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HS&E Operatives practice question: Working at height (4 of 7)

C. Safety A free question from our original HS&E Operatives practice exam. Try it, then open the answer to see why each option is right or wrong.

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You are asked to fetch some tools from the far side of a warehouse roof. The roof is made of fibre-cement sheets with rooflights in between.

What should you do?

Choose one answer.

  1. A. Go across quickly so you spend less time on the roof
  2. B. Don't go onto the roof; treat it as fragile
  3. C. Walk along the line of the bolts, where it is strongest
  4. D. Step only on the rooflights, as they are made of plastic
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B

  • A. Wrong: Wrong. Speed doesn't matter. A fragile sheet can break under you at any moment.
  • B. Right: Right. Fibre-cement sheets and rooflights are often fragile and won't take your weight. HSE says treat a roof as fragile until a competent person confirms it isn't, and use proper precautions such as stagings and nets.
  • C. Wrong: Wrong. Walking on the bolt lines does not make a fragile roof safe. People have died falling through roofs this way.
  • D. Wrong: Wrong. Rooflights are often among the most fragile parts of a roof and can be hard to see.

Explanation

Never walk on a fragile roof. Treat roofs as fragile until a competent person says otherwise, and only work on them with proper precautions in place.

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