A warehouse-focused talk on preventing falls while working around racking, mezzanines, loading docks, roofs and high-level services.
7 to 10 minutesWarehouse and logistics projectsCompletion record available
Understand
A fall does not need to be from a roof to cause serious injury.
Work at height means work in any place where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury if precautions were absent. In warehouses, this can include ladders, MEWPs, loading docks, mezzanines, racking areas, roofs and work above conveyors or automated systems.
Plan and organise work at height before it starts.
Use competent people and suitable, inspected equipment.
Never climb pallet racking or use pallets and forklift forks as improvised platforms.
Protect people, vehicles, stock and equipment below the task.
Plan for emergencies and rescue, not just normal completion.
By the end of this talk, you should be able to:
recognise work-at-height risks in warehouse and racking environments
apply the avoid, prevent and minimise hierarchy
select suitable access and protect people below
understand when work should stop and be replanned
Recognise
Spot the issue
Select each activity to reveal the main point to consider.
Apply
Warehouse scenario: a five-minute inspection
Choose the best response.
A fixing needs checking just above the first beam of a pallet rack. A colleague suggests climbing onto the lower beam because the inspection will take less than five minutes. What should happen?
Apply
Warehouse scenario: work above a live aisle
Choose the best response.
A MEWP is available for installing a sensor above an active picking aisle. What is the best starting point?
Control
Use the hierarchy — and control the warehouse around it
Best practice guidance — review these cards; no answer is required.
The safest option should be considered in this order. Personal fall protection is not the automatic starting point.
01
Avoid
Ask whether the task can be completed from ground level, by lowering equipment, using remote inspection or changing the design or sequence.
02
Prevent
Where height cannot be avoided, prioritise collective protection such as suitable platforms, guardrails and properly selected access equipment.
03
Minimise
Where a fall risk remains, use measures that reduce distance or consequences, supported by suitable training, anchors and rescue planning.
04
Control below
Create effective exclusion zones, coordinate vehicles and warehouse teams, secure tools and materials, and protect stock and equipment.
05
Check conditions
Inspect access equipment and reassess lighting, floor condition, obstructions, weather, racking changes and operational activity.
06
Plan rescue
Agree how someone would be recovered promptly and safely if the work method or fall-protection system requires it.
Discuss
Bring it back to today’s work
These are team discussion prompts; no on-screen answer is required. Discuss them now, then select Next to continue the talk.
What work at height is planned on this site or in this warehouse today?
Can any of it be avoided or completed from ground level?
What is below the task, and how will people, vehicles, stock and equipment be protected?
What access, inspection and rescue arrangements have been agreed?
Check
Check understanding
Choose the best answer for each question.
Complete
You have completed the Working at Height toolbox talk.
Key reminder: avoid work at height where possible; otherwise use suitable collective protection and access equipment, control the area below and stop if the planned method is no longer safe.
Record your completion
If you need this recorded for KTCS site or project purposes, tick the box below and submit your details.
Need this kind of interactive toolbox talk for your own sites? KTCS can create branded talks with completion records for client teams, subcontractors and suppliers.