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Working on a Roof: Safety Regulations, Risk Assessment & Best Practices
When working on a roof, understanding work at height regulations and conducting a risk assessment helps to ensure essential safety measures.
When it comes to working on a roof, there are obvious dangers that can have devastating consequences when safety guidelines are not followed. Accidents and even fatalities can occur, and you could be at risk of hefty fines and in breach of insurance policies. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Work at Height Regulations 2005 provides guidance on roof safety. In this blog, we look at these safety protocols and risk assessments for roofing work.
Working at height is a high-risk activity, and it’s estimated that up to one in five deaths in construction result from roof work. When it comes to protecting employees and the general public, the HSE has the capability to take enforcement action if problems are reported. HSE inspectors can enforce health and safety, which might include taking samples and photos of the site and equipment to identify any risks.
Understanding Work at Height Regulations
According to the HSE Work at Height Regulations 2005, any work where someone could fall a distance and be injured is deemed as working at height. This includes working above ground or floor level or where there is an edge, opening or fragile surface. Therefore, this could relate to construction and repairs to buildings and rooftops, as well as roadworks.
HSE guidance suggests trying to do as much work as possible from ground level. However, roof maintenance and repairs inevitably involves working at height and in most cases this is unavoidable. A form of scaffolding with edge protection is therefore required to prevent people, materials and equipment from falling to the ground.
Anyone working at height must be provided with a safe route to and from the roof. Instead of standard ladders, a scaffold access platform is recommended, along with stair towers and/or mobile access equipment. Extra precautions must be taken to avoid stepping onto fragile surfaces like concrete tiles and areas around rooflights. Make sure weaker roof areas are covered, and all workers are briefed on rescue procedures for emergency evacuations.
A full planning exercise needs to happen before commencing any work at height, including risk assessments and method statements. This will ensure the safety of your crew, employees and the general public.
Conducting a Risk Assessment for Roofing Activities
It’s important to address any potential risks before any work at height is carried out. When it comes to typical roofing activities, there can be various hazards. Falling from an unprotected roof edge is a primary concern, but there are other hazards to watch out for too. Fragile roof structures could give way, including weaknesses such as corroded seals around access hatches and rooflights. Adverse weather conditions can also pose a danger to workers.
Inadequate equipment, and poorly trained or unsupervised operatives are often implicated in accidents when working at height. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that the necessary controls have been put in place, such as edge protection and safety nets. Workers also need to wear the correct personal protection equipment (PPE) to carry out tasks in a safe manner.
When carrying out a risk assessment, it’s important to consider:
- The height of the activity
- How long and frequent the work is expected to take
- The condition of the roof surface and any weak areas
- The weather and time of year when the work is due to be carried out
Essential Safety Measures for Roof Work
Careful and effective planning is required before allowing anyone to work at height on a roof and this starts with providing safe access. The use of appropriate equipment and personal fall protection systems is essential, along with adequate worker training and competence.
Before any roofing work commences, observe the following safety measures:
- Ensure the correct equipment is to be used. This could include fixed or mobile scaffolding towers, stair towers, and mobile access equipment, such as a cherry picker.
- Sloping roofs need to be surrounded by scaffolding to protect people working at height and those below on the ground. Fit edge protection as an extra layer of safety.
- Flat roofs require edge protection, as well as double guardrails and toe boards around the edge.
- Fragile roofs, roof access hatches and rooflights can be particularly hazardous. These areas are difficult to see in certain light conditions or could be hidden by paint. Provide protection by using barriers, guard rails, stagings, fall restraints and safety nets. Also, make sure fragile areas are secured and have a clear warning label.
It’s important to consider the risk of falling objects and additional protection for anyone who might be affected. Keep people away from areas below scaffolding, where roof work is being carried out above. Close-fitting scaffold boards and debris netting is usually recommended, along with a chute to move waste and materials down to ground level.
Conclusion
When inspecting or carrying out any type of roof work, always follow the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Work at Height guidelines. Consider the necessary equipment required, assess weather conditions and ensure workers are competent and have the right training. There is an enforceable legal obligation to provide adequate protection and safety measures for workers and the general public.
As the onus is on employers and managers to assess the risks involved, failure to comply with regulations could result in accidents, death, costly fines, as well as reputational damage. It’s therefore essential that everyone understands the risks involved and a thorough risk assessment is carried out to ensure potential hazards are identified.
At Giromax, our well-respected Technical Services Managers have decades of experience and knowledge when it comes to roof repairs. We work alongside trusted contractors, surveyors and specifiers to bring you innovative protective coating solutions for your roof.
For more information or advice, call 01455 558969 or email: sales.orders@giromax.co.uk Check out the full range of Giromax products.
Source:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm
https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/roofwork.htm
https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/site3.pdf
https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/introduction.htm#:~:text=Common%20cases%20include%20falls%20from,fall%20through%20a%20fragile%20roof).
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Working on a Roof: Safety Regulations, Risk Assessment & Best Practices
Managing Director
When it comes to working on a roof, there are obvious dangers that can have devastating consequences when safety guidelines are not followed. Accidents and even fatalities can occur, and you could be at risk of hefty fines and in breach of insurance policies. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Work at Height Regulations 2005 provides guidance on roof safety. In this blog, we look at these safety protocols and risk assessments for roofing work.
Working at height is a high-risk activity, and it’s estimated that up to one in five deaths in construction result from roof work. When it comes to protecting employees and the general public, the HSE has the capability to take enforcement action if problems are reported. HSE inspectors can enforce health and safety, which might include taking samples and photos of the site and equipment to identify any risks.
Understanding Work at Height Regulations
According to the HSE Work at Height Regulations 2005, any work where someone could fall a distance and be injured is deemed as working at height. This includes working above ground or floor level or where there is an edge, opening or fragile surface. Therefore, this could relate to construction and repairs to buildings and rooftops, as well as roadworks. HSE guidance suggests trying to do as much work as possible from ground level. However, roof maintenance and repairs inevitably involves working at height and in most cases this is unavoidable. A form of scaffolding with edge protection is therefore required to prevent people, materials and equipment from falling to the ground. Anyone working at height must be provided with a safe route to and from the roof. Instead of standard ladders, a scaffold access platform is recommended, along with stair towers and/or mobile access equipment. Extra precautions must be taken to avoid stepping onto fragile surfaces like concrete tiles and areas around rooflights. Make sure weaker roof areas are covered, and all workers are briefed on rescue procedures for emergency evacuations. A full planning exercise needs to happen before commencing any work at height, including risk assessments and method statements. This will ensure the safety of your crew, employees and the general public.Conducting a Risk Assessment for Roofing Activities
It’s important to address any potential risks before any work at height is carried out. When it comes to typical roofing activities, there can be various hazards. Falling from an unprotected roof edge is a primary concern, but there are other hazards to watch out for too. Fragile roof structures could give way, including weaknesses such as corroded seals around access hatches and rooflights. Adverse weather conditions can also pose a danger to workers. Inadequate equipment, and poorly trained or unsupervised operatives are often implicated in accidents when working at height. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that the necessary controls have been put in place, such as edge protection and safety nets. Workers also need to wear the correct personal protection equipment (PPE) to carry out tasks in a safe manner. When carrying out a risk assessment, it’s important to consider:- The height of the activity
- How long and frequent the work is expected to take
- The condition of the roof surface and any weak areas
- The weather and time of year when the work is due to be carried out
Essential Safety Measures for Roof Work
Careful and effective planning is required before allowing anyone to work at height on a roof and this starts with providing safe access. The use of appropriate equipment and personal fall protection systems is essential, along with adequate worker training and competence. Before any roofing work commences, observe the following safety measures:- Ensure the correct equipment is to be used. This could include fixed or mobile scaffolding towers, stair towers, and mobile access equipment, such as a cherry picker.
- Sloping roofs need to be surrounded by scaffolding to protect people working at height and those below on the ground. Fit edge protection as an extra layer of safety.
- Flat roofs require edge protection, as well as double guardrails and toe boards around the edge.
- Fragile roofs, roof access hatches and rooflights can be particularly hazardous. These areas are difficult to see in certain light conditions or could be hidden by paint. Provide protection by using barriers, guard rails, stagings, fall restraints and safety nets. Also, make sure fragile areas are secured and have a clear warning label.
