Rochdale roofers warned over safety

Roofer working on a house roof, without scaffolding or other safety equipment

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Building firms in Rochdale are being urged to improve safety standards after 17 formal warnings about work at height were issued in the borough last year.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors served 148 enforcement notices across Greater Manchester in 2009, immediately stopping unsafe work being carried out at height. They issued another 29 requiring safety improvements to be made.

More than 100 roofers are now being encouraged to attend a free safety awareness event on Tuesday 11 May, or risk an unannounced visit from an inspector.

HSE is concerned that some companies may be trying to save money by allowing employees to work on roofs without scaffolding or other safety equipment, putting lives at risk.

The free safety event at Clifton Territorial Army Centre in Salford has been organised as part of a joint initiative with Trading Standards. It will aim to raise awareness about the dangers of working on roofs without scaffolding, and of the standard of work expected in the industry.

Neil Jamieson, a Principal Inspector for HSE in the North West, said: “We’re worried that some roofing and building companies in Greater Manchester are trying to cut down on costs and undercut each other by not using scaffolding and other safety equipment.

“Falls from height kill dozens of workers every year and seriously injure hundreds more. But the number of deaths will carry on rising if firms don’t accept they’re putting their workers in danger.

“We will continue to take action against companies that do not take the safety of their workers seriously, and will prosecute those that fail to provide the necessary scaffolding.

“It simply isn’t worth companies trying to cut costs if lives are going to be put at risk. And it will cost them time and money in the long run if we decide to take any kind of enforcement action.”

Falls from height are the biggest single cause of workplace deaths in the UK, with two deaths in Greater Manchester during 2008/9. Another 521 workers in the county suffered serious injuries from a fall.

The safety awareness event at Clifton Territorial Army Centre on Manchester Road in Clifton is due to start at 5.30pm on Tuesday 11 May. More details are available by calling 0161 952 8335.

The event has been organised as part of the Working Well Together initiative – a partnership between HSE and the construction industry – which aims to improve health and safety in the sector.

More information on preventing injuries from falls is available at www.hse.gov.uk/falls