The number one cause of serious injury in the workplace on South Australian construction sites is falling from heights, such as roofs, ladders and non-compliant scaffolding. Due to the number of incidents in 2022, Safe Work SA has issued a warning about rooftop safety.
Most recently, in December 2022, a young apprentice fell 3 metres off a roof whilst he was installing a solar panel on a single-story house. The young man was taken to hospital in an ambulance, having suffered six broken ribs and a bruised torso.
Safe Work SA’s investigation uncovered that the apprentice was installing solar panels without a harness and was not attached to a rope whilst climbing down from the roof. Further, they discovered perimeter guard railing was not installed on the working faces. Safe Work SA assessed the apprentice to be at risk of serious injury or death because of the company’s failure to provide safe access to the roof and install a guard railing.
In Safe Work SA’s 2021 Health and Safety Snapshot relating to falls from heights, they recommended all workers required to work on roofs be protected by the installation of guard railing as a reasonably practicable control measure.
For more information about how you can better protect employees working at heights, see here.
