Programme overview
Technical depth: Practitioner · Practical mode: Inspection walkthrough
Introduction
Falls from height and failed lifts are among the most frequent causes of fatal workplace incidents, and most follow a familiar pattern: an uninspected scaffold, an unsuitable anchor, an unplanned lift or no rescue arrangement. Organisations need supervisors who can recognise these conditions and stop the job before they combine. This Core Concept course equips supervisors to plan and control work at height, scaffolding and lifting operations using EN 12811-1, EN 363, ISO 12480-1 and ISO 4309. Participants inspect equipment against these criteria and leave with a Work at Height and Lifting Control Pack for their own site.
Course Objectives
- Apply the work at height hierarchy to select collective and personal protection for specific tasks
- Inspect scaffolds, access towers and fall protection equipment against recognised standards and record their status
- Prepare lift plans covering load, radius, ground conditions, rigging and exclusion zones in line with ISO 12480-1
- Calculate fall clearance and plan rescue from height, including the management of suspension trauma
- Identify and escalate critical lifts, dropped object risks and weather-related stop conditions
- Produce a Work at Height and Lifting Control Pack for the participant's own site
Target Audience
- Site and maintenance supervisors who plan and authorise work at height
- Lifting supervisors and appointed persons who plan crane and hoist operations
- Scaffold inspectors and supervisors of scaffolding contractors
- HSE officers who inspect access equipment, fall protection and lifting activities
- Facilities and shutdown coordinators managing rooftop, facade and plant maintenance at height
Course Outline
Day 1: Work at Height and Lifting Hazards in Context
- Falls From Height and Dropped Object Incident Patterns
- Work at Height Hierarchy: Avoid, Prevent, Arrest
- Lifting Operation Failure Modes: Overload, Rigging and Ground Failure
- ILO Construction Code Provisions for Scaffolds, Ladders and Lifting Appliances
- Work at Height and Lifting Activity Register for a Current-State Review
Day 2: Standards for Access Equipment, Fall Protection and Cranes
- Scaffold Performance and Design Requirements in EN 12811-1
- Mobile Access and Working Towers to EN 1004-1:2020
- Personal Fall Protection Systems to EN 363 and Anchor Devices to EN 795
- Safe Use of Cranes in ISO 12480-1:2024: Roles and Safe System of Work
- Wire Rope Inspection and Discard Criteria in ISO 4309:2017
Day 3: Planning and Controlling Work at Height and Lifts
- Scaffold Inspection and Tagging: Handover, Weekly and Post-Weather Checks
- Fall Arrest Clearance Distance and Swing Fall Calculation
- Ladder, Stepladder and MEWP Selection by Task
- Lift Plan Preparation: Load, Radius, Ground Bearing and Exclusion Zone
- Slinging and Signalling: Sling Angle Load Tables and ISO 16715 Hand Signals
Day 4: Critical Lifts, Rescue and Problem Cases
- Critical and Tandem Lift Categorisation and Approval
- Suspension Trauma and Rescue-From-Height Plan Design
- Dropped Object Prevention Using the DROPS Calculator and Tool Tethering
- Wind Speed Limits and Weather Stop Criteria for Cranes and Elevated Work
- Crane Inspection Regimes and Records Based on ISO 9927-1
Day 5: Inspection Walkthrough and the Control Pack
- Scaffold Inspection Walkthrough Against an EN 12811-1 Checklist
- Harness, Lanyard and Anchor Pre-Use Inspection Practical
- Mobile Crane Case: Reviewing a Deficient Lift Plan
- Rooftop Maintenance Case: Rescue Plan and Anchor Selection
- Work at Height and Lifting Control Pack Build and Peer Review
Skills You Will Gain
- Scaffold Inspection
- Fall Protection System Selection
- Lift Planning
- Rigging and Signalling Control
- Rescue-From-Height Planning
- Dropped Object Prevention
- Lifting Equipment Inspection
Why Attend This Course
- Return to work with a Work at Height and Lifting Control Pack: rescue plan, scaffold inspection register and lift plan template
- Recognise the scaffold, anchor and rigging defects that routinely precede falls and dropped loads
- Question a lift plan or a scaffold tag with specific criteria instead of accepting it at face value
- Compare practices with supervisors from construction, oil and gas, utilities, ports and facilities maintenance
Conclusion
Work at height and lifting operations are routine on most sites, which is why the controls around them erode quietly until something falls. This course moves from the hierarchy of control and the governing standards, through scaffold inspection, fall protection and lift planning, to critical lifts, rescue, dropped objects and weather limits. The final day applies that material in inspection walkthroughs and case reviews and produces a Work at Height and Lifting Control Pack that participants use to direct the next task they plan.