Posted By Garry Malpass I beleive that the Work at Heights regs states that if a risk of injury is likely then a risk assesment should be carried out. I am also sure that whilst sealing the windows the operative will not be able to maintain 3 points of contact required whilst carrying out "light work " from a ladder. The number of times that the operative will have to climb the ladder will also come into play ie the number of windows. I guess the ground conditions around the property will also have to be taken into account, firm level ground for scaffolding or soft uneven ground. The problem of this type of work is going to become more frequent, maybe we should try and seal around windows before scaffolds are dropped on new builds therefore avoiding work at height.

Posted By Chris Pope It is my impression from talking to the HSE specialist who has spent the last 3 years on a ladder / stepladder project that 6 times a day for 15 minutes is ok if your risk assessment can ensure that other risks are controlled (weather, impact from traffic, risk of dropping things etc) I would take a bit of a lead from the advice HSE publish for window cleaners. I am also advised that the manufacturer of Ankalad, a ladder stabilising device that ADT alarms, who I guess can't be working with only 1 hand have purchased 2,000 of these devices for their engineers after researching the market for 2 years. The safest method is to not work at heights so I think that if you have safely worked with experienced, non risk taking, trained staff for sometime it would be unfair to demand that you price yourself out of a job. Note that your risk assessment should be site specific, preferably carried out on the day of the work, and will need to take account of more risks than I have mentioned.