With the new year underway, it’s a good time to take stock of what progress has been made in terms of the safety of working at height, and the ongoing need for edge protection to avoid future incidents, or to reduce the severity of any slips or trips while working in an elevated position. Statistics […]
A lack of edge protection and precautions against falling through a fragile roof led to a tragic incident in which one man lost his life and two face criminal convictions for their negligence in planning the work. Following a HSE investigation into the fragile roof fall on June 11th 2013, a roofer and the director […]
A recent HSE prosecution has highlighted the importance of temporary edge protection – and where guardrails are removed, the need for backup alternatives like man anchors. In the incident in question, a scaffolder was stacking roofing sheets on a flat roof when he fell from the edge, landing seven metres below and sustaining fatal injuries. […]
Newly published figures from the Health & Safety Executive show that workplace fatalities have crept higher in recent months, highlighting the importance of precautions such as edge protection to prevent falls from height. Falls from height are still one of the main priorities for the HSE, alongside issues like exposure to asbestos, and are not […]
An absence of edge protection on a flat roof led to a sign-fitter falling five metres and sustaining serious, life-threatening injuries in an incident in Sheffield. On April 13th 2015 a signage company was contracted to install a large sign on the end wall of industrial premises, which were located alongside a flat-roofed building. A […]
A combination of falls led to the death of one man and serious injuries to another, in a case that demonstrates two of the vital applications of edge protection. The deceased, John Altoft, was part of a team working to install scaffolding on the inside of a tower at a cement works in Rugby; he […]
There are many different methods of edge protection, from guardrails and demarcation systems to man anchors and temporary roof rails. One recent HSE case demonstrates the importance of making sure, whatever you choose, there is no exposed gap left between the roof edge and the edge protection itself. In the incident, a 63-year-old roofer was […]
The incidents we report regularly show the risks posed by an absence of edge protection when working at height – but a report from the HSE puts this into a broader context of human cost and financial cost. In its ‘vital statistics’ for 2014-15, the HSE reports that ill health and injury cost the UK […]
There are plenty of ways to improve safety on fragile roofs, from safety ladders to reach the roof at its strongest point, to walkovers on fragile expanses and edge protection to prevent falls. And the HSE has once again made clear that sites where such measures are not installed will not be allowed to continue […]
Just because a job isn’t expected to take long, it doesn’t mean edge protection should be overlooked – a fall can happen in an instant, and can change a life forever. In one recent HSE case, an employee of a maintenance company was working on a roof in Tooting without any edge protection. During the […]