SAFETY
Performing roof work safely Working at height remains one of the biggest causes of fatalities and major injuries. The roofing sector is at particular risk, with common incidents often including falls from ladders and through fragile surfaces. The Institute for Work at Height has been collaborating on a set of Work at Height Guidelines to increase awareness and help improve safety measures. Here are some specifics. ‘Working at height’ means work in any place where, if there were no precautions in place, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury or even death. In 2015, the Institute for Work at Height (IWH) and its allies undertook the daunting task of developing a set of Work at Height Guidelines. The publication, now in its final stages of editing and illustration, is due to be launched on 10 October 2016. When it came to developing the sections on ‘Roofing, Fragile Roofing and Skylights,’ experts in the roofing sector were involved in the working group and provided valuable input. The following extract is a ‘taster’ of what can be expected within the Guidelines.
ROOFING, FRAGILE ROOFING AND SKYLIGHTS According to Construction Regulation 2014 Regulation 10 (5), all contractors must ensure that when roof work is done, all openings or fragile covers are protected in a material that is strong enough to withstand the loads that it will be expected to carry, and that suitable and enough guard rails, barriers and toe boards or other means are installed or used to prevent the fall of any person, material or equipment [Reg. 10(5)(d, e, f)].
FRAGILE ROOFS AND WARNINGS Signs must be affixed to the walls of buildings where access can be gained to fragile roofs. Safety signage for South Africa falls under SANS:1186 Part 1, “safety symbolic signs.” These signs should be made, when fitted externally, of sheet metal (Chromadek ® is in common use) or other approved material that is at least 600mm by 450mm. Combination signs can be used to show multiple hazards. Great care must be taken to ensure that all persons are aware of the dangers of standing or treading on unprotected, fragile roofing. Any person required to be on a roof covered with fragile roofing materials must use the walkways and crawl boards provided. Serious accidents and fatalities have occurred where workers have been misled by the appearance of roof coverings that appear more solid than they are. This is most likely to occur if the roof is discoloured with age, by weathering, or from being painted. This false sense of security may be reinforced by the fact that the roof takes a substantial distributed load, and therefore gives the impression that it will bear the weight of a worker. However, a concentrated load, such as that applied by the heel of a person walking or by a person stumbling and falling, coupled with the weight of the tools and equipment a worker may carry, must also be taken into account. Fragile roofing materials fracture without warning, leaving jagged edges that can cause injury, even though wire mesh may be fitted. Experience has shown that breakages occur so rapidly that persons falling through fragile roofing materials have no opportunity to save themselves. If you are unsure of the carrying capacity of the roof or structure, then consider it as unsafe and dangerous. Walking is not permitted on any roof unless crawl boards or grids are laid across the purlins and, where advisable, screwed into position. Where it is necessary to cross the roof, crawl boards must be used. Alternatively, planks should be laid across the full pitch of the roof and in the box gutters to provide lengthwise access. Suitable footwear must be worn when working on or near fragile roofs to avoid slipping.
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