Falls from height

The second largest cause of fatal accidents over the past ten years has been falls from heights. Many of these involve maintenance of, or alterations to, buildings.

• Demolishing an agricultural building
  Farmer prosecuted following accident to employee who fell through a roof skylight onto concrete floor
• Access and the use of mobile work platforms
  A farmer was prosecuted when an inspector witnessed a man working on the gable end of a workshop
• Walking and working on a fragile roof
  farmer and employee fell through a fragile roof whilst repairing a leaking roof on a shed
• Falling through a skylight on a fragile roof
  an employee fell through a fragile roof whilst pressure-washing the building inside and out (including roof)
• Lack of fall protection
  farm worker received head, shoulder and back injuries when he fell 3 metres from a platform gantry in a grainstore during dismantling.
• Fall through fragile roof
  a farm worker fractured his back and badly bruised his ribs after falling through a fragile roof whilst cleaning the gutters.
• Working on fragile roofs
  farm worker fell through a fragile roof while cleaning valley gutters. No precautions had been taken to prevent the fall.
• Roof edge protection
  employee fell from the roof of a poultry unit while cleaning extraction fans.
• Unsecured work platforms
  two employees suffered major injuries when the fell from a cage which had been lifted on the forks of telescopic handler.
• Falling through a rooflight
  young worker fell through a rooflight while assisting in the repair of a farm roof.
• Use suitable lifting equipment
  An employee was injured after falling from an unsecured potato box that was being used as a work platform on the forks of a raised FLT.