Flat roof... strength?

Westyfield2

Westyfield2

Westyfield2

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Joined
14 Dec 2005
Posts
12,488
Location
Bath
I've always been paranoid when up on a flat roof. Walk really gently, and keep to the edges.

When the garage roof was being re-tarmaced, the builders were walking right down the middle of it, with a few of them up there at a time. Plus they each weighed a good bit more than me :p. Neighbours are having some work done today, and their builders are walking around all over their garage's flat roof too.


So... are flat roofs stronger than I thought? Or do the builders like living on the edge and they're going to fall through any minute now?
 
No flat roofs are dangerous places, I've been with a firm who was up for corporate manslaughter as a roofer fell through a flat roof, someone had laid felt over a rooflight with no glass and he fell through three stories to his death.

Most commercial roofs are labelled to use crawl boards or ladders, the home builder just isn't exposed to the H&S policies and procedures we are so just jumps on them and gets away with it.
 
Flat roof (home garage)should use 18mm ply, so ample strength to walk on.
But, you can never be sure, got one here, it's only 9mm ply.

Asbestos,etc, should use crawling boards.
 
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Our plumber fell through our flat roof when installing the condensate drain for a new boiler. To reach it he'd put a ladder on top of the flat roof! The point load was too much and he and the ladder came crashing through the roof, squeezing between the joists.

He never noticed the sheets of 18mm ply I'd put up there for just such occasions. Footing his ladder on those could have saved him a week in hospital...
 
Thanks. Had a look in the Garage, and 50+ years later you can still read the stamp of the Canadian woodmill on the underside! Says they're 3/4", so that's 19mm :).

paintguy said:
Our plumber fell through our flat roof when installing the condensate drain for a new boiler. To reach it he'd put a ladder on top of the flat roof! The point load was too much and he and the ladder came crashing through the roof, squeezing between the joists.
Click to expand...

Muppet! I know the square root of nothing about building, but even I would think to spread the load out rather than a point!
 
paintguy said:
Our plumber fell through our flat roof when installing the condensate drain for a new boiler. To reach it he'd put a ladder on top of the flat roof! The point load was too much and he and the ladder came crashing through the roof, squeezing between the joists.

He never noticed the sheets of 18mm ply I'd put up there for just such occasions. Footing his ladder on those could have saved him a week in hospital...
Click to expand...

Did he take you to court?
 
Nope.

I can't see why it would be my fault anyway if he was daft enough to use a ladder like that but being my ex neighbour he didn't take it any further. Likewise I didn't push him for the repair cost to the roof
 
paintguy said:
Nope.

I can't see why it would be my fault anyway if he was daft enough to use a ladder like that but being my ex neighbour he didn't take it any further. Likewise I didn't push him for the repair cost to the roof
Click to expand...


Your very lucky. It may not be your fault but you could still be held liable under the Occupiers' Liability Act 1957.

I am in court over something MUCH MUCH smaller.
 
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