Ph Liam 027 399 4203
Q. Can l walk on the top plate without any fall protection?
A. No. At no time is any person to stand on or work from an external wall top plate without suitable fall protection.
No. At no time is any person to stand on or work from an
external wall top plate without suitable fall protection.
This must be considered as part of your planning for a
safe approach to working at height.
Q. Can ceiling battens be used as a method of fall protection? Click here to read the MBIE Guidance document
A. No. Ceiling battens do not provide any safe fall protection. Both metal and timber ceiling battens are generally a lightweight element designed to provide support for ceiling linings and not to sustain the loads imposed by a person falling. Even if a ceiling batten was engineered to sustain the loads imposed by a person falling there is still risk of the person sustaining serious injuries by landing on the battens
Working at Height, common questions. (Taken from MBIE website)
Q. Can I get fined for not having fall protection
A. Read the following from the Christchurch Press 24/11/2014.
A Christchurch builder has been fined $18,000 for ignoring a request to stop work and putting his staff at risk.
WorkSafe New Zealand inspectors found four of builder Grant Collings' workers re-
Collings was issued with a prohibition notice to protect the workers from the risk of serious harm, but he ignored it and refused to get his employees down off the roof.
The builder was fined $18,000 in the Christchurch District Court today for breaching the notice.
In a statement, WorkSafe said Collings had been responsible for the health and safety of his employees.
He left the building site before WorkSafe inspectors finished issuing the probition notice.
The notice was stuck to a handrail next to a ladder leading to the roof and clearly stated that no further work could continue until it was lifted by an inspector.
WorkSafe chief inspector Keith Stewart said the inspectors returned to the site five hours later and found the same workers on the roof.
Collings displayed a "blatant disregard" for the health and safety of his employees and put them at further risk.
"That is unacceptable," Stewart said.
Falls from roofs and ladders accounted for most of the serious harm accidents reported to WorkSafe from the construction sector.
"More injuries happen on residential building sites than any other workplace in the construction sector," he said.