Rregularly, for twenty years, Michel Bianco has taken photos of workers on the roofs of his region: “We see roofers walking around without any protection, they are often precarious workers who have been brought in to replace tiles, in a few hours. There is no basket, the scaffolding is not up to standard. » On August 2, 2006, his son Jérôme, who was installing a bay window on a building, fell fatally from a scaffolding, and the company was condemned. “Roofers are the symbol of a culture where we are aware of the risk, but where we climb without harnesses or lifelines, as if it were harmless. »
Between 17% and 19% of the 738 private sector employees who died at work in 2022 were caused by a fall from height. The profession of roofer is regularly the symbol of this: its main mission consists of creating, repairing and maintaining the roofs of buildings. He installs waterproof and insulating covers, installs rainwater drainage systems, sometimes roof windows or even solar panels. “43% of serious and fatal roofer accidents are due to falls from height”explains Sébastien Terrier, operations manager at the technical direction of the Professional Organization for the Prevention of Building and Public Works (OPPBTP), which published a study in September on the working conditions of roofers.
The typical accident often occurs on a construction site managed by a small company, which carries out renovation for individuals, following a problem with unsuitable scaffolding or because of a roof made of fragile material. Exposed to climatic hazards, on roofs that are each unique, the risks are multiplied. Safety obligations too, and the number of accidents per thousand employees was almost halved between 2016 and 2021, but small businesses – more than 90% of employers with coverage – often lack time and money.
Best practices
“When there is comfort at work, we earn moneyhowever, highlights Cyril Guy, business manager in Dordogne. But the client does not always see the point in keeping the roofers safe. » “Roofing projects are short. Some bosses explain that putting on safety nets takes two days, for an intervention of one hourconfirms Frédéric Mau, president of the OPPBTP and general secretary of the CGT-Construction, wood and furniture. As long as the project management is not involved in the legal consequences in the event of a tragedy, we will not succeed. »
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