SAFER ROOFLIGHT REPLACEMENT

Risk during rooflight replacement reduced by working from below

Falls through fragile roofs and rooflights often occur during the replacement of rooflights. Avoiding the hazard of falling through fragile surfaces can be achieved by undertaking the work from below.

Letchworth Roofing Ltd working with Filon Ltd have developed a fixing system that allows sheet installation from below using just standard tools and a cherry picker.

The Fixsafe kits are available with a range of sheet sizes and profiles, as direct replacements for all popular asbestos and fibre cement sheeting. See short video

Comment

No work at height is 100% risk free and removing one risk may sometimes create another. There are now hardly any deaths during steel erection and roofing operations on new build “sheds” due to increased use of MEWPs and safety nets. However, the number of MEWP related incidents has risen. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Replacing rooflights from below may come with other risks. However, this approach could make a major contribution towards preventing the 7-10 fatal falls through fragile roofs and rooflights that occur each year. If work is carried out beneath a roof the hazard of falling through the roof has been eliminated!

This article was posted on 1st December 2009 in ALL LATEST NEWS, FRAGILE MATERIALS, WORK AT HEIGHT.
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One Response to “SAFER ROOFLIGHT REPLACEMENT”

  1. CLIENT PROSECUTED AFTER FRAGILE FATALITY | PP Construction Safety News Desk Says:
    December 11th, 2009 at 8:38 am

    [...] by work on or near fragile roofs and rooflights is well know and safe systems must be in place. Replacing rooflights from below is increasingly seen as the most cost effective [...]

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