At every work at height incident, personnel will have to select the equipment required. In most cases all equipment will need to be carried manually or hauled by hand. This will mean that personnel will select the minimum amount of equipment required to achieve the task, plus extra equipment to respond to any foreseeable issues.

Every item used at height has the potential to fall; equipment should therefore be secured throughout the operation. Equipment being transported to the scene of operations or to a bridgehead area should always be secured.

The exposed and physical nature of rope access and rescue means that there is increased risk; good procurement, pre-planning and training will mitigate the level of these risks.

The use of loose equipment and objects should be limited and always be controlled using lanyards, a suitable tool bag, harnesses with designated equipment holders, or a separate supporting system.