Carrying out work at height on a roof can be particularly dangerous, even for those with experience. According to the HSE, falls account for more deaths and serious injuries within the construction industry than anything else. Roofers are especially at risk and account for 24% of these injuries and fatalities, making up the biggest category of workers killed in falls from height.
Any task carried out on a roof is considered to be high risk as it involves work at height, so height safety standards are essential no matter how long the task will take. It is painfully common for workers to be injured or killed as a result of failing to use the adequate safety protection for what is considered to be a ‘two minute job’. The message, therefore, is never to risk working or accessing a roof without using work at height equipment, edge protection and other PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) that a trained, responsible person deems necessary.
Only recently, a specialist roofing company and its two directors were prosecuted after admitting to failing to work safely at height. The directors were seen walking along the beam of a rooftop with no safety procedures in place to mitigate a fall and as a result have had to pay hefty fines.
When a user cannot eliminate the risk of a fall through the use of edge protection or they cannot avoid work at height, the HSE states that work equipment such as safety lines should be used to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall if one were to occur.
A safety line system provides a fall arrest solution which allows continuous protection and mobility when required for work at height on a roof. These flexible systems are designed to fit your working environment and operate horizontally, vertically, around corners or up-and-down inclines whilst still offering work at height / fall arrest protection.
Here at Heightsafe Systems, we offer a wide range of safety lines including vertical, horizontal and inclined that are suitable for all roof types. We are able to design bespoke safety line systems that are very easy to install and use. Ensuring that these systems are user friendly is one of the best ways of encouraging people to use them every time. All too often the comment from workers that have fallen from height is that they didn’t use the equipment because ‘it was only a two minute job’ and that it would have taken longer to set up the work at height equipment than it would to complete the task. Safety lines that are simple and easy to use are one of the best ways of overcome this dangerous thinking.
If you’d like to find out more about our safety line systems, testing, inspection and training services, talk to our work at height team today by calling: 020 3819 7199.