Man anchors offer essential extra protection against falls when working in areas where guardrails are unsuitable, for example because the work takes place around a temporary opening. A number of recent HSE reports have touched on such circumstances, including one incident that led to a fatality and numerous severe injuries. Among them was an incident […]
A recent HSE prosecution has highlighted the importance of temporary edge protection – and where guardrails are removed, the need for backup alternatives like man anchors. In the incident in question, a scaffolder was stacking roofing sheets on a flat roof when he fell from the edge, landing seven metres below and sustaining fatal injuries. […]
A dramatic incident in which a man fell through a fragile skylight into a swimming pool below might have been avoided if man anchors and walkovers had been used correctly while work was carried out to install solar panels on the roof. The roof, on a private residence outbuilding in Kent, already had solar panels […]
Man anchors, edge protection and other fall prevention measures can play an important role in preventing injuries and fatalities in any sector. But in the UK, the worst-performing industry in terms of safety is agriculture, leading to July 6th-10th being declared Farming Safety Week. This collaboration between NFU Mutual, the HSE and the Farm Safety […]
Two men injured when the roof they were working on collapsed had not been given any instructions about where to secure man anchors, or the use of walkovers to cross the most fragile parts of the roof. In January 2014, the two Lichfield men were fitting an extractor fan on the partially completed roof of […]
A nine metre fall ended in fatality for one Lancashire builder, but man anchors and walkovers could have helped to prevent him from breaking through a fragile warehouse roof. In July 2012, the 39-year-old Fleetwood man was helping to clear debris that had been blocking the gutters on the roof of a toy distributor’s warehouse. […]
A Suffolk building company landed in court recently for failing to use proper man anchors and other fall protection while dismantling a roof some four metres from the ground on an Essex farm building. HSE investigators found incorrectly used man anchors and inertia reels, along with inadequately installed safety netting or a total absence of […]
Following the paralysis of a 69-year-old man who fell through a rooflight on a Scottish border farm, the HSE is stressing the value of precautions like man anchors and walkovers to prevent similar incidents. On March 14th 2013, Neil Knox was repairing a roof at a farm in Lauder when, during a tea break, he […]
A new code of conduct sets out when man anchors and safety barriers may be needed for green roof edge protection. The Green Roof Organisation Green Roof Code, or GRO Code 2014, looks at a range of safety and access issues with respect to different types of green roofs. For instance, it notes that on […]
A man anchor demonstration is among the newest additions to the itinerary for the Safety & Health Expo 2014, which starts at ExCel London on June 17th. This year is the first time the event has been held in London – an indication of its growing importance across a broad range of industries, according to […]