Establishing safe work on roofs protects workers from fatal injuries and ensures your business meets its statutory obligations. The NSW Code of Practice provides practical guidance on how you can achieve the safety standards required by the Work Health and Safety Act. Following this Code helps you manage risks and serves as evidence of what is known about roof hazards.
Roofing contractors have the highest fatality rate among specialty contractors. Falls to a lower level account for 83% of accidents in this trade. Most of these incidents occur on residential projects, during maintenance work, or on Mondays. Managing high-risk construction activities requires systematic hazard control.
Workplace falls cause severe physical trauma and financial disruption. Businesses must implement strict safety protocols to control these operational risks. Ensure safe work on roofs by complying with the code of practice. Protect your workers from height hazards and ensure full regulatory compliance.
Identify Duty Holders to Assign Clear Responsibilities
Roof work means any activity involving the installation, maintenance, or alteration of roof structures and cladding panels. This work includes installing, cleaning, or replacing roofing materials and cladding. You are also performing roof work when you maintain plant like HVAC systems or solar panels. This work can be of short or long duration and applies to both new constructions and established buildings.
Duty holders owe legal health and safety obligations under workplace legislation.
- PCBUs must eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable.
- Designers must ensure the structures they design are without risks to those who will maintain or repair them throughout the building’s life.
- Principal contractors must prepare a written WHS management plan and ensure Safe Work Method Statements are followed for high-risk work.
- Workers must take reasonable care for their own safety and comply with reasonable safety instructions.
Engage in Consultation and Provide Training to Improve Safety Outcomes
Duty holders must share safety information and consider worker feedback before making decisions. You have a legal duty to consult with workers on WHS matters that affect them. Effective consultation helps you identify hazards and choose effective control measures. You must also coordinate activities with other duty holders, such as building managers or equipment installers, to ensure site safety.
You must provide suitable and adequate information, training, and instruction for the nature of the work. This training should be practical and delivered by a competent person. You must also provide the supervision necessary to protect all persons from risks.
Implement a Systematic Risk Management Process
You must implement a systematic risk management process to eliminate or minimise risks arising from your business. This structured approach is essential to breaking the chain of events that lead to roofing accidents. A robust risk management process prevents incidents from disrupting your workflow and damaging your bottom line.
- Hazard identification means finding all physical and psychosocial factors that could cause harm to individuals.
- Risk assessment involves evaluating the likelihood and severity of injury arising from identified workplace hazards.
- Control implementation requires deploying specific measures to eliminate or reduce safety risks.
- Regular review means monitoring controls to ensure they remain functional and effective.
Apply the Hierarchy of Control to Select the Best Protections
The hierarchy of control ranks safeguards based on their reliability. It requires you to prioritise the complete elimination of a hazard as the most effective method for protecting your team. If elimination is not reasonably practicable, you must implement higher-order controls that change the work design or separate people from the hazard. You should only select lower-order measures as a last resort or to support primary protections.
- Elimination is your most effective tool and involves removing the hazard completely.
- Substitution involves replacing the hazard with something safer, such as using lighter materials.
- Isolation separates the hazard from people, such as using barricades.
- Engineering controls change the design of the work, such as installing temporary edge barriers.
- Administration relies on procedures and training to influence how people work.
- PPE is the least effective way to manage risk and must be used as a last resort.
Guarantee Safety Through Planning and Preparation
The pre-construction architectural phase must integrate safety measures into building drawings. Designers should incorporate permanent access systems and trafficable walkways into the building plan. You should design components that can be pre-assembled at ground level to reduce work at heights. Designers must also ensure roof members can support the loads of safety systems like lifelines.
Execute PCBU Planning to Prepare the Site
Business owners must organise site safety measures before deployment. Undertake a risk assessment before work commences to identify brittle materials or slippery surfaces and plan the positioning of material bundles to avoid overloading the roof structure. You must also comply with codes of practice for managing electrical risks in the workplace.
Ensure Contractor Planning for Daily Tasks
Operational scheduling of immediate site actions protects field crews during shifts. Contractors must maintain safe access to and from the roof for all workers. You should assign tasks based on the experience and competency of your team. You must also prevent unauthorised persons from entering the area below the roof during work.
Confirm Readiness Before Work Commences
Complete the final site inspection process immediately before roofing operations begin. Never commence roof work without confirming readiness.
- Structural integrity inspection means verifying the weight capacity of the roof and safety mesh.
- Weather assessment involves monitoring local forecasts to avoid high winds or rain.
- Induction verification requires checking that all workers have finished mandatory site training.
Develop Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) for High-Risk Tasks
A Safe Work Method Statement is a formal document outlining high-risk work hazards and specific steps to manage them. You must prepare a SWMS for any work involving a fall risk of more than two metres. The document must identify the high-risk work and describe the specific control measures you will implement. All workers must understand the SWMS before they start the task.
Choose Effective Control Measures for Roof Work
You have a legal duty to eliminate or minimise risks so far as is reasonably practicable. Implementing the correct safeguards is essential to prevent catastrophic injuries. Fractures and concussions can occur when engineering controls are absent, incorrectly installed, or poorly maintained.
Use Fixed Access Systems for Permanent Safety
Fixed access systems are permanent architectural structures providing secure thoroughfares to rooftop elevation zones. Fixed access systems include permanently installed stairways, walkways, and platforms. You should ensure these systems comply with Australian Standard AS 1657:2018. These systems provide a solid construction that allows work to be performed without the risk of a fall.
Erect Scaffolding to Support Safe Working Platforms
Scaffolding provides stable access and protection against falling objects at the roof edge. You must ensure any person erecting a scaffold higher than four metres holds a high-risk work licence. You should obtain a handover certificate from a competent person before allowing your team to use the scaffold.
Install Temporary Edge Protection to Prevent Falls
Temporary edge protection is a modular barrier system clamped to perimeters to prevent falls from heights. Perimeter barriers must include top, mid, and bottom rails to be effective. You should ensure these systems are installed by a competent person in accordance with manufacturer instructions. You must check that there are no excessive gaps between the rails or the roof edge.
Apply Covers to Protect Against Openings
Covers are rigid physical panels securely fastened over voids to prevent objects and personnel from falling through. You must use covers to protect workers from falling through holes or non-trafficable skylights. These covers must be strong enough to withstand a concentrated load of at least 2 kilonewtons. Fix covers and make them distinguishable from other materials.
Utilise Roof Safety Mesh for New Construction
Roof safety mesh is a steel wire network secured across structural members to catch falling workers. Roof safety mesh prevents persons from falling between roof structural members during installation. You should prioritise full-length mesh to eliminate the risk of failure at lapped joints. A competent person must inspect and certify the mesh before you install roofing material.
Configure Harness-Based Systems Correctly
Harness-based systems are personal fall protection assemblies consisting of full-body harnesses, lanyards, and anchor points.
- Work positioning systems prevent you from reaching an unprotected edge.
- Fall arrest systems minimise injury severity by controlling deceleration forces during a fall event.
- Anchorage points must be compatible with the building structure and inspected regularly.
- Horizontal lifelines must be installed by trained persons according to designer specifications.
Deploy Catch Platforms and Safety Nets as Secondary Protection
Secondary protection systems are passive catch frameworks designed to intercept falling personnel below the working deck.
- Catch platforms must extend at least two metres beyond the unprotected edge of the work area.
- Safety nets must be positioned as close as practicable, but no more than two metres below the deck.
- Tension anchoring requires verification that all systems are correctly tensioned before operations commence.
Implement Administrative Controls to Manage Residual Risk
Administrative controls are operational procedures, exclusion boundaries, and safety signage used to guide worker behaviour. Administrative controls like no-go areas and signage influence the way people work. You should set barricades at least three metres from any fall hazard on a flat roof. You must remember that signs alone do not prevent exposure to hazards.
Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as a Final Layer Personal protective equipment means wearable safety gear that acts as a barrier against remaining site hazards. You must provide your team with appropriate PPE, such as safety helmets with chinstraps and slip-resistant footwear. Workers must be trained to use, maintain, and store their equipment correctly. You should regularly inspect PPE and replace any defective items immediately.
Select the Right Ladders for Limited Access
Ladders are portable climbing structures used strictly for minor, short-duration vertical transitions. You should only use portable ladders if safer alternatives like scaffolds are not reasonably practicable. You must maintain three points of contact while climbing or descending. Single or extension ladders should be used only for low-risk, short-duration tasks.
Prepare Emergency and Rescue Procedures for Fall Arrest
Emergency procedures are documented action steps detailing how to retrieve a suspended worker safely. You must establish rescue procedures before anyone uses a fall-arrest system. Prompt rescue is essential to prevent suspension intolerance, which can be fatal. You should ensure workers never work alone when using a harness.
Effectively Manage the Risk of Falls
Your team faces extreme risks when they traverse fragile surfaces and unprotected openings. They risk falling when they’re relying on unsafe access methods instead of stable platforms. Human factors such as misjudging hazardous situations and environmental variables further contribute to incidents.
Prioritise Safe Roof Access Methods
You must provide safe entry and exit to all parts of the roof. Access methods can be permanent, such as plant room doors, or temporary, such as Elevating Work Platforms. You should consider the frequency of access and the tools required when choosing your method.
Prevent Falls at Roof Edges Using Guardrails
Use permanent or temporary edge protection to safeguard workers at the perimeter. Fall arrest is often unsuitable at edges because lanyards can be damaged by the roof structure. You must review your control measures if the use of the roof changes over time.
Mitigate Falls Through Roofs and Voids
Identify skylights and fragile surfaces through a thorough risk assessment. Barricade hazardous areas and inform all workers of their location during site inductions. You should treat existing safety mesh with caution, as it can deteriorate over time.
Control Other Common Roof Hazards
Other common roof hazards include plummeting through fragile surfaces, such as non-trafficable skylights or brittle asbestos cement. You must also manage physical dangers from falling objects, the strain of hazardous manual tasks, and environmental threats like high winds or slippery, sloping surfaces. Furthermore, you are required to control technical hazards such as overhead power lines, radiofrequency radiation from antennas, and biological hazards found in roof-mounted plant.
Handle Asbestos Cement Roofs with Licensed Professionals
Assume materials contain asbestos if they were installed before 1990 unless testing proves otherwise. The removal of friable asbestos must only be done by a licensed removalist. Never use water blasting or compressed air on asbestos materials.
Minimise Hazardous Manual Tasks to Prevent Injury
Reduce heavy physical lifting through mechanical intervention and redesign. Use mechanical lifting aids like tile elevators or cranes to transport heavy materials. Redesign tasks to reduce repetitive movements and awkward postures. Encourage task rotation and frequent rest breaks to prevent fatigue.
Prevent Injuries from Falling Objects
Falling object protection includes overhead catch structures and tool tethering to shield ground staff. You must establish no-go areas to protect people from objects falling from overhead work. Use tool lanyards and secure all loose materials to prevent them from being blown off the roof. You should modify designs to include toe-boards and screens where possible.
Ensure Electrical Safety Near Power Lines
Maintain a minimum clearance of four metres from overhead electric lines. Protect all temporary construction wiring with 30 mA residual current devices. De-energise the electrical installation before anyone enters a roof or ceiling space.
Manage Work Near Radio Frequency Radiation
Radiation management involves isolating wireless transmission sources to prevent hidden electronic cellular harm. You must consult with building managers to identify radio frequency transmitters and electromagnetic emission sources. Adhere to emission guide safe work procedures and respect all exclusion zones. You may need to verify transmitter shutdown before accessing certain areas.
Protect Workers in Remote or Isolated Locations
Establish reliable communication networks for personnel operating out of sight. Provide a communication system, such as a mobile phone or distress beacon, for isolated workers. Establish a check-in process and an emergency response plan for those working alone. Consider using a buddy system to enhance safety.
Adapt Safety Measures to Different Roof Scenarios
Roof scenarios are categorised by the building’s current lifecycle stage and the intended frequency of access to specific roof areas. Industrial construction scenarios involve high worker density and multiple trades. For existing structures, scenarios include temporary access or permanent access. Commercial scenarios present higher complexity because they often feature multi-purpose areas. You must also manage modification scenarios where installing new equipment changes the roof’s function.
Implement Scenarios for Industrial Roof Construction
Sequence work across the roof to minimise the number of leading edges. Install temporary edge protection and safety mesh before workers access the roof structural members. You must restrict access to only those workers involved in the task.
Manage Temporary Access for Infrequent Maintenance
Keep your personnel safe during occasional inspection tasks. Have a competent person confirm the roof is trafficable and can support workers. Use temporary structural covers over skylights and treat them as non-trafficable zones. Clearly delineate the work zone and treat the rest of the roof as a no-go area.
Install Permanent Access for Regular Servicing
Roofs with permanent equipment, like solar arrays, should have permanent stairs and walkways. Set trafficable walkways at least three metres back from the roof edge. Maintain these permanent controls for the life of the building.
Assess Commercial Roofs for Multi-Purpose Use
Commercial roofs often include habitable balconies or rooftop gardens that require specific controls. Assess building facades and glass ceilings to identify unique fall hazards. Use competent persons for specialised access methods like industrial rope access.
Comply with Incident Notification Requirements
A notifiable incident includes any event arising from your business that results in the death of a person, a serious injury or illness, or a dangerous incident that exposes someone to serious risk.
As a PCBU, you must notify SafeWork NSW once you become aware that such an incident has occurred at your workplace. If multiple businesses are involved, you must coordinate with other duty holders to ensure the notification is made. Reserve the incident site until an inspector arrives.
Streamline Safety Using FocusIMS
Streamlining safety prevents the catastrophic injuries and high fatality rates common in roof work. It also helps maintain strict ISO 45001 compliance. Using FocusIMS ensures your Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) and safety policies are accessible to field staff..
The system manages your training matrix and PPE records to guarantee that only competent, equipped workers are assigned to hazardous roofing tasks. A streamlined approach allows you to record inconsistencies and prioritise risk control actions.
Digitise Your Safety Documents for Instant Access
Safety document digitisation means converting paper safety records into cloud-based data assets. Using a safety management system ensures standardisation across your operations.
- System Management allows you to download ISO 45001 templates and edit them directly in your browser.
- Field Module ensures that your latest PDF documents and SWMS are available to staff on-site.
- Risk Management helps you record every incident and establish actions to prevent them from happening again.
Manage Personnel and Equipment with Ease
Personnel and asset tracking involves using software to monitor worker credentials and heavy machinery status. Deploying an HSEQ compliance software streamlines this oversight.
- Personnel Management ensures your staff have the correct training records and PPE before they go on-site.
- Asset Management allows you to complete vehicle pre-starts online and monitor maintenance for your fleet.
- Supplier Management helps you maintain contractor insurances and SWMS for high-risk work.
Ensure Efficient Projects and Communication Coordination
Efficient project coordination and communication is crucial to safe roof works. Misunderstandings between workers and supervisors are a primary cause of dangerous actions and fall hazards.
Furthermore, risk management must remain effective across different stages of the project. And communication and coordination is key to this process. By using FocusIMS to digitise your planning and meetings, you prevent critical HSEQ requirements from being overlooked or compromising your business workflow.
- Project Management separates your jobs by status to help you define special requirements for different work types.
- Planning & Communication provides streamlined agendas for safety meetings to ensure responsibility for actions is clear.
- Client Management improves your bottom line by helping you follow up on clients and sales leads.
Key Takeaways
Roofing contractors experience high fatality rates. To fulfill legal obligations under the NSW Code of Practice, businesses must implement rigorous risk controls across all commercial and industrial projects.
Duty holders must identify hazards, develop Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS), and consult with workers. Control measures require prioritising higher-order protections like fixed walkways, edge guardrails, and safety mesh. Planning must also address secondary risks such as asbestos, hazardous manual tasks, overhead power lines, and radiofrequency radiation.
Transitioning from paperwork to a digital safety management system streamlines compliance by keeping induction logs, asset tracking, and incident reports accessible. Using HSEQ compliance software standardises daily site audits and keeps teams safe.
Book a discovery meeting today to learn how to optimise your risk management and ensure safe work on roofs using the FocusIMS software.
