Let me make it clear, the two people photographed below are doing absolutely nothing wrong. This is not a whistle blowing post. They are obviously surveyors of some sort, doing a survey on a roof outside my house. They are doing EXACTLY what I was doing the day of my accident in leaning against a historical wrought iron balustrade. This building was completed in 1917, some of the other buildings on the estate date back to 1837.
What have I done about it apart from take photographs? I tried phoning the Main Contractor’s Director of Construction and the Site Manager but only got their answer phones. I also ran out in my pyjamas to shout up at the men to tell them not to put their trust in that balustrade.
My accident story highlights the devastating effect of putting your trust in a balustrade while working at height. Forgetting about wind resistance (more a factor in sky-diving) a 12 stone man falling 10 metres, which was roughly my weight at the time of the accident, and just short of the distance I fell, takes 1.43 seconds to hit the ground and the speed on impact is just over 50km/h.
Health and Safety Speaker UK | Gary Gallagher 