WORKING AT HEIGHT
BETTER REPORTING, SAFER WORKPLACES
Francis Camilleri, Technical Director at T.B. Davies and Chair of the Ladder Association Technical Committee, looks at why the UK must tackle low-level fall data gaps.
Low-level falls are a significant yet overlooked risk in occupational safety management. Health and safety professionals must understand the consequences of inconsistent incident reporting to assess risks effectively, comply with RIDDOR obligations, and strengthen workplace safety programmes. This article examines the risks of underestimating these incidents and argues that improved data collection is crucial for enhancing safety in work at height.
THE HIDDEN IMPACT OF LOW-LEVEL FALLS
Low-level falls – those occurring from less than two metres – are often underestimated in workplace safety discussions. Yet, these incidents can lead to serious injuries, prolonged absences, and significant costs for businesses. The UK’s current reporting systems fail to capture the full extent of these incidents, leaving a critical gap in our understanding and prevention strategies.
THE DATA DEFICIT IN THE UK
The UK’s Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) clearly outline employer responsibilities for reporting workplace incidents. Yet, for health and safety managers, a lack of accurate reporting – especially of low-level falls – can compromise risk assessments, impede effective training programmes, and limit regulatory compliance. However, many low-level falls go unreported, especially those that do not result in immediate, serious injury. This is particularly the case in smaller businesses and among the self-employed, where reporting culture and systems may be less robust. Estimates suggest that only 12% of incidents among the self-employed are ever officially recorded.
This lack of data creates a serious blind spot. It’s impossible to allocate resources, deliver training or improve safety without knowing how, where, and why these falls occur.
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NO FALLS FOUNDATION AND NEW MOMENTUM
The No Falls Foundation, the UK’s only charity focused exclusively on fall prevention, recently backed new government proposals to streamline accident reporting. These proposed changes would simplify the reporting process while making it more comprehensive and closing the knowledge gap around low-level falls. This growing momentum is encouraging, but it needs support from across the industry to turn policy into real, lasting change.
THE COST OF COMPLACENCY
Falls from low heights are often brushed off as clumsiness or simple human error. This complacency is reinforced by a lack of data that could otherwise reveal how widespread and harmful these falls are.
Economically, the burden is immense. In 2023/24, non-fatal falls from height in the UK resulted in around 688,000 lost working days. The total cost – including employer expenses, lost productivity, and benefit payments – is estimated to exceed £956m annually. Yet, these figures may still underestimate the true scale due to widespread underreporting.
https://nofallsfoundation.org/index.php/2025/03/24/work-at-height-charity-supports- government-plans-to-streamline-reporting/
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