Stay on the ground if you can
If you can't, stop the fall happening with guardrails or a platform. A harness to catch the fall is the last resort.
Free toolbox talk · PDF, Word & Excel
Free fall protection and working at height toolbox talk.
A ten-minute talk on fall protection and working at height, to give before anyone goes up. It has five key points, three questions for the crew, room for your own site notes and an attendance sign-off.
Free. PDF, Word and Excel.
- Printable PDF, editable Word and Excel
- One page, ten minutes
- Five key points, three crew questions
- Attendance sign-off for 24
Why this talk matters
Fall protection is OSHA's most cited standard
Fall protection in construction has been the most cited OSHA standard every year since FY2011, and falls are the leading cause of death in construction. A lot of falls are from low heights on short jobs, where the planning stopped at "it will only take a minute".
The talk goes through the controls in order. Work from the ground if you can. If you can't, stop the fall happening with guardrails or a platform. Only use a harness to catch a fall when neither of those works, and have a rescue plan ready.
When work at height needs a permit on your site, Zentri Permits keeps the access method, the anchors and the rescue plan on one live record.
The key points
Five key points, explained
Know when it kicks in
Fall protection is required from 4 ft (1.2 m) in general industry and 6 ft (1.8 m) in construction. Your site may set it lower.
Check your gear every time
Check your harness, lanyard and anchor before each use. If anything is damaged, or it has already caught a fall, take it out of service.
Set ladders up properly
Keep three points of contact, set the ladder at 4 to 1 and extend it 3 ft (0.9 m) above the landing.
Have a rescue plan
Someone hanging in a harness needs to be reached in minutes, not whenever the fire service turns up.
Ask the crew
Three questions, and what to listen for
Ask each one and give the crew time to answer.
What's the highest anyone will be working today, and what stops them falling from there? Listen for: a guardrail, a platform, or a specific anchor point.
When did you last check your harness, and what did you look for? Listen for: cuts, burns, stitching, the fall indicator and the hardware.
If someone's left hanging in a harness, how do we get them down? Listen for: an agreed rescue method, and the gear to do it on site.
This talk is provided as general guidance. Site-specific procedures and the requirements of the authority having jurisdiction and your insurer take precedence. Have a competent person review and adapt it before use.
FAQs
Working at Height toolbox talk FAQs
A ten-minute briefing before work at height. It covers the order of controls, trigger heights, harness and anchor checks, ladders and rescue.
It's the same hazard. US standards and sites tend to say fall protection, and UK sites and many others say working at height. This talk covers both.
Under OSHA, 4 ft (1.2 m) in general industry and 6 ft (1.8 m) in construction, with lower triggers in some situations, such as work over dangerous equipment. Your site may set a lower height for everyone.
Yes. The Word and Excel versions are editable. Add your own anchor points, access equipment and rescue method in the On this site box.
More resources
More talks and templates
Permit
Working at Height Permit Template
Access method, fall protection, anchors, rescue plan and handback.
View template TalkLadder Safety Toolbox Talk
Pick the right ladder, set it at 4 to 1, keep three points of contact.
View talk HubAll toolbox talk topics
Every ten-minute safety talk, each in PDF, Word and Excel.
View all talksWhen paper stops being enough
Download the free fall protection and working at height toolbox talk
Running work at height permits on paper? Zentri keeps the access method, anchors and rescue plan on one live record.