Health and Safety

Adrian Waltho
Member - 27 posts

Mary,

We have consulted Phil Wright - out health and safety trainer - on this issue and he gave the following advice.

There is no specific wind-speed advised because the risk to contractors working on the roof depends entirely on the situation and the work being carried out.

For example, if work with large sheets of plywood is being carried out even a 10mph may be too dangerous because the sheets would have a sail effect, catching the wind and potentially sending someone over the edge of the roof.

If work on the roof must be done you should carry out a risk assessment each time, taking into account any relevant factors. For example: is the wind gusting or constant (gusting is more dangerous)? What is the pitch of the roof? Is the work on the edge of the roof (in which case, by law, the worker should be harnessed in any case) or in the middle?

Always consider whether the work could be carried out using a safer method and, if not, what measures could be introduced to reduce the risk posed. Record your risk assessment and file it safely, along with the safe system of work detailed on the roof entry permit you give the contractor. Ensure the contractor is aware of the safe system of work and follows it closely.

As you are probably already aware, falls from height are the biggest cause of workplace fatalities and the HSE is pushing to greatly reduce them this year. If you would like more information about the dangers of working at height, go to the HSE ?Falls from Height? webpage at www.hse.gov.uk/falls/index.htm

I hope this helps. If you have any further queries, please don?t hesitate to get in touch.

Kind regards,

Workplace Law Network

Jayne Proctor
Member - 1 post

Mary,

I agree with Adrian's comments. The CITB (Construction Industry Trianing Board) do offer some guidance on windspeeds in relation to scaffold useage, they quote a figure of 17 mph (7.7 m/s) as the speed at which all work on a scaffold should cease. 25 mph as the speed at which mobile towers etc should be tied into the structure for safety and 40 mph as the limit over which mobile scaffolds should be dismantled. This information comes from "Construction Site Safety, guidance 5, part 2. CITB reference GE700 (which has just been updated so my copy is an old one). Having worked at heights myself I would re-inforce Adrian's comments about the behaviour of materials in what may seem relatively light winds at ground level and the fact that wind speeds increase with elevation so a 10 mph wind, 20 feet off the ground can easily become 15 or 20 mph 20 feet higher up, this is worth noting if you have split level roofs and the wind speed gauage isn't at the highest point.

Regards

Peter