Working at Height

I sat in a coffee shop waiting for a client this morning, when out of the corner of my eye I saw movement outside. I looked, and saw two men climbing a ladder to apparently work on then roof of the building I was sitting in.

Being of a curious mind I went to investigate. I found a partial exclusion zone around a ladder that was secured to a down pipe, and two men peering over the edge of the roof looking down at me. One good naturedly waved and bellowed a "hullo" at me. Rather startled, I waved back.

Neither man was wearing a harness despite working on the edge of the roof.

A lovely lad was on the ground near me, clearly working as a spotter for the two on the roof.

This presented a conundrum to me. Clearly I could not let the matter lie because the men were working unsafely, yet these men would not welcome my intrusion in what they would view as something that is not my business.

It is difficult being a safety professional sometimes. When we see circumstances that can lead to injury or worse, and we are bound by our Code of Ethics to speak up.

*Stock photograph used