComplianceRisk Assessment template
School Work-at-Height Arrangements Risk Assessment
- Version
- v1
- Updated
- 1 October 2026
- Audience
- Maintained and academy primary and secondary schools in England, excluding independent schools; school leaders, employers, competent persons, facilities teams, line managers and employees who plan or undertake work at height.
- Jurisdiction
- england
Activity assessed
Work at height undertaken by school employees, meaning work in any place where, without precautions, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. Applicability, locations, tasks, people exposed, equipment, arrangements and controls must be confirmed against the actual school premises and activities.
Assess each hazard and its controls against your site before use. Template ratings require local review.
Hazards and controls
A person could fall from an unprotected edge, platform, roof edge, stair or other elevated location, or through an opening, during work at height. Record the specific task, location, persons exposed and circumstances where applicable.
- Existing controls
- To be confirmed and recorded for the relevant task and location. Do not treat controls as existing unless their presence, suitability and use have been verified. Record any guarding, barriers, access restrictions, supervision, safe system of work or other arrangements already in place.
- Proposed controls
- Avoid work at height where reasonably practicable. Where it cannot be avoided, plan the work and select suitable precautions based on the actual task and premises. Prevent access to unprotected edges and openings using suitable collective protection or other appropriate measures; restrict the work area; control access by pupils, staff, visitors and contractors; use a documented safe system of work; provide suitable supervision; and stop the task if required precautions are absent, defective or cannot be maintained. Record the responsible person, action, target date and completion evidence separately in the local action log.
Local assessment and additional controls
A person could fall through a fragile roof, ceiling, skylight, rooflight or other surface that may not safely support the person or equipment.
- Existing controls
- To be confirmed. Record whether fragile surfaces have been identified, whether access is prevented or controlled, and whether any warning, exclusion, supervision or specialist arrangements are already verified for the relevant location.
- Proposed controls
- Avoid access to fragile surfaces wherever possible. Identify and communicate known or suspected fragile areas before planning work. Prevent unauthorised access and do not permit a person to work on or near a fragile surface without a task-specific method, suitable protection and competent planning. Use appropriate collective protection or other measures selected for the actual location; arrange specialist advice where the condition or load-bearing capacity is uncertain; and suspend the work if the surface or precautions cannot be reliably established.
Local assessment and additional controls
A person could fall while accessing, positioning, using or descending from access equipment selected or used unsafely for the task, duration, height, location or surface.
- Existing controls
- To be confirmed for each task. Record the equipment actually available and approved, its condition and suitability, user competence, stability arrangements, inspection or pre-use-check arrangements where applicable, and any restrictions already established. Do not assume that a particular type of equipment is present or suitable.
- Proposed controls
- Select equipment and precautions through task-specific planning, prioritising measures that prevent falls. Confirm suitability, stability, access, positioning, ground or surface conditions, surrounding hazards, duration, materials handled and the need for both hands. Establish arrangements for equipment selection, use, checking, maintenance, storage and removal from service where relevant. Prohibit improvised access arrangements and use outside the manufacturer's or competent planner's instructions. Provide information, instruction, training and supervision proportionate to the task.
Local assessment and additional controls
A person could lose balance or fall because of slips, trips, poor housekeeping, obstructions, unsuitable surfaces, limited visibility, manual handling or carrying items while working at height.
- Existing controls
- To be confirmed at the actual work location. Record the condition of access routes and work surfaces, housekeeping arrangements, lighting, space, material-handling arrangements and any existing restrictions or supervision.
- Proposed controls
- Inspect and prepare the access route and work area before starting. Remove or control obstructions, spills, trailing items and loose materials; provide adequate lighting; keep platforms and access routes clear; plan how tools and materials will be moved; avoid carrying items that prevent safe access or balance; and stop work when housekeeping, visibility or surface conditions are unsuitable.
Local assessment and additional controls
Tools, materials, equipment or other objects could fall from the work area and injure people below or nearby, or destabilise the person working at height.
- Existing controls
- To be confirmed for the relevant task and location. Record any existing exclusion zones, barriers, secure storage, tool-control arrangements, protection for people below and arrangements for preventing materials from being displaced.
- Proposed controls
- Assess the risk to people below and nearby. Establish and maintain an exclusion or controlled area where required; prevent access by pupils, staff, visitors and others; secure tools and materials against displacement; keep platforms and edges clear; use suitable containment or protection where necessary; sequence the work to avoid exposing people below; and provide warning, supervision and communication arrangements appropriate to the task.
Local assessment and additional controls
People not undertaking the work, including pupils, employees, visitors or contractors, could enter the work area, interfere with the task or be exposed to a fall or falling object.
- Existing controls
- To be confirmed for the actual premises and activity. Record existing access controls, segregation, communication, supervision, safeguarding arrangements, permits or coordination with other work, without assuming that any arrangement is in place.
- Proposed controls
- Define the work area and people who may be exposed. Segregate the activity from normal school operations using suitable barriers, access controls and supervision; schedule work to reduce interaction where practicable; communicate restrictions to relevant staff and contractors; coordinate simultaneous activities; prevent pupils or unauthorised people from approaching the work; and review arrangements when the school day, occupancy or work conditions change.
Local assessment and additional controls
Weather, wind, rain, ice, heat, poor visibility or other changing environmental conditions could make work at height unsafe or increase the likelihood of a fall.
- Existing controls
- To be confirmed for any external or environmentally exposed work. Record the arrangements already verified for checking conditions, communicating changes, protecting the work area and stopping or postponing the task.
- Proposed controls
- Assess environmental conditions before and during the task where they may change. Establish clear stop-work criteria for conditions that could affect stability, visibility, grip, access or control of materials; monitor conditions; protect or remove equipment when not in use; and postpone or redesign the work when safe precautions cannot be maintained.
Local assessment and additional controls
A fall could occur because the person planning, supervising or undertaking the work lacks the competence, information, instruction, training or experience needed for the particular task and conditions.
- Existing controls
- To be confirmed for each role and task. Record verified competence, relevant experience, training, supervision and access to task-specific information. Do not assume competence from job title, previous work or familiarity with the premises.
- Proposed controls
- Define the competence required for planning, supervision and execution of each task. Use a competent person to plan or advise on work requiring specialist knowledge; provide suitable information, instruction and training; set supervision requirements; restrict tasks to people who are competent for the conditions and equipment involved; and arrange competent specialist contractors where the school's personnel cannot safely undertake the work.
Local assessment and additional controls
A person could remain suspended, stranded, injured or otherwise exposed after a fall or incident because emergency communication, rescue, first aid or access arrangements are inadequate for the actual task and location.
- Existing controls
- To be confirmed for the specific task and location. Record the verified emergency communication, access, first-aid, incident-reporting and rescue arrangements, including any limitations. Do not assume that normal school emergency arrangements are sufficient for work at height.
- Proposed controls
- Plan proportionate emergency and rescue arrangements before work starts. Ensure the responsible people know how to raise an alarm, summon assistance, provide first aid and access the location; maintain communication; keep access routes available; consider how a person would be recovered after a fall or other incident; brief everyone involved; and stop the task if a practicable response cannot be provided.
Local assessment and additional controls
Existing precautions may become unsuitable when the task, location, people exposed, equipment, weather, school occupancy or surrounding work changes, creating an uncontrolled fall risk.
- Existing controls
- To be confirmed. Record any existing arrangements for reviewing the assessment, briefing workers, managing changes, reporting defects and stopping work. This register does not evidence that a review or briefing has occurred.
- Proposed controls
- Review the relevant assessment and safe system of work before the task and whenever circumstances change, following an incident, near miss, defect or concern. Reconfirm the location, people exposed, equipment, competence, exclusion arrangements, environmental conditions and emergency arrangements. Brief affected people, record actions and owners, verify completion before resuming work, and retain evidence of the review in the school's local records.
Local assessment and additional controls