An infographic published on the RoSPA Workplace Twitter profile demonstrates the importance of roof rails, even within a fairly niche discipline.
The data drills down into the general construction industry, and further into the particular niche of roofers, who are understandably at a greater risk of suffering a fall from height than those workers who keep their feet on the ground.
Even so, the numbers make for shocking reading – RoSPA reveal that although only 5% of the British workforce are employed in construction, the sector accounts for some 22% of fatalities.
A third of all fatalities caused by slips, trips and falls occur within the construction sector, and nearly half of these involve roofers in particular.
The numbers are high, particularly as slips, trips and falls remain one of the largest categories of workplace injury across all industries.
But even during ongoing construction, roof rails can provide a barrier to prevent falls, while man anchors can add an extra level of safety to individuals’ working conditions.
In this way, roofers and others who work at height can be protected – and the construction sector can become a beacon of best practice for others to follow too.