Summary
A farm worker fractured his lumbar vertebra and badly bruised his ribs after falling through a fragile roof whilst cleaning the gutters. He had cleared an edge gutter by riding in a grain bucket whilst the farmer drove the tractor along next to the gutter. He then moved onto cleaning a valley gutter. The asbestos cement sheeting on the adjacent roof was fragile. The farmer had examined the work area from a ladder and told the worker to 'just walk on the bolts and you won't go through'. The farmer then left the worker on his own to clear the gutter and carry the waste to the grain bucket, which was left, raised at end of the valley. At some point he slipped and fell through the roof to the concrete floor below.
Action
A partner in the farming business was prosecuted under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 s2 (1) for failing to implement a safe system of work and was fined £4000 plus costs of £808.
Advice
Protection against falls is required wherever anyone works on or near fragile materials. Suitable protection will normally include a combination of coverings, guard rails, safety nets, and safety harnesses. Simply walking the line of the purlins should NEVER be allowed.
For many tasks carried out at height, the use of a suitable, purpose built work platform attached to a suitable fork lift or materials handler will provide greater protection against falls than the use of a ladder. People should never be lifted on alternatives such as grain buckets, potato boxes, or pallets.