So you’re a TV Antenna Installer. It’s easy – all you need to do is fasten the antenna onto a roof and point it the same way as everyone else’s. It’s harmless – how can you get hurt when there is no danger such as electricity? How can you hurt yourself on a single storey roof? You may have heard this many times before.

In 15 years as an electrician and for the past 5 as a TV antenna technician I have, unfortunately, witnessed many incidents that contradict the above. Hazards are normally from the things we take for granted.

These days the compounds used to make the roof tiles and colour bond roofing are very different and pose very serious dangers. A roof harness and ‘working at heights’ training may only cost a few hundred dollars and 5 extra minutes on each job but that works out far cheaper than the price of a life. This highlighted by an incident in November 2009 when a TV technician fell to his death in Victoria.

Falling is not something we can predict – a windy day, a wet day or even just becoming a little off-balanced when stretching to get that antenna on top of the pole. In many instances installers use the pole to hold onto, however the fascia can be rotten and the pole can come loose.

Watching a news report on roof insulators reminded me of a few cases where the foil roof insulation was live when we entered the roof – yes 240V danger and we were just there to install an antenna.

I have come across the same 240V danger in old steel conduits and water pipes in a roof.

There was also an example in a recent news story in Gladstone, Victoria where a technician was electrocuted when grabbing the antenna mast. For a $45 investment you can purchase a non-contact volt stick or as I call it – “a magic wand” that, when put next to an object such as insulation, pipes or an antenna mast, will light up showing if there is any type of voltage present.

The last danger often ignored is on the very hot days when stuck in roofs with insulation keeping the heat in and the roof temperature going upwards of 40º. Unfortunately, in the past 4 months a young roof insulation installer met this tragic end, overcome by heat exhaustion in an extremely hot roof space.

Dangers are in everything we do but we can minimise these chances.

Make sure you always assess the dangers and also make sure you’re covered:

If you are a sole trader, make sure you have personal injury and death insurance;

If you are a company or sole trader employing staff make sure you have the correct workers compensation insurance;

If you work for somebody, take a minute to ask them if they have workers compensation insurance.

And finally, make sure you:

Access the risk
Eliminate the risk
Refuse to take the risk
Insure yourself
Avoid the risk
Learn from past incidents

Keith Darley
JustService Communications & Antenna Services
www.justservicecommunications.com