Roofline Roundup

 A recent report on red tape and where it comes from found wide variations across the EU. At the extremes, a 1,000 word piece of legislation from Brussels was, on average, whittled down in Paris to a succinct and easy read one third its length. In London it was ‘brass-plated’ and embellished until it became 2,500 words of turgid sludge. We are our own worst enemy when it comes to red tape. Hard to read or not there is no end to this growth in legislation. New rules for how we run our business just keep on coming. Some of it is misguided, all of it is well intentioned, but cumulatively the burden grows. That is not so grim a burden for large firms, but for small companies like most stockists and installers, it can be a struggle.

 What are the current issues for installers? According to Mr H, a director of a roofline stockist and installer in East Anglia, the key issue are price cutting and health and safety. Restrictions on the use of ladders, and legislation on the removal and disposing of dangerous materials such as asbestos should, in theory, cut down on the number of unprofessional and unqualified installers who undercut serious companies. But it is an expensive remedy. A lack of guidance on best practice for roofline installation also opens the door to cowboy installers and ‘ridiculous prices’.

Ken Davies comments: “Although the UK’s accident rate is the second lowest in European Union, construction and the building industry has the worst safety record among domestic industries. There will be no let up in new Health & Safety legislation and roofline, and anything to do with roofs is in the line of fire. The construction industry consistently contributes a third of all work related fatal accidents, with 50% of these caused by falls from height.  In the past five years 437 people have been killed on construction sites, with 225 of these killed falling from height.  

 “Since very few roofs are at ground level or less than the statutory 2.0m height at which you’re required to provide adequate edge protection, safe working practices are mandatory. It may be a headache and scaffolding certainly costs more than just balancing a ladder against the side of a house, but I believe this particular legislation is good for the industry as a whole. Not only will it help reduce the high numbers of casualties, but it is also a reflection of the professionalism and best practice emerging within the roofline industry. The Government has got a website that gives you the facts, and I recommend anyone who’s not on top of this legislation to take a look. It can be found at the HSE website: www.hse.gov/uk

END