Below is an extract from the Tasmanian WHS Regulations 2012

Regulation

78. Management of risk of fall

(1) A person conducting a business or undertaking at a workplace must manage, in accordance with Part 3.1, risks to health and safety associated with a fall by a person from 1 level to another that is reasonably likely to cause injury to the person or any other person.

(2) Subregulation (1) includes the risk of a fall –

(a) in or on an elevated workplace from which a person could fall; or

(b) in the vicinity of an opening through which a person could fall; or

(c) in the vicinity of an edge over which a person could fall; or

(d) on a surface through which a person could fall; or

(e) in any other place from which a person could fall.

In Layman's terms working at heights, is any situation where you are at a risk of fall from 1 level to another that may cause harm or injury to yourself or others.

Regulation

80. Emergency and rescue procedures (when working at heights).

(1) This regulation applies if a person conducting a business or undertaking provides a fall arrest system as a control measure.

(2) Without limiting regulation 79, the person must establish emergency procedures, including rescue procedures, in relation to the use of the fall arrest system.

(3) The person must ensure that the emergency procedures are tested so that they are effective.

(4) The person must provide relevant workers with suitable and adequate information, training and instruction in relation to the emergency procedures.

Again in Layman's terms, when any work at heights is conducted using fall arrest equipment and there is potential to reach a free fall position, a rescue plan and a tested rescue procedure must be established.

In the event of an emergency, the rescue procedure must be implemented as soon as possible.

In Australia, the Construction industry accounted for 37% of falls-related fatalities and recorded a fatality rate four times the overall rate in the 2008–11 period.