The owner of a detached house in a Bolesławiec housing estate hired a company to build him a pitched roof. At a height of more than eight metres, the workers walk along the rafters without any safety equipment. The problem was brought to the attention of a Reader.
– It makes your hair stand on end and chills your blood when you watch them flying around on that roof – the Reader said. – They seem to be holding on to the beams with their hands, but it is clear that nothing is protecting them from falling.
Throughout the working day, the workers moved around on the roof without safety equipment. They repeatedly climbed to the top of the rafter structure and descended along it, occasionally regaining their balance and placing their feet uncertainly. From time to time, one or another of them dangerously stood right on the edge of the roof.
– This is contrary to occupational health and safety regulations – says Andrzej Prostak, a court-appointed expert in general construction. – Both the workers and the construction manager may be fined for this. A worker should be fastened into a harness and secured with a rope to a permanent structural element. Moreover, there should also be a safety net there to protect the worker from sliding down. Such a net also protects against falling roof tiles or other movable elements being laid – the expert adds.
The Reader did not know how to react to the workers’ reckless behaviour. – I thought that if I called some authorities, I would look like a snitch – the woman says. – It is only when something bad happens that everyone shouts, asking why no one reacted. When you point something out, you can even hear a few unpleasant words.
A tragic construction accident occurred in Bolesławiec this year. In April, a young man fell from scaffolding and died on the way to hospital. The tragedy reverberated throughout Bolesławiec, but as can be seen, not everyone learned a lesson from it.
(information: ii)