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Those working in the construction and agricultural industries may be called upon at some point to undertake some kind of working at height. In this case, they need to be made aware of the risks this type of work involves.

These industries are among the most dangerous, and falls from height represent the most common cause of both fatality and serious injury, making adequate health and safety training and safety measures absolutely indispensable.

This is illustrated by the case of a farm worker who fell through a shed roof in July of last year. The roof was made of fibre cement sheets which are well known to be fragile and unable to support weight.

Despite this, the dairy that owned the shed did not undertake an assessment to establish the state of the roof before starting works. It also failed to produce a written demolition plan, which is required by law. There were no safety measures put into place, and no safety equipment provided.

So when a twenty four year old worker went onto the roof, he fell through, breaking his jaw, arm and damaging his eye socket. Proper planning and training could have prevented this fall; instead the young man sustained serious injuries and his employer was successfully prosecuted for its failure to protect him.