The apprentice fell 3 metres to the ground, fracturing his arm in the accident. The contractor admitted that control measures such as fall arrest equipment; air bags etc. had not been established.

HSE inspector Phil Nicolle commented:

It is disappointing that a company whose primary business is roofing work displayed such significant failings.

There are several ways to reduce the risk of injury from falls and though the company owned a large number of bean bags which would have served this purpose, they were not used.

As is the case in many accidents on construction sites it was found that the site supervisor had not undertaken any health and safety training.

At Ammanford magistrate’s court, the company was fined £2,000 and made to pay the prosecution costs of £1,500.

Defining roofing works is simple but there are many different types of roofing projects and works can range from large recovering projects through to a relatively simple short duration repair.  Because of this factor it is impossible for clients to use a ‘one size fits all’ solution to prevent falls. In fact it can often be easier to control a larger roofing project where there is ample time and finance available to ensure that the works can be carefully planned well in advance of commencement on site.

Recent prosecutions have evidenced that clients are being asked how they procure work on their roofs, and in particular how they relay information about any inherent hazards back to their contractors.  In fact clients have very clearly defined duties under current health and safety legislation when it comes to roofing work. 

www.roofaware.com assists clients in discharging their duties by hosting important information relating to their roofs on-line. www.roofaware.com enables even the smallest project to be pre-planned by ensuring contractors and the rest of the clients team have access to reports, photos, drawings etc.

By having access to key documentation contractors are able to produce necessary risk assessments and method statements that take into account the actual site specific environment. Issues such as open edges, fragile surfaces, asbestos, existing plant and access/egress can all be addressed prior to starting works on site.

Further information can be found at www.roofaware.com.