Work Health and Safety (Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces) Code of Practice 2015

The Work Health and Safety (Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces) Code of Practice 2015 is an approved code of practice made under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. It is a practical guide to achieving the standards of health, safety and welfare required under the WHS Act and the Work Health and Safety Regulations for fall risks.

For business owners, the important point is that a code of practice is not just background reading. The Code says approved codes are admissible in court proceedings under the WHS Act and Regulations. Courts may regard a code as evidence of what is known about a hazard, risk or control and may rely on it when deciding what is reasonably practicable. Inspectors may also refer to an approved code when issuing an improvement or prohibition notice.

The Code also makes clear that it is not the only compliance pathway. A business may comply by following another method, such as a technical or industry standard, if that method provides an equivalent or higher standard of work health and safety than the Code. If you choose another method, you should be able to explain why it gives at least the same level of protection.

The Code applies to all workplaces covered by the WHS Act and Regulations where there is a risk of a fall by a person from one level to another that is reasonably likely to cause injury. That scope is broad. The Code gives examples including stacking shelves, working on a roof, unloading a large truck, accessing silos, and falls at ground level into holes such as trenches or service pits.

It is not limited to the business that controls the site. The Code provides practical guidance to persons conducting a business or undertaking, including those who design, construct, import, supply or install plant or structures. It also addresses officers, such as company directors, and workers.

The Code defines a risk of a fall to include circumstances where a person is in or on plant or a structure at an elevated level, in or on plant used to gain access to an elevated level, near an opening or edge through which a person could fall, on or near a surface through which a person could fall, or on or near a slippery, sloping or unstable surface.

This instrument is a Commonwealth approved code made under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. The foreword says the Code was developed by Safe Work Australia as a model code of practice for adoption by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments.

That means businesses should not assume this exact Code applies in every Australian jurisdiction in the same way. Publicly available guidance commonly treats the model WHS jurisdictions as including the Commonwealth, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. Western Australia and Victoria do not follow the model WHS framework in the same way, so businesses operating there should check the local legislation, regulations and regulator guidance rather than assuming this Commonwealth Code applies directly.

If your business works nationally, this matters in practice. A fall-risk procedure that is sensible under the model WHS framework may still need local checking for regulator guidance, adopted codes, and any jurisdiction-specific requirements. This page is best used as a practical starting point, not as the final compliance check for multi-jurisdiction operations.

A person conducting a business or undertaking has the primary duty under the WHS Act to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that workers and other persons are not exposed to health and safety risks arising from the business or undertaking. In the falls context, the WHS Regulations impose more specific obligations to manage the risk of a fall by a person from one level to another.

Those obligations include ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, that work involving the risk of a fall is carried out on the ground or on a solid construction, providing safe means of access to and exit from the workplace, and minimising the risk of falls by providing a fall prevention device, work positioning system or fall-arrest system.

Designers, manufacturers, suppliers, importers and installers of plant or structures that could be used for work must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the plant or structure is without risks to health and safety. The Code specifically notes the importance of designers eliminating or minimising fall risks at the design stage.

Officers, such as company directors, must exercise due diligence to ensure the business complies with the WHS Act and Regulations. Workers must take reasonable care for their own health and safety, avoid adversely affecting others, and comply with reasonable instructions.

The Code says you must identify all locations and tasks that could cause injury due to a fall, including access to the areas where work is to be carried out. It then lists tasks that need particular attention.

These include work on structures or plant being constructed, installed, demolished, dismantled, inspected, tested, repaired or cleaned. They also include work on fragile surfaces such as cement sheeting roofs, rusty metal roofs, fibreglass sheeting roofs and skylights, work on potentially unstable surfaces, work using equipment to reach an elevated level, work on sloping or slippery surfaces, work near unprotected open edges, and work near holes, shafts or pits into which a worker could fall.

For many small and medium businesses, the practical trigger is simple. If a person changes level, works near an edge or opening, uses equipment to gain height, or works on a surface that may be slippery, fragile or unstable, the Code should be part of your planning.

The Code directs duty holders to inspect the workplace and talk to workers to find out where work is carried out that could result in falls. It suggests that a checklist may be useful. This is a practical reminder that hazard identification should happen before the work starts, not after workers and equipment are already committed to the task.

The Code lists the key things to look for during inspection. These include the stability, fragility or brittleness of surfaces, slip potential where surfaces are wet, polished or glazed, safe movement where surfaces change, the strength of surfaces to support loads, and the slope of work surfaces. It also points to changes in levels, the stability of temporary and permanent structures, the evenness and stability of the ground for scaffolding or work platforms, whether the working area is crowded or cluttered, entry and exit arrangements, protection for open edges, guarding for holes and excavations, and places where hand grip may be lost.

In some situations, the Code says technical advice may be needed from specialists such as structural engineers to check stability or load-bearing capacity. It also says you should review records of previous injuries and near misses related to falls.

The Code says a risk assessment helps determine what could happen if a fall occurred, how likely it is, how severe the risk is, whether existing controls are effective, what action should be taken and how urgently. It also says a risk assessment is unnecessary if you already know the risk and how to control it.

That does not mean businesses can skip thinking about the actual conditions. The Code lists a range of matters to consider when assessing risk, including the design and layout of elevated work areas, the distance of a potential fall, the number and movement of people at the workplace, proximity to unsafe areas, loads placed on elevated working areas, work carried out above people where objects could fall, inspection and maintenance of plant and equipment, lighting, weather, footwear and clothing, the suitability and condition of ladders, worker knowledge and training, and the adequacy of emergency procedures.

The Code also allows a generic risk assessment where fall hazards are the same across a number of work areas or workplaces. But it says an individual assessment should be carried out where a person may be exposed to greater, additional or different risks.

The Code explains that control measures can be ranked from the highest level of protection and reliability to the lowest. This is the hierarchy of control. Duty holders must work through that hierarchy to choose the control that most effectively eliminates or minimises the risk in the circumstances. That may involve one control or a combination of controls.

For falls, the Code sets out a practical sequence. First, ask whether the need to work at height can be avoided so the work is carried out on the ground. Second, ask whether the fall can be prevented by working on a solid construction. Third, if the risk remains, consider whether it can be minimised by providing and maintaining a safe system of work, including a fall prevention device, work positioning system or fall-arrest system.

This order matters. A business should not default to the equipment it already owns if a better control is reasonably practicable. If stock can be repositioned so work is done from the ground, that is the first question. If maintenance can be done from a solid construction with safe access and egress, that is generally a stronger control than relying on personal equipment.

The Code also notes that it is usually not necessary to implement additional fall controls for workplaces in buildings that already comply with National Construction Code requirements for features such as stairs, mezzanines and balconies.

The table of contents shows the Code gives detailed guidance on a wide range of control measures. These include work on the ground, work on a solid construction, temporary work platforms, perimeter guard rails, safety mesh, industrial rope access systems, restraint techniques, catch platforms, industrial safety nets, individual fall-arrest systems, anchorage lines or rails, portable ladders, fixed ladders, ladder maintenance, administrative controls, emergency procedures for falls, suspension intolerance, and design of plant and structures.

That matters because fall control is not one product and not one rule. The right control depends on the task, the work area, the surface, the access method, the number of people involved, and whether the control prevents a fall or only responds after a fall has happened. Businesses that regularly use ladders, rope access, guard rails, safety mesh or fall-arrest systems should check the full Code for the detailed conditions and limitations that apply to those methods.

The design chapter is also important for businesses that commission fit-outs, plant, structures or building works. Good design can remove the need for risky access later, which is often a better outcome than trying to manage the risk after installation.

The Code says consultation involves sharing information, giving workers a reasonable opportunity to express views and taking those views into account before making decisions on health and safety matters. The WHS Act requires consultation, so far as is reasonably practicable, with workers who carry out work for you and are, or are likely to be, directly affected by a WHS matter. If workers are represented by a health and safety representative, the consultation must involve that representative.

The Code says you must consult workers and their representatives at every step of the risk management process. This is not just a formality. Workers often know where surfaces are slippery, where access is awkward, where loads shift, or where a task is usually done in a way that creates unnecessary exposure.

The Code also requires consultation, cooperation and coordination with other duty holders who share responsibility for the same matter. Its transport example is practical: a transport company with large trucks should consult goods suppliers and delivery businesses about how fall risks will be controlled during loading and unloading, including whether suitable equipment is available so workers do not have to climb on top of loads.

The Code says duty holders must maintain implemented control measures so they remain effective. They must also review, and if necessary revise, risk control measures so as to maintain, so far as is reasonably practicable, a work environment that is without risks to health and safety.

In practice, this means fall controls are not set and forget. Equipment condition, weather, staffing, site layout, loads, access routes and the nature of the task can all change. A control that worked on one job may not be enough on the next one if the surface, height, traffic or surrounding hazards are different.

The table of contents also shows dedicated sections on emergency procedures for falls and suspension intolerance. Even without reproducing those detailed sections here, the structure of the Code makes clear that emergency planning is part of proper fall-risk management. If your chosen system could leave a person suspended after a fall, rescue planning should be considered before the work starts, not after an incident occurs.

The most useful way to apply this Code is to map it against your recurring jobs. Identify where people change levels, where they work near edges or openings, where they use ladders or access equipment, where surfaces may be fragile or unstable, and where contractors or other businesses share the same risk.

Then build a simple process around the Code. Identify the hazard. Decide whether the work can be done on the ground. If not, decide whether a solid construction is available. Choose the most effective reasonably practicable control. Provide safe access and exit. Consult workers. Coordinate with other duty holders. Maintain the control. Review it when conditions change.

If your business designs or procures plant or structures, add a design-stage check so risky access is designed out where possible. If your business operates across jurisdictions, confirm the local legal position before treating this page as your final compliance reference.