Detached roofing lands near road during storm

What happened?

Large sections of roofing from the walkway of a field office complex detached from fixings during a severe storm.

Sections of the roofing travelled approximately 60m (197ft) and landed adjacent to a public road.

No personnel were in the area at the time of the incident.

The office complex was unoccupied.

Why did it happen?

The office complex was built from general purpose modular buildings.

Structural changes resulted in removal of several buildings, leaving the walkway exposed to wind.

The office had not been recertified or reassessed following the change, as it was unoccupied.

It had been unoccupied for a prolonged period.

Roofing carried by storm to a public road

What did they learn?

Develop/update engineering management of change procedures to ensure that structural modifications to non-hydrocarbon facilities are subject to hazard identification and risk assessment.

Ensure non-hydrocarbon facilities are re-certified for compliance following structural modifications.

Review non-hydrocarbon infrastructure to identify un-certified, non-compliant assets. Develop action plans to rectify any deficiencies.

Ask yourself or your crew

Does your worksite have any structures that are no longer used? Are they safe and secure? Can they be removed?

Have you structurally modified any non-hydrocarbon facilities recently? Did you apply engineering management of change processes? Were hazards identified and risks assessed? Were the facilities re-certified following the structural modification?

What happened?

Large sections of roofing from the walkway of a field office complex detached from fixings during a severe storm.
Sections of the roofing travelled approximately 60m (197ft) and landed adjacent to a public road.
No personnel were in the area at the time of the incident.
The office complex was unoccupied.
Why did it happen?

The office complex was built from general purpose modular buildings.
Structural changes resulted in removal of several buildings, leaving the walkway exposed to wind.
The office had not been recertified or reassessed following the change, as it was unoccupied.
It had been unoccupied for a prolonged period.
What did they learn?

Develop/update engineering management of change procedures to ensure that structural modifications to non-hydrocarbon facilities are subject to hazard identification and risk assessment.
Ensure non-hydrocarbon facilities are re-certified for compliance following structural modifications.
Review non-hydrocarbon infrastructure to identify un-certified, non-compliant assets. Develop action plans to rectify any deficiencies.
Ask yourself or your crew

Does your worksite have any structures that are no longer used? Are they safe and secure? Can they be removed?
Have you structurally modified any non-hydrocarbon facilities recently? Did you apply engineering management of change processes? Were hazards identified and risks assessed? Were the facilities re-certified following the structural modification?

Published on 20/01/25 68 Views

During a severe storm, large sections of roofing from an unoccupied field office complex detached and travelled approximately 60 metres (197 feet), landing near a public road. Fortunately, no personnel were in the area at the time.

Original material courtesy of Safer Together (Australia)

To access the PDF version, please visit https://www.safertogether.com.au/resources/sharing-library/working-near-fixed-equipment-learning-event-bulletin