A roofing contractor in Scotland survived a 15-foot fall with “life-changing” injuries, highlighting the need for roofing companies to ensure safety procedures are followed.

According to a story from The Herald, Aedan Brown, 27, was working on a roofing project in a cherry picker in February 2022 in the Castlemilk district of Glasgow. A double-decker bus struck the cherry picker, causing Brown to fall 15 feet and strike a car before hitting the pavement.

The article points out Brown was not wearing a safety harness at the time of the incident, nor were road barriers put in place to alert drivers of the cherry picker’s presence.

As a result, Brown sustained multiple injuries, including extensive fractures to his pelvis and right hip. He also sustained a collapsed left lung and fractured right wrist. He was given surgical plates and screws as well as a cast for his left arm.

Following the injuries, Brown has not worked and reportedly suffers from PTSD.

The incident made headlines recently due to McTaggart Construction Limited pleading guilty on Oct. 10 at Glasgow Sheriff Court to failing to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase and coordinate matters relating to health and safety during the construction phase, The Herald states. The firm had hired Brown to complete cladding repair work for flats.

“He has not worked since the incident and is not hopeful of returning to the same field due to the physical nature of it,” said Prosecutor Saud Ul-hassan. “He is now physically unable to play golf and football which he had previously enjoyed before the incident.”

Sentencing has been deferred until later this month.

Grim Reminders

The incident serves as a cautionary tale to roofing contractors around the world to take the proper precautions when on the job. While the victim lived through the events, he is still recovering from the injuries, and the company’s reputation is now tarnished.

Tammy Clark, owner of Tammy K. Clark Companies and certified safety expert, said roadside working conditions like these are a real concern for roofers in cities and even those on commercial agriculture buildings when installing metal roofs and the like along the edges from a lift.

“These are dangerous situations due to the hazards of working out of a lift on a roof edge, potentially being struck by oncoming traffic with distracted drivers,” she added.

She said working in lifts alongside roads requires pulling permits with cities, following Department of Transportation requirements for setting up a lane closure with signage and barricades and lift certification.

“I have roofing contractors in Chicago who have had to work out of lifts alongside roads on large commercial projects. There have even been times we've had to close a lane in downtown traffic to allow the lift to be set up in a lane due to the sidewalk being so close to the road and not enough room for the lift to maneuver,” she said. 

Clark also noted it is important for contractors to work with their estimating team to ensure they are properly planning in the estimating stages for all required equipment. This includes lifts, scaffolding, people movers during overhead work operations, PPE, and certifications of lift operators. They should also take into account permitting costs for access, materials handling, and potential hazard exposure to electrical, traffic, or high degree of difficulty projects due to tight site logistics and work areas.

McTaggart Construction has since conducted a string of changes, including reviewing policy procedures and documents and reforming its documents.

“Those associated with McTaggart Construction express regret that this was a terrible incident in particular that it caused serious injuries to Mr. Brown,” Barry Smith KC, defending, told the court. He later added, “The court will note that McTaggarts had in place full safety measures, which the investigation stated had they been followed, the incident would not have occurred.”