Queensland roofing company, supervisor, fined over roof plunge

A Queensland roofing company and its supervisor have pleaded guilty to workplace safety breaches after a worker sustained multiple injuries in a roof fall, highlighting once again why fall prevention measures remain critical across the roofing trade.

The worker fell about seven metres from a warehouse roof onto a concrete floor in September 2020, an incident that underscores how quickly a routine roofing job can turn into a serious safety failure.

The Richlands Magistrates Court ordered the company to pay a $50,000 fine, while the supervisor was fined $5,000 for failing to protect a worker from falls. Both penalties reflect how seriously courts treat breaches of health and safety obligations on Queensland worksites.

Court proceedings revealed that the employer did not put measures in place to prevent a fall, leaving the worker exposed to a hazard that proper planning could have controlled. Investigators found no adequate system existed to manage height-related risks before work began on the roof that day.

Why Fall Protection Remains Essential in Roofing Work

Roof work sits among the highest-risk tasks in construction, given falls from height continue causing severe injuries and fatalities across the sector. Employers carry a legal duty to identify hazards, assess risks, and implement controls before workers step onto any elevated surface.

This case echoes a similar incident detailed in our report on a Sydney roofing company fined over serious fall injuries, where inadequate safety planning led to comparable consequences. A separate matter, covered in our article on a Victor Harbor shed company fined after worker injured in roof plunge, further demonstrates that these breaches occur across states and industries, not just within roofing alone.

What Employers Must Do to Protect Workers

Businesses operating in roofing and related trades should:

• Conduct thorough risk assessments before any work at height begins
• Install edge protection, scaffolding, or safety harnesses appropriate to the task
• Train supervisors and crew members on fall prevention procedures
• Document safe work method statements for every job site
• Regularly review and update safety controls as work conditions change

Failing to implement these steps places workers at unnecessary risk and exposes companies to significant fines, as this case and others like our report on a mining company fined over worker injury demonstrate clearly.

Building a Safer Roofing Worksite

Queensland's workplace health and safety framework places clear obligations on employers to protect workers from foreseeable harm. Courts consistently reinforce that ignorance of hazards offers no defence when injuries occur.

Safe work method statements provide a practical foundation for meeting these obligations. Our Roof Sheeting SWMS Pack and Roof Sheeting Combo Pack give businesses ready-to-use templates covering common roofing hazards, while our Roof Tiling SWMS Pack addresses risks specific to tiling work. For broader coverage across trades, browse our Roofing Safety Packages or explore individual Roofing SWMS documents tailored to specific job types.

Protecting workers from falls isn't merely a compliance exercise — it's a fundamental responsibility every employer owes to their crew. Investing in proper safety documentation and training now costs far less than facing court penalties, reputational damage, or, worse, a worker's life-changing injury later.

Read the full story here.