Working at Heights Compliance.. What You Need to Know

By Chad Burgess |  Compliance & Regulation  |  6 min read

Working at heights remains one of the leading causes of serious injury and fatality in Australian workplaces. In Queensland, the regulatory framework around height work is clear, but in practice, compliance is more nuanced than a simple checklist. Here's what site managers, project engineers, and HSE teams need to understand.

The Legal Framework

Height safety in Queensland sits under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld). The regulations place a duty on persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) to manage the risk of a fall from one level to another.

The hierarchy of controls applies directly: eliminate the risk where possible, then substitute, then engineer controls, then administrative controls, and finally personal protective equipment, in that order. Relying on harnesses and lanyards as a primary control measure when engineering solutions are practicable is not compliant.

What Triggers the Requirement for a Safe Work Method Statement?

Any work at heights that is classified as high-risk work (HRW) requires a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) before work begins. Work at heights qualifies as HRW when there is a risk of a fall of more than 2 metres.

The SWMS must identify the specific hazards, the risk controls in place, and the people responsible for implementing and monitoring those controls. It must be prepared in consultation with workers who will carry out the work, and must be kept on-site and reviewed if conditions change.

Rescue Planning.. Often Overlooked

One of the most commonly under-resourced aspects of height work compliance is rescue planning. The regulations require that a rescue procedure is in place before work begins. That means a documented plan, trained personnel, and equipment that is immediately accessible, not a plan to call 000 and wait.

In rope access work, the rescue capacity is built into the IRATA system, every Level 1 technician is trained and competent in basic rescue. That's one of the significant advantages of rope access over less structured access methods.

Competency and Supervision Requirements

Workers performing height work must be competent, meaning they have the skills, knowledge, and experience to perform the work safely. For rope access work, IRATA certification provides a verifiable competency standard. For scaffolding, workers must hold a relevant high-risk work licence.

Supervision must be adequate for the risk level. On a complex or high-hazard height scope, having an unqualified person supervising work they don't understand is a compliance failure, and a liability.

Permit to Work Systems

On most industrial sites, height work will require a permit to work (PTW). The PTW system is the site's mechanism for controlling simultaneous operations and ensuring that isolation, exclusion zones, and communication requirements are met before work begins.

A contractor who doesn't understand the PTW system or who treats it as a formality is a risk to your site. Experienced industrial contractors will integrate seamlessly with your PTW process, it's part of how professional height work gets done.

Staying Current

The regulatory environment around height safety continues to evolve. Safe Work Australia periodically updates the Code of Practice for Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces, and Queensland's own guidance material is updated to reflect incident learnings and emerging best practice.

For project managers and HSE professionals, staying current means more than reading the legislation, it means understanding how regulators are interpreting and enforcing it, and what the current industry standard of care actually looks like in practice.

SureAccess works across Mackay, the Bowen Basin, and wider Queensland. If you have questions about height safety compliance on your site or project, our team is available to assist.

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