WORK AT HEIGHT REGULATIONS 2005
If you haven’t heard of them before, The Work at Height Regulations 2005 are a set of requirements, which apply to employers or managers that are in charge of others working at height.
The purpose of these regulations is to minimise the risk of employees falling from height at work. As such, anyone in control of any work at height activity “must make sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people.”
This can be achieved by ensuring the right type of equipment is used, a thorough risk assessment is completed, and that the volume of work completed at height is minimised, as much as possible.
If you have any questions about these regulations, check out the HSE Working at height: A brief guide.
CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE WORKING
HSE states that risk assessments and safety precautions are imperative, and amongst the most effective ways to minimise the risk of injury.
According to HSE, “many accidents could be avoided if the most suitable equipment was used and those doing the work were given adequate information, instruction, training and supervision.”
So, employers and managers are required to complete thorough risk assessments for all their construction projects. Then, once the risks are identified, the right precautions need to be taken.
This could be done by minimising the amount of work that needs to be completed at height (such as, by putting together components before taking them up to the roof for installation), or investing in equipment that improves safety standards in any weak areas, for example.
SAFETY WHEN WORKING AT HEIGHT ON ROOFS
Then, when your employees are working at height, you need to make sure that everything has been put in place to keep them as safe as possible.
Alongside the right equipment and safety procedures, training is also one of the most important factors here.
According to HSE, many of those who are killed while working on roofs are not trained roofers. Often, they’re maintenance workers. So, you need to implement a thorough training procedure, across everyone in your team who will be working at height.
RISKS WHEN WORKING AT HEIGHT
The risks of working at height cannot be overestimated.
In fact, a quarter of all deaths in the construction industry are caused by roof work.
So, you need to make sure that you and your team are aware of the risks present, and know how to spot and avoid them.
The three main risks to working at height are:
- Fragile surfaces – falls through fragile materials are the single highest cause of fatalities in roof work. These surfaces include asbestos cement roofing sheets and roof lights. So, if there are any weaker areas of the roof, your team needs to ensure that these are marked appropriately, and flagged to everyone else on site.
- Safe access to roofs – you need to ensure that your team accesses the roof in a safe way, particularly when work is already in progress. The best ways to safely access a roof are general access scaffolds, fixed or mobile scaffold towers, stair towers, mobile access equipment, roof access hatches and ladders. And, when this access equipment is being used, you need to ensure it is secured and used carefully.
- Roof edges and openings – for flat roofs, you need to install edge protection arrangements (HSE recommends a secure double guardrail and toeboard around the edge). For sloping roofs, scaffolding is required (to protect people from falling over the roof edge), alongside edge protection fitted to the roof eaves.
PROTECTION FOR THE PUBLIC
Finally, it is your duty to ensure that there is minimal safety risk to the public. This is particularly important if the work is taking place on a domestic property.
You can do this by:
- Creating clear site boundaries
- Managing site access
- Installing scaffolding around sloping roofs (to minimise the risk of equipment falling over the edge)
- Ensuring the driver of any moving vehicles is aided by someone guiding them
- Keep any hazardous materials away from the site perimeter
JTC Roofing is one of the UKs’ most trusted and reputable roofing contractors.
Specialising in roofing repairs and metal roofing, our professional team have worked with countless clients across the region, to deliver premium quality, exceptionally durable roofs, while adhering to the highest roof safety standards.