A roofer from West Yorkshire has developed a revolutionary new safety device that will prevent falls from roofs and hopefully reduce the number of serious injuries.

According to figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), falls from height account for more deaths and serious injuries in construction than anything else and roofers account for 24% – the largest percentage group.

The Roof Anchor was invented by Chris Hopkins, a roofer from Brighouse, and was launched on Thursday 7th March at EcoBuild Expo, the largest showcase of sustainable construction products of its kind – held at London’s ExCel.

The Roof Anchor is tested to BS EN 795 standards and it is hoped that roofers will soon no longer be required to erect scaffolding for minor roof repairs, and instead use the device.

Chris, who has been a roofer in West Yorkshire for over 20 years, said, “I can honestly say The Roof Anchor is a first for the industry. I designed it because I was frustrated at the amount of time and money roofing companies have to spend putting up scaffolding on short duration works; I knew that there must be a safe alternative to this for many of the jobs that we do.

“Hence, The Roof Anchor, an amazing safety device which negates the need for scaffold in some instances, thus saving costs and time whilst still ensuring safety and without compromising the integrity of the roof surface. It also has universal fitting, no matter what type of roof it is, The Roof Anchor will fit.”

The equipment is easy to carry, fitting neatly into a backpack. It comprises a harness, rope grab, and roof anchor that attaches to timber rafters or trusses.

Despite the launch of the product the Roof Anchor has not yet been recognised by the HSE’s ‘Working at Height Regulations’ which is what Leeds roofers DPR Roofing strictly adhere to. Until such a time, DPR will continue to erect scaffolding for all roofing works carried out at height.

When installing and repairing roofs in Leeds DPR work to the highest standards of health and safety for the benefit of our roofers and our customers.