Morning All, I have just found out that a contractor has quoted to repair the roof of one of our buildings, and when asked to provide a Method statement / Risk assessment, supplied a document with no mention of working at height or control measures for it. I was horrified! Our facilities manager queried this apparent omission and was told words to the effect that scaffolding isn't normally bothered with but could be provided at an addtional cost if your Safety Adviser (i.e. me) wants it. I would say this is blatant contravention of the WAH Regs, and I just wanted to check that other people agree that this company should not be pricing jobs on the basis of doing work in a way that breaks the law? Therefore there should be no extra cost for WAH control measures? Thanks

Depending on the site and nature of the repair scaffolding may not necessarily be required. A Safe System of Work for completing the task will be though, there are numerous was to achieve compliance. To ensure you get comparative quotes you should go to tender making it clear you want a quote for the task to be completed in full compliance with the required legislation, then allow the contractors to tell you how they are going to approach the job. Once tenders are receive, selected the most appropriate. If this contractor wants to use scaffolding, then fine, get them to price it up but check with other companies if this still remains competitive. Certainly from a contractor competency checks basis I'd question their understanding commitment to H&S if they would happily start the job with WAH completely omitted from any documentation.

I agree with both of your comments, my concern was mainly that they didn't appear even seem to consider WAH to be a risk, when I would consider it to be the biggest one relating to roof work. I find it shocking that compliance with legislation should need to be requested, as opposed to taken as a given! I also worry that if this contractor is so completely unaware of his obligations, he must regularly put his employees at risk; do we have a moral duty to make him aware of this? And in my experience the lessons that are best remembered are those that cost money!

I don't know the nature or extent of the repair, so can't really comment on what would be an appropriate SSoW. It is acceptable to replace a few slates here and there from a roofing ladder for example, or patch a low-rise flat roof where the area being worked is well away from the edge without edge protection. Can you give us a bit more context?

Like we needed that information, Kay, you need info from them by way of their MS. Ensure whoever you decide to give the contract to use fall prevention around the skylight areas when they remove the old ones too. and an answer to a previous question, yes you do have a moral duty.

Hello Kay, The HSE has published the following guidance document for working on roofs - Health and safety in roof work (HSG33 - http://www.hse.gov.uk/pu...egen&cr=11/20-aug-12); a very interesting reference point in regards to the issue you have raised. Dwayne

Not so much a repair then, but a substantial re-roof project. Presumably the rogue contractor you describe has been told where to go and your attention turned to other, more reputable bidders. From the work you describe, there are of course inter-acting issues around fire safety and occupancy safety- particularly where the intention is that the area and rooms below are to remain in use. Common practice to build bird-cage fall mitigation measures below skylights. If you don't want the building cluttered you can go for nets, but there'll be a bit of preparatoty work required for that which is likely to upset the internal fabric. Workers can be harnessed and restrained up there. Unfortunately falling tools and materials usually cannot. Long story short - In some respects, the SM Statement will be a joint venture. Do also make sure that your emergency exists are clearly marked and that edge-protection measures don't obstruct them. I have that T-Shirt somewhere...........