28 Jul Roof Safety Certification: Is your company at risk?
Certification and recertification are a requirement if working at height
- Roof certification is required for all new height safety systems
- Recertification of safety systems is required every 12 months
- Business owners are liable if safety systems are noncompliant
If you or your employees are required to work at heights, roof safety certification and recertification are essential.
All workers are entitled to a safe working environment, and as a business owner, you may be liable if your safety systems are noncompliant.
What is roof safety certification?
Roof height certification and recertification is a thorough inspection of the height safety systems you have in place and the premises where you will be carrying out work at a height.
Height safety systems must comply with the AS/NZS 1891.4 2009 standard and certification of the safety systems must be carried out by a competent and qualified technician.
What is AS/NZS 1891.4 2009?
This is the standard set by Standards Australia in relation to industrial fall-arrest systems and devices, selection, use and maintenance.
It specifies requirements and sets out recommendations for the selection, safe use and maintenance of industrial fall-arrest systems and devices based on the use of safety harnesses, horizontal life lines and rails, fall-arrest devices and associated lanyards, connectors, anchorages and fittings, as follows:
(a) Selection requirements and recommendations for determining the types of components of the system that would be appropriate to the envisaged usage.
(b) Safe use requirements and recommendations relating to the safe practices to be followed in the use of components and assemblies.
(c) Maintenance requirements and recommendations for inspection, storage, servicing and cleaning practices.
How often does roof certification and recertification need to be carried out?
Certification of a roof height safety system must be carried out when it is being used for the first time.
Recertification is required every 12 months to ensure the system remains in good working order, otherwise you risk being liable should an accident or death occur due to noncompliant systems being used.
What happens if roof height certification and recertification aren’t carried out correctly?
There are serious legal and financial ramifications if you don’t have your roof safety systems correctly certified or your equipment is not in good working order. By not being compliant, you are putting yours and the lives of your employees at risk if a safety system fails.
The Ugly Truth about Falls
The number of deaths and injuries in Australia caused by falls from height is staggering:
- Between January 2003 and December 2015, 359 workers were killed by falling from a height which accounted for 15 percent of all workers fatally injured during this period.
- The greatest number of deaths during this period were caused by falls from roofs (59) and ladders (54).
- In 2015 alone, 28 percent of fatalities in Australia were caused by falls from height.
- In 2015, 30 percent of serious claims were because of falls from ladders.
- ‘Height’ can mean as little as a couple of metres. In 2015, 48 percent of fatalities in the construction industry were caused by falls of less than four metres.
Many deaths and accidents like these can be avoided by using the correct safety equipment and having it correctly certified and maintained.
Why Choose AHSS?
At Australian Height Safety Services, we have more than 25 years’ experience in height safety and fall prevention. We are committed to protecting the safety and well-being of all workers and personnel that use our fall prevention systems.
Our team of qualified technicians will come to your premises and ensure your safety system is fully certified and meets the AS/NZS 1891.4 standard. If you have maintenance issues, we can also assist by bringing your equipment and premises up to the required standard.
We use only the highest quality products that have been engineered and manufactured in Australia. Our products have been specifically designed to meet and exceed Australian regulatory standards.
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