Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Agriculture
Experiences
A nineteen year old worker was injured when he fell approximately 4.5 metres through a fragile roof light in a cement fibre roof. He suffered a compound fracture of his left wrist and bruising to his left hip. He was assisting a farm worker to repair the roof. Access to the roof was gained via a ladder that was not secured. There were no crawling boards or similar available for use. The roof light was not guarded or covered to prevent employees falling onto it, and safety net was not in use. There was no edge protection around the roof that had a small pitch. The whole of the roof should have been assumed to be fragile. A risk assessment had not been carried out, a safe system of work had not been established, and the necessary equipment to carry out the work safely had not been provided.
A partner in the farming business was prosecuted under the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Construction Health and Safety at Work Regulations. He was fined a total of £6,000 plus prosecution costs of £682.00
Protection against falls is required wherever anyone works on or near fragile materials. Suitable protection will normally include a combination of coverings, guard rails, safety nets and safety harnesses. Simply walking the line of purlins should NEVER be allowed. Always treat roofs as "fragile" unless it can be confirmed that they are capable of carrying your weight. Sometimes repairs can be carried out without going onto the roof, by working from a safe place below. Any work on a roof is high risk. A risk assessment should be carried out for all work on fragile roofs, and except in the most straightforward circumstances, a written method statement should be prepared. This should help to ensure that all involved understand exactly what they have to do.
Further guidance is contained in HSE booklet INDG284 "Working on roofs", and HSE Agricultural information sheet No 32 "Preventing falls through fragile roofs in agriculture"