CITB Specialists Working at Height Safety 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the abbreviation MEWP stand for?
- Manual Elevation and Work Procedure
- Mobile Elevated Work Platform (Correct answer)
- Mechanical Equipment for Working at Peaks
- Mobile Engineering Workplace Procedure
Correct answer: Mobile Elevated Work Platform
MEWP stands for Mobile Elevated Work Platform, a category that includes scissor lifts, cherry pickers, and boom lifts used to raise workers to height.
Question 2: Which qualification body specifically covers the erection, alteration, and dismantling of mobile access towers?
- IPAF (International Powered Access Federation)
- PASMA (Prefabricated Access Suppliers' and Manufacturers' Association) (Correct answer)
- CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme)
- NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health)
Correct answer: PASMA (Prefabricated Access Suppliers' and Manufacturers' Association)
PASMA provides the industry-recognised training and certification specifically for mobile access towers that are assembled from prefabricated components.
Question 3: How often must a working platform, from which a person could fall 2 metres or more, be formally inspected under the Work at Height Regulations 2005?
- Every 12 months by a competent person
- Every 6 months or after any event affecting its stability
- Before first use, every 7 days in use, and after any event that could affect stability (Correct answer)
- Only at the start of the project and at handover
Correct answer: Before first use, every 7 days in use, and after any event that could affect stability
Working platforms from which someone could fall 2 metres or more must be inspected before first use, at intervals not exceeding 7 days, and after any event likely to have affected their stability.
Question 4: When must work at height cease on site?
- Only when wind speed exceeds 50 mph as measured by an anemometer
- Only on the direct instruction of the principal contractor
- Whenever conditions, including adverse weather, make it unsafe to continue (Correct answer)
- After every 2-hour period of work at height to allow rest
Correct answer: Whenever conditions, including adverse weather, make it unsafe to continue
Work at height must stop whenever conditions make it unsafe, such as high winds, ice, lightning, or poor visibility — any worker can stop work if they believe it is unsafe.
Question 5: What is the main purpose of a permit-to-work system for high-risk working at height activities?
- To record workers' names and hours for payroll purposes
- To provide formal authorisation and control, ensuring safety measures are in place before work starts (Correct answer)
- To satisfy insurance requirements and nothing more
- To replace the need for a site-specific risk assessment
Correct answer: To provide formal authorisation and control, ensuring safety measures are in place before work starts
A permit-to-work system is a formal management control that ensures all necessary safety precautions are identified, in place, and communicated before hazardous work at height begins.
Question 6: What is the minimum height of a top guardrail on a working platform under the Work at Height Regulations 2005?
- 750 mm above the working surface
- 900 mm above the working surface
- 950 mm above the working surface (Correct answer)
- 1,200 mm above the working surface
Correct answer: 950 mm above the working surface
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 specify that the top guardrail must be at least 950 mm above the working surface to provide effective edge protection.
Question 7: What action must a worker take if they find a ladder on site that appears damaged or defective?
- Continue using it carefully until the end of the working shift
- Tag it as defective, remove it from service, and report it to their supervisor (Correct answer)
- Attempt to repair it themselves using materials available on site
- Inform the client directly and leave it in place
Correct answer: Tag it as defective, remove it from service, and report it to their supervisor
A damaged ladder must be immediately taken out of use, clearly tagged to prevent others from using it, and reported to the supervisor for repair or disposal.
CITB Specialists Working at Height Safety 2
What does the abbreviation MEWP stand for?