In short: Work at height on a set includes using ladders, stepladders and platforms, and raising stands or fixing lamps above head height. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require that such work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people, after the risks are assessed. This is general guidance only, and a competent person must assess the actual job before anyone climbs or rigs.
Height jobs go wrong when they are not planned. A lamp goes up on a chair, a clamp is trusted without a check, or someone climbs a stepladder that is too short for the task. The rules are not complicated, but they have to be applied before the kit comes out.
What to treat as work at height
- Ladders and stepladders.
- Raising a stand or fixing a lamp above head height.
- Rigging on a grid, a bar or a truss.
- Working on a platform, a lift or the top of a set.
- Reaching into the top of a set to fit or adjust something.
What the law asks for
HSE's summary of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 says work at height must be properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people. The duty holder must first assess the risks, and must use the right type of equipment for the job. HSE says simple, low-risk tasks need less planning effort, so scale the plan to the job. Employees must take reasonable care of themselves and others, and cooperate with their employer.
Plan the job before the kit
- Ask whether the job can be done from the floor. A lamp on a stand at floor height is safer than one on a ladder, if the shot allows it.
- Write down the height, the weight, the people underneath and the route for getting down.
- Choose equipment for the job. A stepladder suits short, light work. A platform suits longer work and heavier fittings.
- Name one person in charge of the height work, and make sure everyone knows who it is.
- Check the equipment before use. Take out of use anything damaged, and say so.
Rigging basics
- Know the rated load of every bar, clamp, hoist and stand before you hang anything from it.
- Keep the load centred and secured. Fit a safety bond to every lamp hung overhead, and use a second fixing where the rig calls for one.
- Never leave a tool or a lamp on a ledge above people.
- Clear and rope off the area below before anyone works overhead.
- Do not stand on chairs, boxes or the top rungs of a stepladder to reach a fitting.
In the White Space, the grid sits 4.5 metres above the floor. Any rigging there needs a planned way up, not a chair or a stepladder borrowed from the corridor.
Worked example
A top light is needed over a set. The team first asks whether a stand at floor height can give the angle, and it cannot. They plan a platform rather than a stepladder, put one person in charge of the rig, rope off the floor below and check the clamp and the safety cable before the lamp goes up. The rig is checked from the platform once the lamp is up, and only then is the shot lit.
Common mistakes
- Standing on a chair, a box or the top of a stepladder.
- Hanging a lamp from a fixing that was not designed to carry it.
- Working overhead while people are still below.
- Leaving tools on a ledge.
- Starting the job before the risks have been written down.
For the water side of a rig, read the rain rig safety guide. The studio safety induction is the companion page for everyone on a shoot.
Sources
- HSE, The law: Work at height, read 5 November 2026
Related guides
Questions we get asked
Do I need a risk assessment for a ladder on a set?
Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, work at height must be planned, supervised and carried out by competent people, and the risks must be assessed first. Scale the detail to the risk, so a short, simple job needs less paperwork than a long rig.
Who is responsible for work at height on a shoot?
HSE says the Regulations apply to employers and to anyone who controls work at height. Agree in writing who controls it on each shoot, before the day, so there is no question on set.
Can I rig a lamp myself?
Only if you are competent to rig that lamp on that fixing. A competent person must assess the actual job, and general guidance such as this page is not a substitute for that.
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