Falls are a major cause of death and serious injury in Australian workplaces. In fact, in 2023, 15 percent of all workplace fatalities in Australia were caused by falls from height, making it the second leading cause of death.
Fall hazards are found in many workplaces where work is carried out at height, for example stacking shelves in warehouses and retail outlets, working on a roof, unloading a large truck or accessing silos. Falls can also occur at ground level into holes, for example trenches or service pits.
Many falls from height occur whilst completing construction work, with 25 percent of South Australian injuries recorded by plumbers, electricians and carpenters caused by a fall from height.
Ladders, unstable and incomplete scaffolds, falling off a roof edge or scissor lift, and walking on a non-weight bearing structure are some common causes of injuries.
What is a fall?
| WHS Regulations: Regulation 78 and 79 |
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Workers are at risk of injury if they fall from one level to another, or at level. This page is about falls from one level to another.
You can read more about falls on the same level on our “slips, trips and falls on the ground level” page.
PCBU responsibilities
PCBUs, such as employers, must manage the risk of falls, including when they occur:
- in or on an elevated workplace from which a person could fall
- in the vicinity of an opening through which a person could fall
- in the vicinity of an edge over which a person could fall
- on a surface through which a person could fall
- in any other place from which a person could fall.
PCBUs must also ensure they provide a safe means of access/egress to and from any area that involves the risk of a fall.
Worker responsibilities
As a worker, you must:
- contribute to a safe workplace by taking responsibility for your safety and the safety of people you work with
- follow all safe work instructions and procedures
- report safety issues
- use safety gear (PPE) where required.
Controls
To successfully manage the risk, the PCBU must work through the hierarchy of controls and implement control measures to eliminate or minimise the risk of harm. The WHS Regulations (2012) require specific control measures to be implemented when managing the risk of falls, where it is reasonably practicable to do so. The below diagram shows these control measures, from most to least effective.
You may need to use a combination of controls to minimise risks if a single control is not sufficient.
1. Work on the ground or on a solid construction (eliminate)
The most effective control measure is to eliminate the risk of a fall, so far as is reasonably practicable. This can be achieved by working on the ground or from a solid construction.
Tasks that could be done on the ground include:
- prefabricating roofs at ground level
- prefabricating wall frames horizontally, then standing them up
- reducing shelving heights so workers can access items from ground level
- using tools with long, extendable handles, for example paint rollers
If you are unable to complete work on the ground, working on a solid construction also provides an environment where the likelihood of a fall may be eliminated.
Solid construction means an area:
- with a surface that is structurally capable of supporting workers, material and any other loads applied to it
- provided with barriers around its perimeter and around any openings from or through which a person could fall
- with an even and readily negotiable surface and gradient, and
- with a safe means of entry and exit.
Examples of solid constructions include:
- fixed platforms
- solidly constructed stairs and walkways with fixed handrails.
Silos with fixed platform and guard rails
2. Use a Fall Prevention device, where possible
If it is not reasonably practicable for you to eliminate the risk of falling by working on the ground or on a solid construction, you must minimise the risk of a fall by providing adequate fall protection.
Fall-prevention devices include:
- elevated work platforms (EWPs);
- temporary roof edge protection, such as guardrails;
- safety mesh;
- and scaffolding.
Perimeter scaffold with fully decked working platform, guard rails, midrails and toeboards
Scissor-lift elevating work platform
3. Use a Work Positioning System, where possible
If it is not possible to use a fall prevention device, you must use a work positioning system. Work positioning systems are used to position and safely support the worker in a way that a fall is prevented.
These are:
- a restraint system (which prevents the wearer from reaching a position in which they could fall)
- and industrial rope access.
Work positioning systems require a high level of competency on the part of the user and supervisors to ensure safe use. Users, including supervisors, should undertake a relevant competency-based course of training before using a work position system.
Restraint technique options
Operator using a descender in an industrial rope access system
4. If not possible to use previous controls, use a fall arrest system
If it is not possible to use a fall prevention device or a work positioning system, you should use a fall arrest system, such as:
- industrial safety nets
- catch platforms
- individual fall-arrest systems including harnesses and lifelines
- double lanyards.
A fall-arrest system may not prevent a fall; however, it stops a person who has fallen and reduces the impact of the fall and can reduce injuries in a fall.
Fall arrest equipment needs to be installed by a licensed scaffolder or rigger. Wearing harnesses creates a trip hazard, so workers must take extra care with them.
Emergency and Rescue Procedures
| WHS Regulations: Chapter 4, Part 4, Regulation 80 |
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If you decide to use a fall arrest system, you must establish emergency and rescue procedures and test them to ensure they are effective. Workers must be provided with suitable and adequate information, instruction and training in relation to the emergency procedures.
5. Use administrative controls (to support higher level controls)
Administrative controls may be used to support other control measures. You must not use administrative controls exclusively to minimise the risk of falls unless it is not reasonably practicable to use a higher order control.
Examples of administrative controls you may use include:
- having ‘no go’ areas, cordoned off with barriers and displaying warning signs
- permit systems, which only allow competent people trained in the use of relevant control measures to work in an area where there is a hazard
- sequencing work so that people do not interfere with other workers or increase the risk to themselves or others.
- providing training and supervision.
Within the construction industry, a PCBU must also prepare and implement a site-specific Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) for work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 3 metres.
From July 2026, a SWMS will be required for construction work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres.
The use of ladders is also considered an administrative control.
While ladders are often seen as the first option when working at heights, they should only be considered after safer alternatives, for example EWPs or scaffolding, have been considered first and found to be not reasonably practicable.
