Browse Forums Building Standards; Getting It Right! 1 Jul 31, 2012 6:25 pm I'm trying to design a house for me and my family to vacation in (for months at a time, so I want it as a real house), and I' boxing with two different designs at the moment. A thread on here discussed tradies and height, but I wonder if you could tell me if the following would make it feasible for tradies to work legally on the roof: I know there are rules for working at height (obviously), but let's say I build a house with a flat (or almost flat: 3-5:100) roof and some 30 cm caps around the perimeter (the wall continued, basically). Is there anything I can put up there - attachments or slide rails just above the surface for the tradie to hook up to, so they won't need to build scaffolds just to clean the chimney or check the solar? I'm hoping to build the house with between 5 and 6 meter internal height, resulting in an external height of about 5,7-6,7 metres. Thanks, Dan Re: Working height safety for tradies? 2Jul 31, 2012 7:32 pm There is a range of anchors that can be installed on a roof here. http://www.heightsafety.com.au/pages/he ... chors.html The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Working height safety for tradies? 4Aug 01, 2012 6:10 am If it's a flat roof, I'm a little Rusty, but I think you only need a fall restraint when working near the edge of the roof. I would look at a ladder attachment point/tie off device or go all out and get a fixed ladder! You may also have some luck talking to work cover since your being pro active on safety! Refreshing too see a home owner think about safety for trades, you may be surprised how little is thought of even in large commercial jobs, clastic is to install access hatches near equipment then build a bench under it! 2 Re: Working height safety for tradies? 5Aug 01, 2012 5:02 pm Thanks, Storm I'm thinking that if considered from the get-go, it won't be much trouble further down the line, and I will be sure that when a tradie gets on my roof, I have done what I can to keep him safe. Whether he clips in or not I can't really control, but if it's there it shouldn't take him long, and he might just do it - regardless of what time pressures he's under. I know I sound like a safety ad, but I'll sleep better knowing that safety won't be a problem. As for ladders, I'm not sure I'll go for a permanent ladder. The problem is the angle: Sure, I could do a ladder following the wall, but it will be awkward to climb. Maybe I'll do that one for me (to remove leaves and so on), and then add ladder attachments like you say, so the tradie can get a good angle when climbing. I gather people have different angles they prefer anyway. I will see if I can find "Work Cover", as I gather they're the industry's safety arm? I'm a Dane, so far still living in Denmark, so I'm not quite sure about all these different branches and so forth. I'm still working myself steadily through the different rules and standards of the building in Oz, compared to how I'd prefer to build it (Passivhaus standard). Re: Working height safety for tradies? 6Aug 01, 2012 8:39 pm They may go by other names depending on the state your in / looking at! In Victoria (where I am) it's Work Safe, http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/ ... t/WorkSafe they are more the regulator / enforcer of occupational health and safety laws, strictly speaking Work cover is insurance I believe but I always call them work cover for some reason! Fixed ladders are usually up and down, and are odd to climb but usaully rock solid and safe, an extension ladder does have a correct angle to use it at (some ladders have a L printed on them so when it looks like a L it's right!) the problem is they are supposed to be 'footed' (some one at the bottom holding it) while someone else climbs up to tie it off! Of course, I don't employ anyone beyond me so.......? Re: Working height safety for tradies? 7Aug 01, 2012 9:11 pm stormjr They may go by other names depending on the state your in / looking at! In Victoria (where I am) it's Work Safe, http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/ ... t/WorkSafe they are more the regulator / enforcer of occupational health and safety laws, strictly speaking Work cover is insurance I believe but I always call them work cover for some reason! Fixed ladders are usually up and down, and are odd to climb but usaully rock solid and safe, an extension ladder does have a correct angle to use it at (some ladders have a L printed on them so when it looks like a L it's right!) the problem is they are supposed to be 'footed' (some one at the bottom holding it) while someone else climbs up to tie it off! Of course, I don't employ anyone beyond me so.......? See? It pays to ask!! I'm looking to buy some land in either Vic or NSW. Most likely it will be NSW, although I personally prefer Vic (I'm better with the climate around Melbourne, but my better half likes NSW better). Maybe I can design my way out of it, by making a "false" outer wall at the end of the house (West?) making a staircase that goes parallel to the end wall. Of course, that will be rather expensive, although it could be made to look elegant. As for someone "footing" it, wouldn't one of those "ladder stabilisers" work in lieu of that, or does the tradie first have to climb to the roof, while another one "foots" it, then move the ladder to the stabiliser? My thinking was that I could make an "inset" (think "toothed edge of a castle") and in that inset have a ladder stabiliser, so the tradie does not rely on how safe/old the stabiliser is, but can rely on the building itself to, well, stabilise him. God, I feel stupid, but I'm not a tradesperson, and without personal experience, I can only take into account what people have told me and what I can think up by myself. I really want something which doesn't detract too much from a minimalistic design, but on the other hand, there's no point in doing things half-arsed, or making a choice of a particular solution without knowing what solutions would be feasible. Of course, I don't have unlimited amounts on money to spend, but again, if I can design something smartly from the get-go, rather than relying on add-ons or whatnot, it won't be that much more in terms of money. A bit more work, but that I can manage. I will try to contact Work Safe to see what they say. Thanks again Hi everyone. I am a single mother with little daughter, living in a small tourist town in WA Australia. I am thinking to install security screens to all the doors and… 0 24774 Elvis has left the building... The site supervisor quit after 2 month on the project. I guess he was just instructed to bark at people, but didn't like when he was… 26 20902 I had a similar issue with my fridge not too long ago. It wasn't the same model, but the symptoms were pretty much the same: the compressor would start and then stop… 3 7531 |