Posted By Nigel Thomas We’ve been reviewing our roof repairs policy my company will not pay for fixed lines or fixed ladders for access to be installed due to the huge costs (we have 10 big warehouse units) So we are buying a mobile tower block for access, crawling boards and use of the valleys for walking on (all our valleys are safe to walk on or so the maintenance dept assure me) So can I include the valleys in my risk assessment as a safe means off walking on, I need to get this right for obvious reasons any advise would be very welcome thanks.

Posted By Chris Pope Sounds like you have corrugated roofing either tin or asbestos cement or other material classified as fragile I think your case for a safe method would be upheld by consulting with an HSE construction inspector. They have responsibility for inspecting repairs and it almost certain that you know what they wold say. Crawler boards went out of fashion a few years ago with the advent of netting. Netting is not practical for repairs so you are left with steel scaffold underneath the sheets you need to remove to stop the stuff falling everywhere and working out of a basket either on a crane or cherry picker, unless you fully board the entire area close to the roof underside HSG 33 from HSE books is a must before you start to try to write a method statement.

Posted By Ken Taylor Impossible to answer with any accuracy without sight and experience of the properties but, in order to feel confident enough to write that valleys are safe to walk on, I would want to see construction details from as-built drawings or a report from a competent person (eg structural engineer, architect, building inspector) who has seen the nature of the construction - which may require exposing the underside in test areas. Will the tower afford safe access to the roofs (including securing during the transfer) or temporary edge protection? Will all fragile areas of roof cover, roof-lights, etc that will be near working positions (eg within 2m) be fenced to prevent falls or other injuries? Have you considered fixed posts and temporary lines or anchor points for fall protection fixings? etc, etc HSG33 provides a hierarch of measures for safe working and employers really need to consider these carefully together with the implications of failing to comply with the new Work at Height Regs.

Posted By D Shez Nigel, a view from an individual that works in the roofing and cladding industry. Crawling boards are still widely used in the industry despite the introduction of safety nets, the duty of care is to prevent the fall in the first place safety nets do not do this! A HAKI type tower is the best for access if an MEWP cannot be used, although i suspect if you have a reputable contractor carried out any works this would be the preferred method of access/egress. If the roof is a cement bonded sheet then a mansafe/running line normally cannot be fitted to it as this type of system relies on the strength of the roof sheet for the posts to sit on and fix through. my view is that a) you would need to ensure the competence of the person/persons who have said that the gutter is safe to walk on, (if so include them in the RA). b) are the gutters of a suitable width to walk/work on and c) the use of crawling boards (3 wide) C/W an outside handrail up either side of the pitch along the length of the gutter is a must.

Posted By Arran Linton - Smith There is also another significant issue that is being missed here. If a member is under pressure to accept a dangerous procedure because of cost conflict, then there is a clearly a conflict of interest as in Code Point 12 of the IOSH Code of Conduct which can be seen on http://www.iosh.co.uk/fi.../about/CodeofConduct.pdf