Top tip: Plan a path to avoid roof-lights and remember, a roof-light won’t hold your weight as it will shatter instantly, and you will fall through the opening.
As outlined on the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland website, falls from heights is a leading cause of serious injury and death among Northern Ireland’s farming community. The Ulster Farmers’ Union encourages members to follow the advice below, if you must carry out work from a height:
Always
- When using a ladder, make sure it is in good condition and long enough for the job
- Watch out for overhead power lines
- Ensure the ladder is tied or footed to prevent slipping
- Keep three points of contact with the ladder and avoid stretching where your belt buckle goes outside the stiles of the ladder
- Check the location of roof-lights before crossing a roof – they are often hard to see once you are on the roof
- Plan a path to avoid roof-lights and remember, a roof-light won’t hold your weight as it will shatter instantly and you will fall through the opening
- Check for corrosion of the sheets on a corrugated iron roof from below and again when you get up before walking across
- Check that moss or accumulated dirt hasn’t made the sheets slippery before walking out on the surface
Never
- Set up a ladder on ground with cross slopes or down slopes – level the supporting surface with strong packing
- Try to use a single plank to span the purlins or the joist – always use crawling boards or lightweight staging
For more information, visit www.hseni.gov.uk.
