How do you determine whether someone is ‘competent’ to work at height?

You must ensure that people with sufficient skills, knowledge and experience are employed to perform the task, or, if they are being trained, that they work under the supervision of somebody who is competent.

In the case of low-risk, short duration tasks involving ladders, competence requirements may be no more than making sure employees receive instruction on how to use the equipment safely (e.g. how to secure a ladder properly) and appropriate training. Training can take place on the job, it does not always need take place in a classroom.

When a more technical level of competence is required, for example using rope access techniques to clean a façade, existing training and certification schemes drawn up by trade associations and industry can help to demonstrate competence.