Working safely on farm building roofs

FARM workers of any age run the risk of injury or death from falls on the farmyard.

Working at height is an ever-present danger on our farms. Falls form height is a leading cause of serious injury and death among Northern Ireland’s farming community, accounting for more than a quarter of all accidents.

Many falls happen while agricultural buildings or other farm structures are being built or maintained.

These jobs typically involve working at height and require some form of temporary access, such as ladders, scaffolds, or other working platforms.

Before starting any job where working at height is unavoidable, consider the following ‘Stop and Think SAFE’ issues:

n Think first about whether you are competent, you have the correct tools and equipment and are fit enough to do the job;

n Think about the job in advance and consider all safety measures;

n Think about whether or not there are different, new or safer ways to carry out the work;

n Think about choosing collective measures that will keep everyone working at or near the site safe, like a working platform, before personal measures such as a safety harness;

n Think about what equipment is required for the job and for safety. Precautions should be built in to prevent you or others from falling;

n Think about the importance of maintaining your equipment. Make sure there are no defects in any equipment you use and inspect it regularly.

Falls often occur because no precautions are taken, or the equipment employed is defective, not appropriate, or used incorrectly. Often people about to do a job believe it will ‘only take a few minutes’. They take the risk in the hope that simply being careful will be enough.

Many farm injuries each year result from ladders slipping sideways or out from the base, or someone falling from the ladder. It will often be quicker and safer to use a suitable working platform on your telescopic handler or a tower scaffold, for example. Ladders should only be used as the last resort for short duration unplanned work.

For planned or regular work at height, you should use a fully integrated and properly constructed working platform. This will have controls that are linked to and isolate the handler controls so that only the person on the platform can control the platform and handler movements.

If you are working on a roof you will normally need protection against falling from the roof edge. Keep in mind that many other maintenance tasks in agriculture can also involve the risk of falling, for example cleaning crop stores and guttering.

Fragile roof-light sheets are often found in roofs. If you do not identify these sheets and fail to take appropriate precautions, the consequences can be tragic. Also consider the material on the rest of the roof, depending on it’s age and condition it may also be classed as a fragile surface and will not take a person’s weight.

Remember for many tasks carried out at height, using a suitable, purpose-built work platform attached to a suitable telescopic handler will provide greater protection against falls than using a ladder.

Never use makeshift alternatives such as grain buckets, potato boxes, or pallets. Stop and Think SAFE first, it might just save your life.