On the off chance that you are a contractor or height worker, you thoroughly understand how risky a rooftop or rooftop ladder can be. And if you’re a site manager for workers working at heights, rooftop work is one of your biggest concerns, right? There are precarious situations everywhere in these scenarios and if the appropriate techniques aren’t followed, falls can occur and lead to injury and in some cases even death. That’s why components like roof anchor points are so important and that’s only one feature you need to consider for your site if you’re serious about creating a safe environment.
Firstly, falls cost the organisation time and secondly, they are devastating to workers and their families. Also, the fear of accidents happening can make it difficult for employees to do the work they were appointed to do. So, safety is essential for multiple reasons and the initial phase of keeping everyone safe is by carrying out a thorough risk assessment. Here are some additional pointers you can’t manage without.
Rooftop Access Management
When looking out for dangerous situations, it’s essential to begin at the ground level. Labourers will require safe access to the rooftop. Anyone working above the ground level should wear a harness if they work above 6 feet in the air.
During the development phase, workers will need to gain access to the roof through a roof access hatch. These hatches represent a huge danger as employees can fall through them. Installing safety railings for roof security will help prevent falls.
Mind the Edge
Leading edges are perhaps the most perilous risk on location, as there is nothing to stop them from tumbling off the edge. Security railings should be introduced to decrease this threat. Workers should never remove a safety harness for any reason.
Studies have shown that over half of falls are from under 3 meters high. This implies that most incidental falls occur as the worker ascends the rooftop by climbing the roof access ladder. Once again, you can see the importance of safety guidelines at every point of a worker’s movement on site.
Protect Your Workers from Falling
The law requires all construction sites to have a fall protection security plan. This arrangement requires a project worker to analyse and determine any risk of danger and have a plan in place to protect them. Every unprotected opening, trapdoor and potential falling risk should be fenced off or blocked. The actual rooftop ought to be checked for irregularities and its loadbearing limit determined.
Scaffolding is the most secure type of rooftop access. If this alternative is not an option on your worksite, a roof access ladder with a loadbearing capacity of 120kg can be utilised. On top of the roof, roof anchor point installation is a popular and dynamic solution.
Other Dangers to Consider
Where work is being completed on a roof, there is a high likelihood that tools or other hardware could be dropped. This represents an immense danger to those working beneath the worksite, so protection is needed.
Ensure ground-level workers are protected, by limiting access to the area beneath the rooftop where work is taking place. Toe sheets should be fixed to non-permanent edges to hold trash and tools that are not being used at the time.
Only those currently working in that area should be permitted to enter. The zone should be an off-limits area and monitored.
Preparing is Essential
Everybody should be prepared adequately and know what is expected of them. There should be a fall anticipation system and all labourers should learn them and be aware of the safety protocols in place. There should be at least one individual that is qualified as a doctor or has emergency first aid training on location.
If work needs to be done on a pitched surface, the pitch can’t be more prominent than 10°. In this instance, a protected work platform should be constructed to protect workers.
- Avoid work at great heights: Try to restrict the amount of work that should be done directly from the rooftop. If you feel like there is a risk of falling, construct scaffolding instead.
- Prevent tumbles from happening: Follow the current safety guidelines and have a fall security plan set up. Use frameworks that incorporate safe rooftop access ladders, guardrails and anti-slip walkways.
- Personal insurance frameworks: These incorporate rooftop anchor focuses, anchor line frameworks and security measures. Follow all guidelines set out by the safety officer on site.
- Fall capture framework: In the event that a fall happens, this framework should limit the extent of the injury. Measures like nets or individual anchor frameworks can be put into place.
Safe Abseil and Anchor Points
Another reason you may need to install roof anchor safety points, or abseil points, is for workers that are responsible for cleaning windows and doing maintenance on the outside of the building.
Always ensure that all safety points have been tested and that workers do not exceed weight limits. Tests should be conducted before a contractor is allowed to use the point and problems rectified immediately.
Final Thoughts
For your contractors’ safety, fall prevention measures should be in place and enforced on the job site. It works for everyone’s benefit because workers’ lives are valued and in a safe environment, productivity increases. What do you have to do to upgrade safety on site?
