A farmer was prosecuted when an inspector witnessed a man working on the gable end of a workshop. The worker had accessed the roof via a ladder which led up to a water tank and then across planks which spanning the gap between pallets which were on the tines of two forklift trucks (FLTs). The planks were approximately 4 metres above ground. The inspector also observed the Farm Manager at the top of an unsecured ladder with a casual worker standing on an asbestos cement sheet roof with no protection of any kind to prevent a fall from or through the roof.
The investigation concluded that:
- No edge protection or other precautions had been taken for working on or near fragile roofs;
- The access arrangements provided which required the use of pallets mounted on the tines of fork lift trucks and workers being lifted in potato boxes on the forks of a lift truck were unsafe;
- Inadequate arrangements had been made to control exposure to asbestos fibres. Power tools had been used by employees to cut asbestos cement sheets without suitable PPE being provided or worn; and
- The supervision was inadequate. Amongst other things, the majority of the work was carried out by Lithuanian workers whose English was poor.
Action
The farmer was prosecuted under section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for failing to ensure so far as reasonably practicable the health and safety of employees involved in re-roofing and re-cladding the workshop.
Two Enforcement Notices were also issued prohibiting people being lifted by a forklift truck without a suitable man-carrying cage and prohibiting working on a fragile roof without adequate edge protection or measures to control the risk of falling through the fragile roof.
The farmer pleaded guilty and was fined £7,000 together with £2,000 towards the prosecution costs.
Advice
When using FLTs or material handlers with work platforms you must ensure that both are suitable for the task. Wherever possible an integrated working platform should be provided, ie a platform fitted with controls that are linked to and isolate the truck controls so that only the person in the platform can control the lift height of the platform and the truck's movements. However, for work in exceptional circumstances the lifting equipment should also be fitted with an anti-tilt mechanism that is locked off and the work platform should be securely attached to the loader forks.
Operators must be suitably trained in the use of material handlers. This is particularly important when lifting people.