Advisory Committee on Roofwork

Announcement of Revised ACR Publications and an ACR update following the July 2008 Advisory Committee for Roofwork meeting

Fri, 3 Oct 2008 12:59:16 +0100

Following the 30th July 2008 meeting the ACR is pleased to announce that :-

Existing Publications update

A revised  version of the Orange Book "Recommended Practice for Work on Profiled Sheeted Roofs"  amended to provide  advice on the removal of materials from a roof , has now been  published.

A revised version of the Blue Book "Recommended Practice for Use of Safety Nets for Roofwork", amended to provide advice concerning  leading edge protection has also been published .

These can be downloaded free of charge from the ACR website

New Publications Update

The Magenta Book (Part2)  - Testing of Roof Anchors on Roof Systems" is now at the final stage of editing prior to internal circulation within the Committee for prepublication comment.

Work has commenced on new guidance concerning "Safe Installation of Solar/PV Collectibles and other Large Items on Roofs"

Construction Plant Competence Scheme  Update

The Committee were informed of imminent changes that have been announced to the CPCS card scheme, namely :

- Introduction of a theory test for most card holders with a cost of up to £100 per person and a £25 registration fee.
- Introduction of practical tests for plant operation, some of which, for example crane drivers will cost up to £750 per person.

These changes are expected to be introduced this year, and it was thought that there would only be a limited number of accredited assessment centres available due to the criteria of area specified as required for plant operation.

Further information can be obtained from the CPCS Helpdesk on 0870 417 7274 or the Construction skills website

Prison sentence for Company director following fall through a roof

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 13:49:22 +0100

A company director has been jailed for manslaughter following the death of a worker who fell through a rooflight in January this year

Announcement of New ACR Publications and an ACR update following the April 2008 Advisory Committee for Roofwork meeting

Thu, 8 May 2008 14:05:36 +0100

At the April ACR meeting:

Appointment of New ACR Chairman

His term of office having ended,  Mr Tony Hutchinson was replaced as Chairman by Mr Ralph Bennett of the MCRMA.
The new Chairman thanked Mr Hutchinson for all his work during his term of office.

New HSE Representative

The Chairman welcomed Mr Jim Grieve H.M. Principal Specialist Inspector ( Construction Engineering) to the Committee.
(Mr Grieve replaces Mr. M. Hadfield.)

Update on Existing  and New Publications

The ACR is pleased to announce that :-

A revised  version of the Orange Book, which has now been amended to provide  advice on the removal of materials from a roof described in the last news update, should be  published shortly.

A new guide:  the Magenta Book 'The use of Horizontal Safety Lines in Roofwork' has been published and is now available.

One of the main causes of deaths and injuries at work each year is falling from height, particularly through or from roofs. To ensure safety during roofwork requires the commitment of all those involved in the procurement process. Where collective protection is not possible personal protection equipment must be used.
Many of these rely on horizontal safety lines fixed, using ‘top fix’ anchors, to the roof sheeting rather than through them to the roof support structure. This has raised concerns about:

· The horizontal safety line and anchor reliability;
· The frequency of inspection;
· The adequacy of testing; and
· Their overall performance

Part 1 of this new Best Practice Guide addresses some of these issues and gives practical advice on what the ACR considers is ‘current best practice’ for the design, installation; commissioning, operation, use and maintenance of horizontal safety lines and single point anchors fixed or supported by ‘top fix’ brackets.

Part 2 of the guide, which covers testing of such installations, is still in preparation and  will be published in due course

The Guide concentrates on installations on profiled sheets roofs. Nevertheless,those engaged in other similar activities can benefit from the advice given, as many of the principles do apply and offer good practice.

Part 1 of this new document is now available to download free of charge from the ACR website.

Company Boss jailed following roofwork fatality

A company boss has been jailed for 10 months for the death of a teenage worker during his first week working on a roof.
For full details see: newspaper report (click here)

Roof Access Reminder

The ACR believes strongly that no one should access a roof unless there was good reason to do so.  They would like to remind everyone that access on to roofs should  only be carried out by competent operatives ( who are correctly trained to work at height )  after a thorough risk assessment has been carried out and following a task specific  method statement.

ACR update following the January 2008 Advisory Committee for Roofwork meeting

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:39:36 +0000

At the January ACR meeting:

An ACR statement concerning the inspections of permanently installed safety lines on roofs was agreed and
should be published soon.

HSE Publications HSG 33 and INDG284

The ACR passed comment to the HSE on the revisions to HSG 33 and INDG284.

Update on Existing Publications

An addition to the Orange Book providing advice on the removal of materials
from a roof described in the last news update was agreed. Following circulation to all members as a final editorial check,
it is intended this will be published by the end of the month.

The final version of Magenta Book 'The use of Horizontal Safety Lines in Roofwork' was also
agreed and following a final editorial check was also authorised to be published.

New Work

Two items of future new work were agreed:
1. An Explanatory Commentary for the Orange Book
2. A new publication 'Handling Roofing Materials on Site'.

Manslaughter conviction and jail sentence for a fall through a fragile roof.

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:28:07 +0000

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning companies whose business involves working at height to ensure they provide suitable safety equipment and have appropriate procedures in place before allowing their staff to work in potentially dangerous situations.

It follows the prosecution of a North Wales roofing contractor in relation to an incident where one of his employees sustained serious injuries, and later died, after a 25ft fall through a skylight on the roof of the Comet store in Wrexham.

The director of the roofing firm was jailed for a total of two and a half years following a hearing at Mold Crown Court.

The health and safety charge was brought under section 2(1) Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 which states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees."

The HSE Inspector indicated it was not acceptable for employers to cut corners: - "Health and Safety rules are not there to inconvenience employers or to wrap employees or others in cotton wool - they are in place to ensure incidents like this are prevented, and the risk of this incident happening would have been significantly reduced had appropriate safety equipment been provided."

ACR update following the October 2007 Advisory Committee for Roofwork meeting

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 12:30:10 +0000

The following items/topics were discussed at the ACR meeting held on the 31st October 2007 in London

Membership

The Chairman welcomed the new representatives of the NFRC ( Ian Henning) and the BSIF,HSG ( Graham Willmott ) who were attending the Committee for the first time.

Publications Update

New Work :
Following the observed growth in installation of solar and PV panels on roofs, the committee decided to publish a safety information sheet targeted at the various trades who were carrying out such work. This guidance will be called 'Safe Installation of Solar Collectibles and Other Large Items'.

Existing Publications:
It was decided to update the Orange Book ' Recommended practise for work on Profiled Sheeted Roofs' to cover the safe removal of items and materials which it had been highlighted was missing from the document.

The Magenta Book 'The use of Horizontal safety Lines in roofwork' has been split into 2 documents a 'safe use' guide and a 'testing' standard. The 'safe use' guide has now moved to the pre-publication phase and following an editorial review ought to be available for publication shortly. The 'testing' standard was still being drafted by the sub group and it was hoped that a draft for internal consultation would be available by the next ACR meeting ( January 2008)

HSG33 update
Following input by the Committee to the rewrite of this document it was reported that publication of this document by HSE was expected around March 2008

New ACR Publication - Recommended Practise for the Use of Safety Nets for Roofwork

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 17:18:42 +0100

The ACR Committee is pleased to announce the publication of ACR (CP) 003:2007 - Recommended Practise for the Use of Safety Nets for Roofwork - (The Blue Book.)

One of the main causes of deaths and injuries at work each year is falling from height, particularly through or from roofs.

One of the ways of collectively protecting roof workers whilst working on roofs is the use of correctly installed safety nets, closely slung under the work area.

This publication aims to give advice on how this can be achieved and compliments the new BS 8411:2007 Code of Practice for Safety Nets on Construction Sites and other Works published earlier this year

Updated ACR Guide Published - Recommended Practice for Work on Profiled Sheet Roofing

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:18:27 +0100

The ACR Committee announces the publication of the updated version (Rev 2) of the Orange Book. - ACR (CP) 001 - Recommended Practice for Work on Profiled Sheet Roofing

This guide gives practical advice on the duties placed on clients, contractors, designers and manufacturers and includes recommendations for good practice while working on roofs. Whilst it concentrates on profiled roofs, those engaged in other similar activities would benefit from the advice given, as many of the principles do apply and offer good practice.

ACR (CP) 001 : 2007 Rev 2 - Recommended Practice for Work on Profiled Sheet Roofing can be downloaded free of charge from the ACR website

ACR update following the July 2007 meeting of the Advisory Committee for Roofwork

Tue, 7 Aug 2007 11:10:06 +0100

At the July Meeting the following items were recorded/discussed:

The new HSE representative, Mark Hatfield, was welcomed to the committee.

Fragility Tests

It was agreed that during the construction of roofs comprising of small elements (slating and tiling) there were a number of important safety issues that needed to be addressed to ensure that there was a reduction in the number of accidents and injuries. Statistics showed that the number of accidents, caused by operatives falling through these roofs once completed was very small, whereas the number of accidents caused by operatives falling of the edges or through partly completed roofs was relatively high.

It was therefore agreed that a fragility test for ‘small element' roofs would not be developed by the ACR, but that the contractors associations’ would continue to work with the HSE to develop techniques and working practices that reduce the number of accidents during construction and maintenance work on small element roofs.

Training for Roofwork

It was agreed that there was significant concern that the health and safety training presently being provided to trainee roofworkers was not adequate. A sub committee was formed that would provide advice to the HSE on advice to be published in the revised HSG 33. It was further agreed that this sub committee would liaise with ACWAHT to produce advice on the training required for a roofworkers.

ACR Publications update

It was reported that the Orange Book: Recommended Practice for work on Profiled Sheeted Roofs had been successfully revised and once the back page, with members names and addresses, had been corrected it would be published.

It was recorded that the Blue Book: The use of Nets for Roofwork was now ready, once the Chairman’s comments had been added, for the final internal consultation.

It was reported that the Purple Book: Edge Protection for Roofwork was currently out for internal Consultation within the ACR and so should be published soon.

It was reported that the Magenta Book: The Use of Horizontal Safety Lines in Roofwork was now ready for circulation within the full ACR for a two months consultation.

ACR update following the March 2007 meeting of the Advisory Committee for Roofwork

Tue, 1 May 2007 20:18:46 +0100

At the March Meeting applications for membership to the Committee were considered

The ACR is delighted to welcome the British Safety Industry Federation, Height Safety Group (BSIF,HSG), into membership.
Many of the HSG members fit safety lines to roofs and their specialist expertise will be of great benefit to the Committee.

ACR Publications.
The Red Book ( non fragility testing standard) - Although previously reported that negotiations had begun with BSI with the intention of  converting this publication to a British Standard the Committee reviewed this position and decided not to proceed with this course of action.

The Blue Book ( the use of nets in roofwork) - It is understood that BS 8411: 2007 on the use of nets is nearing publication. As work on this guide had been suspended, awaiting the  publication of the new revised British Standard  to ensure that no conflict existed between the 2 documents, work will now recommence. The Blue book will now be taken to "Final draft" stage.

The Orange Book ( work on Profiled sheeted roofs ) -The revision of this guide is proceeding and it is hoped that a revised edition of this guide will be ready for publication during 2007.

The Magenta Book (the Use of Horizontal safety lines in roofwork) - Due to the departure of the existing editor , no progress had been made on this guide. A new editor was appointed to take the work forward. It is likely that the existing work already done  will be split into two separate publications  - a Manufacturing standard and a Usage guide.

The Purple Book  (edge protection for roofwork) - The final draft is due to be circulated to the Committee for comment shortly.

New Work.
From issues highlighted in the work already done on  the Magenta book it was decided that work would commence on developing a standardized 'permit to work' for  use  in roofwork.

Non ACR Publications
work on the revision of HSG 33 this is proceeding under the control of HSE

Replacement of the HSE representative on ACR

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 10:51:59 +0000

At the recent ACR meeting in January the Committee were notified that Dave Thomas, the HSE representative on the ACR, had resigned from the HSE.

The Committee unanimously thanked Dave for his support and help over the years and wished him all the best for the future; hoping that he would remain as a co-opted member of the ACR.

It was also unanimously agreed that the ACR would ask the HSE to quickly replace Dave with another working at height expert and that they would be the HSE representative on the ACR committee.

Fragile roof fall death results in a total of £144,000 in fines and costs

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 15:09:25 +0000

On the 22nd of December 2006 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) successfully brought criminal charges against five different parties after the death of of a worker who had fallen through a fragile rooflight.

Between them the parties were fined a total of £87,000 and ordered to pay £57,228 costs at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court.

The worker killed had fallen eight metres to his death when he stepped on a fragile roof light at Chesford Grange in Warrington on 20 September 2002.

He and another untrained demolition worker, were using the roof to access another roof on the site.

The Advisory Committee for Roofwork to help with the revision of HSG33

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 14:27:33 +0000

The ACR is pleased to announce that they has been asked to assist HSE with the revision of the HSE publication HSG 33 - "Health and Safety in Roof work".

An ACR sub group comprising representative of FASET, FCMA, FRA, MCRMA, NARM, NFRC, RIDBA and WAHSA Trade Associations has been formed to do this work. The first meeting of the sub Group was held on the 20th December 2006.

The intended publication date for this revised document is not known at this stage & will ultimately be decided by HSE.

ACR update following the October meeting of the Advisory Committee for Roofwork

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 12:14:58 +0100

New Work Item

At the October meeting of the ACR the members discussed the use of MEWPs ( Mobile Elevating Work Platforms)as a temporary means of access on to roofs .

In light of the apparent conflict between the guidance in BS EN280:2001, BS 8460:2005, the acceptability of such activity to HSE and anecdotal evidence related to observed unsafe practises the Committee decide to start a new work item on this subject.

It is intended that this guidance will be known as the Pink Book and it is likely to be ready for publication during 2007.
(As with all other ACR publications will be available for free download from the ACR website publications page.)

Update on other publications:

The Red Book ( Testing for non fragility) - Discussions have been commenced with BSI with a view to converting this materials standard to a British Standard.
The complaints procedure is being clarified and updated

The Orange Book ( Recommended practices for work on profiled sheeted roofs) - a sub group was set up to review and update this guidance. The Committee would welcome any suggestions regarding safety issues which are not currently addressed in this guidance for inclusion in this review. If you wish to suggest an issue for consideration please use the Committee contact form on the ACR website.

The Purple Book ( Edge protection for Roofwork) - This document has completed it's final edit and is now entering prepublication phase. It is anticipated that the document will be available in late 2006 /early 2007

The Magenta Book (The use of Horizontal Safety Lines in Roofwork) - This guidance has completed the initial draft stage and is currently the subject of the first consultation within the Committee, This consultation phase closes on the 27th October 2006. The next phase (2nd draft) is due for completion by the end of the year. It is anticipated that the document will be ready for publication published by mid to late 2007.

ACR welcomes latest HSE Accident statistics

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 20:04:33 +0100

The ACR welcomes the reduction in fatalities and injuries on construction sites shown in the recent statistics released by the HSE.

The statistics show that since 1997 the number of fatalities per year from falls from height has almost halved the largest reduction of all the different kinds of accidents on construction sites recorded by the HSE.

The ACR is delighted that it's work to reduce the number of falls from height is continuing to help reduce the number of accidents.

ACR publications update following July Meeting of Advisory Committee for Roofwork

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 11:33:07 +0100

At the July 2006 meeting of the Committee the ACR members decided to include the disclaimer, which was introduced in recent publications, to all its documents
Amended versions of the Red book (Test for Non- Fragility of Roofing Assemblies), Green Book (Safe Working on Fragile roofs) and the Orange book (Recommended practice for work on Profiled Sheeted Roofs) are now available for free download.

NOTE: Apart from the inclusion of the disclaimer there are NO other changes to the text of these documents

New ACR Chairman and change of address of the Secretariat

Thu, 8 Jun 2006 14:19:33 +0100

The ACR is pleased to announce that Mr Tony Hutchinson of the FCMA, was recently elected to the position of Chairman of the Committee. Mr Hutchinson replaces Mr Chris Pearce of NARM following his completion of the fixed 2 year term of office.
The contact address for correspondence to the Committee has also changed. See website for full details.

Publication update - ACR Information Sheet 1 - download link correction

Mon, 8 May 2006 18:15:33 +0100

It has been discovered that the download link for ACR Information Sheet No 1 - The Client Guide to Selecting a Competent Roofing Contractor - was inoperable.
This error has now been corrected and the document is available for download, free of charge, by following the link in this news item

New ACR publication - Competence and Fitness Requirements for roofwork

Mon, 8 May 2006 18:06:18 +0100

The ACR Committee announces the publication of ACR (CP) 005 : 2006 - Guidance note for competence and general fitness requirements to work on roofs.
This guide provides advice on what constitutes competency to organize and plan, manage, supervise and work on roofs. In addition it gives very general advice on the legal duties for the commissioners of, and clients for , roofwork. It can be downloaded free of charge.

ACWAHT published new Awareness Syllabus for Work at Height Training

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 13:34:55 +0100

In 2004/05, 53 people died and nearly 3800 suffered a serious injury as a result of a fall from height. All industry sectors are exposed to the risks presented by this hazard although the level of incidence varies considerably
The Advisory Committee on Work at Height Training ( ACWAHT) has just published its awareness syllabus for working at height.
The concept for this syllabus was borne initially out the desire to establish what every worker should know about work at height activity to keep them safe, until they have been fully trained in any particular aspect. It is not a substitute for detailed training to undertake a task, but provides basic information on safe working practice for work at height. ACWAHT recommends that these be covered in training courses.
The syllabus is now available for download free of charge from the ACWAHT web site

New ACR Publication - ACR Information sheet 1- now available.

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 17:54:39 +0100

The ACR Committee announces the publication of the ACR Information Sheet 1 Selecting a Competent Contractor. This was previously the work item known as the Yellow book. The information sheet is now available by free download from the ACR website

18 months custodial sentence for Construction Company Owner following fall during construction of a barn roof

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 14:31:55 +0100

Whilst installing a barn roof, 2 workers worked at roof height from a 'home-made' basket balanced on the forks of a telehandler.

The telehandler tipped over, throwing both men approximately 25 feet to the ground. One man serious injuries and the other suffered fatal injuries from which he died.

Further details of the case can be found on the HSE's web site

Update on new ACR Publications due early in 2006

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 15:52:53 +0100

Two new publications : ACR CP[005] [ competence and fitness standards for roofwork ] - the Black Book - and ACR CP[004] [ A clients guide to selecting competent contractors and suppliers] have entered their pre publication draft stage and should be available early in 2006. This latter document is now likely to be an information sheet (IS) rather than a code of practise (CP)

New Draft British Standard ( BS8454)

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 15:46:49 +0100

A draft of BS8454 the new British Standard for Delivery of training for work at height [ref: DPC: 05/30117509 DC] has been issued for public comment by BSI . the closing date for comments is the 31st March 2006.

Changes to ACR website

Sun, 9 Oct 2005 21:57:49 +0100

The ACR web site has been updated to reflect the new work item on the Use of Horizontal Lifelines in Roofwork (the Magenta book).

A link has been provided from the home page so that current news feed items ( this file) can be directly viewed via the web site

Following comments received that the validation complaints procedure was unclear extra clarification has been updated in the FAQ section

New work item agreed - Use of Horizontal Safety Lines in Roofwork - the Magenta Book

Sat, 30 Jul 2005 14:56:26 +0100

At the ACR meeting in July 2005, following concerns reported about incorrect installation and testing of horizontal safety lines on roofs the Committee agreed to start a new work item on this subject. It is intended that this guidance will be known as the Magenta Book and is likely to be ready for publication during 2006. As with all other ACR publications will be available for free download from the ACR website publications page.

RED Book ( 3rd Edition -Non fragility testing) - Error in document

Tue, 19 Jul 2005 17:02:59 +0100

A typographical error has been identified in the recent release of the Red Book( 3rd Edition -Non fragility testing). The header text at the top of each page incorrectly identifies the year of publication as 2004. The correct date should be 2005 as is shown on the from cover. An corrected version of the pdf file is now available for download. There is currently no intention to reprint an ammended hard copy.

New ACR Publications (Red and Green Books) now available

Fri, 10 Jun 2005 21:12:34 +0100

The ACR Committee announces the publication of the Red book ( 3rd Edition -Non fragility testing) and the Green Book ( New publication - Safe working on Fragile Roofs). Both are now available in hardcopy from ACR member organizations and by free download from the ACR website

Chairman's Article

Mon, 14 Feb 2005 14:55:35 +0100

Read the paper about the history and work of ACR submitted by the Chairman to contribute to the Health and Safety Summit 2005

Company director jailed following fatal fall through fragile rooflight

Fri, 28 Jan 2005 18:00:00 +0100

On 7th January 2005 a company director was jailed for 16months following the death of one of his employees whilst working on a roof. No safe system of work had been prepared before the work was started and no safety precautions were in place at the time of the incident