Falling off a roof from height can kill you
We may think that the days of small boys climbing up chimneys and falling off roofs belong to the Victorian era, but in reality construction accidents like this continue to happen on a regular basis.
In July 2006, a roofing worker from Widnes was fined 6,000 after being found guilty of carrying out extensive roof work without proper safety precautions. The men working with him were found dropping items from the roof into a skip, not working with any safety boundaries around the edge of the roof and cutting tiles without eye protection.
On reflection, the offending employer must think himself lucky that one of his workers did not suffer injury and pursue a work accident claim in light of the unsafe working conditions.
Construction accidents can result in fatalities
Many construction accidents involving falls from height result in personal injuries such as broken limbs, paralysis and brain damage. There are often fatalities. A fall from height is still by far the most significant cause of death or major injury in the construction industry and employers are obliged to protect workers at height and obtain necessary insurance. Any neglect of this duty could result in an employer having to payout work accident compensation.
Construction roof accidents can take place in all weathers too. A worker clearing a roof of snow who slides on ice and who loses their grip can slide dramatically at speed and land on very hard ground in winter. If they're lucky not to break their back, they are still likely to experience serious personal injuries.
Prevention of construction accident roof falls, especially from great height, is a major health and safety issue as if safety measures are not taken, fatalities can occur, very often involving young workers.
Bad weather can also cause a roof fall
Factors that may cause a worker to fall include movement sudden movement, workers moving from one surface to another, losing their grip, bad weather conditions, a surface not being capable of supporting a load, and fall prevention systems being incorrectly used or not being used at all. Time pressure and demands to complete a job on time sometimes cause workers to cut corners and put their own safety at risk.
Some roofing materials can become fragile or brittle after exposure to strong weather conditions. Serious personal injuries and fatalities have occurred when employees have fallen through roofs made of brittle materials like asbestos, cement sheets and glass skylights in a construction accident.
People who erect scaffolds have legal responsibilities under HSE health and safety standards. Scaffolding for roof work has to be properly erected and easy to use and dismantle.
Industrial accident compensation claims
If a worker falls from a great height, it could be the end of their career and even the end of their life. If they are lucky, they may only suffer serious personal injuries. Getting off lightly may still result in a damaged back and broken limbs.
A compensation claim can help with treatment of your injuries. Medical treatment can often be arranged by us and it won't cost you a thing.
Our panel of no win, no fee solicitors are specialists in personal injury cases and have an excellent success rate. All compensation awarded will go directly to you.
So pick up the phone and get dialling now on 0800 10 757 95 and we will explain the claims process to you in plain English with no legal jargon.
