Caretaker Falls From Roof Following Routine Maintenance Task
Clearing footballs from a roof sounds like a routine task for a caretaker. You may have even taken it upon yourself as a school kid in the playground to get it down yourself.
But falls from heights is a serious risk, and without the right precautions accidents have, and will continue to happen.
Falls from heights continue to be the biggest cause of fatalities in the workplace in the UK. An incident at a Southport High School back in 2018 further highlights the need for suitable health & safety protection.
The incident at the high school led to a caretaker sustaining multiple fractures. This happened following a fall whilst clearing footballs from the school roof. The HSE heard how it was common practice to go upon the roof to remove balls, however no protection measures were in place to prevent such a fall.
Barriers or a fall restraint system could easily have saved the caretaker from the potentially fatal injuries. It could also have saved the fees incurred by the school which totalled £15,851.80.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Roger Clarke said: “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well known.”
