If an operative is required to work in a location where there is no platform and they may have to climb or be lowered into place to work then the safest form of personal protection is Work Positioning.

A Work Positioning system uses equipment to hold, or suspend the user in place to carry out there work, therefore reducing the risk of a fall to almost zero.

As the user is then suspended at height, careful selection of the equipment and adequate training are essential in order to provide an effective solution.

If an operative is fully reliant upon a work positioning system then a secondary system is generally required as a backup in case of failure.

The secondary system may be a work positioning system or, as in most cases, a fall arrest system.

One of the main advantages of work positioning is having your hands free to work.

If workers are able to see the benefits then they are more likely to use a system.

Equipment for work positioning is designed to cope with static loads on a regular basis, not for dynamic loads such as those imposed by a fall.

The care, use and maintenance of work positioning equipment is covered by EN 358 :1993 and may overlap with the LOLER requirement if the person is deemed to be fully suspended as a load (such as rope access techniques).

Workers will generally require training to help with the correct usage and ensure that they comply with the demands of regulations.