Employers have a legal responsibility under the WAH Regulations to ensure that their employees are competent to plan and carry out any work at height expected of them.

Competence is a combination of training, skills, experience and knowledge needed to work safely and without risks to health.

This means that employees must have been given the appropriate training needed to:

• Use and inspect equipment safely and correctly.
• Assemble or dismantle equipment. For example, extensive training is required for the erection of tower scaffolding.
• Safely use and inspect safety harnesses if they are needed.