How to Work Safely In The Loft
In this blog we’ve put together some health and safety considerations for those tradesmen who work on various loft and roof space projects. These projects could include loft conversions, repairs and access to household equipment in the loft – such as boilers, extraction fans, smoke detectors, power and data cables, and much more, cavity wall and loft insulation and even general DIY, household clearing and sprucing. Whatever the reason, it’s important to work safely in the loft and be aware of the dangers, here are a few safety issues we think you should consider…
So, what are the risks of working in the loft and roof space?
When carrying out any loft project, it is important to carry out a risk assessment to identify any safety risks. Common risks associated with loft tasks can include, falls from a height, look for any safety hazards, trips and slips due to loose materials, any material you may be working with i.e. insulation, working in a confined space or risks such as falling on old wooden boards and poor surfaces. It’s also important to consider the safety of any staff who will be working in the loft and assess the risks to ensure they understand the risks and work in a safe manner.
Planning
The first thing you should do to consider health and safety in the loft and roof spaces is to plan. In particularly, if you are going to be working from elevated spaces and there is a risk of fall, which can have life threatening consequences. To safety work at heights, make sure you have safe access solutions in place. This could include using extension ladders and roof ladders. Choosing the correct ladder is just a start when it comes to access equipment. You could consider safety rails or scaffolding, and you might even need additional equipment to help carry out the work. Ensure you plan all the access equipment you will need prior to starting the job at hand and ensure its safe and secure.
If you’re working as a team, and loft work is common to you, ensure that you have received adequate training and consider taking some training courses related to working from heights.
Always wear protective clothing
Most tradesmen understand the importance of using personal protective equipment (PPE) on any kind of job and working in the loft is no different when it comes to PPE. PPE is a must! To protect yourself, we advise wearing appropriate clothing and safety wear. What you wear will be dependent on what job you’re planning so do, so choose what’s best to wear for your loft task.
Is your working space safe?
Always ensure your loft working space is safe and secure. Watch out for small things like cables laying around or bad lighting which can lead to trips, slips and falls. While completing your loft project, ensure safety by keeping your loft working space clean and tidy. Remove any trip hazards and work within a well-lit environment. Also, when using any kind of hazardous materials, take required precautions.
Consider using Lawsons Loft Lifter
Health and safety concerns also arise when loading materials to and from your loft working space. That’s why we offer a Loft Lifter service which takes care of this and eliminates any safety hazards that come with lifting materials to and from the loft. With a dedicated Loft Team solely focused to help you process your orders and highly skilled loft lifer drivers, our specialist fleet of Loft Conversion Lifters vehicles enables us to supply everything you need in one package, on lorries mounted with high reaching cranes that deliver your loft materials straight to roof level scaffolding. We also can safely crane you steel girders into position within the loft space, saving you both time and money.
Learn more, watch the Lawsons Loft Lifter video.
Does most of the work you undertake involve lofts? We hope our suggestions have helped but if you have any further safety tips and advice, we’d love to hear from you! Give us a shout on Instagram at @lawsons_uk
