Whose Responsibility Is Working at Height Safety, and Where Can You Find Help?

When working at height, employers have a legal responsibility to ensure the people carrying out the work are trained, competent, provided with suitable equipment and working under a safe system of work. While those responsibilities are widely understood, creating a workplace where safety is genuinely supported often goes beyond policies and procedures alone.

As part of our ongoing interview series, we recently sat down with Paul Roddis, Training Manager at IPAF, alongside our own Training Manager, Adele Coupe, to discuss where responsibility sits when it comes to safe MEWP operation and where businesses can turn for practical guidance and support.

Employers Have a Legal Responsibility

The discussion opened with a simple but important point from Adele: "Employers have a legal responsibility. We know that, to make sure that the people that are working at height are trained, competent and provided with suitable equipment and of course a safe system of work."

While that legal responsibility is clear, Paul explained that the organisations achieving the best results are often those creating a culture where operators are supported to follow those systems rather than feeling pressured to work around them. "There are some organisations that are taking this very seriously and really ensuring that the rules systems are enforced but most importantly that operators etc are supported as they follow these requirements."

He contrasted this with organisations that create systems on paper simply to tick a box, leaving operators under pressure to get the job done while being expected to follow rules that may not be actively supported. As Paul pointed out, those environments often lead to poor-quality work, higher staff turnover and weaker safety outcomes.

Support Matters Just as Much as Rules

Safety culture is built through support as much as supervision. Having procedures in place is essential, but the most effective organisations also provide their teams with the guidance, resources and encouragement needed to follow those procedures correctly. When operators understand what is expected of them and feel supported in making the right decisions, safe working becomes part of the culture rather than simply a set of rules.

As Paul explained in the full video interview, the quality of support and guidance available often tells you a great deal about the organisation you're working with. At Certora, that's something we place a strong focus on, with experienced training coordinators helping customers identify requirements based on both role and equipment, organise training, and make informed decisions about the most appropriate courses for their workforce.

IPAF Has Resources to Help

One area where IPAF provides significant support is through its extensive range of free resources. During the discussion, Adele highlighted just a few of the materials available, including Toolbox Talks, safety posters, Andy Access videos, guidance documents, familiarisation guidance and pre-use inspection guidance. These resources are regularly updated and designed to support everyone from operators and supervisors through to site managers and business owners.

Throughout the video, we also demonstrate where these resources can be found on the IPAF website, making it easier for businesses to access information that can support safe working practices and improve operator competence.

Familiarisation Is Often Overlooked

Of all the resources discussed, familiarisation guidance was one of the areas Paul felt most strongly about. While IPAF operator training provides the core skills required to operate a MEWP safely, every machine is slightly different and operators need to understand the specific equipment they are about to use before starting work.

Paul explained: "Familiarisation is so key to safe MEWP use. It's often underestimated, the importance of it." Even machines from the same manufacturer and model range can behave differently due to wear, setup or configuration, which is why familiarisation remains such an important part of safe operation.

What This Means for Certora Customers

One of the advantages of working with an experienced IPAF Training Centre is access to knowledgeable people who can help you make sense of training requirements, equipment categories and industry guidance.

Alongside delivering IPAF training, we regularly help customers navigate the resources available through IPAF, whether that's understanding familiarisation requirements, accessing Toolbox Talks, reviewing guidance documents or identifying the most appropriate route to competence for their workforce.

Ultimately, creating safer workplaces is a shared responsibility, and quality training, good guidance and the right support all play an important role in helping people make safer decisions on site.

Watch the Full Interview

Our exclusive interview with Paul Roddis explores employer responsibilities, safety culture and the range of free resources available through IPAF in much more detail.

Watch the full interview below to hear the discussion from both Paul Roddis and Adele Coupe in their own words.