Health and Safety Executive Working on roofs Health and Safety Executive Working on roofs This is a web-friendly version of leaflet INDG284(rev1), revised 11/08 1 o13 pages Working on a roof can be dangerous. Falls account for more deaths and serious injuries in construction than anything else and roofers account for 24% – the biggest category of worker by far – of those people who are killed in all falls from height. Any all rom a rooinevitably involves at least a serious injury. The risks are substantial, however long or short the work. Many have been killed who only meant to be on the rooor a ew minutes ‘to have a quick look’ or to carry out a small repair. This lealet is aimed at people who actually carry out roowork or are directly responsible or managing or supervising it. It sets out key saeguards, but more detailed inormation is contained in Health and safety in roof workHSG33. Falls occur: rom the edges oroos; ■ through gaps or holes in roos; and ■ through ragile roomaterials and roolights. ■ In addition, many people have been seriously injured by material alling or thrown rom roos. Accidents don’t just happen to those building roos, but also to people maintaining, cleaning, demolishing and inspecting them. Any work on a roois high risk because it involves work at height. High saety standards are essential however long or short term the work is. The nature othe precautions needed may vary rom one job to another. This lealet sets out precautions that are relevant or all roowork and then describes precautions that are particularly relevant to dierent types oroo. Planning roof work The Work at Height Regulations 2005 set out a hierarchy which should be ollowed when planning any work at height. The hierarchy should be ollowed systematically and only when one level is not reasonably practicable may the next level down be considered.
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other reason than appearances is actuallynecessary;
- use a mobile elevating work platorm (MEWP),
telescopic pole with camera attachment or
binoculars rom a sae position on an adjacent
building to carry out an inspection;
use work equipment or other measures■
to prevent falls where work at height
cannot be avoided, eg:
- by using an existing (950 mm minimum
height) parapet wall;
- erecting edge protection;
- using a MEWP to carry out the work; or
- using a work-restraint system;where they cannot eliminate the■
risk of a fall, use work equipment
or other measures to
minimise the distance and consequences of a fall should one occur, eg:
- by using nets, air or bean bags or a all-arrest harness system.
Those in control o the work must also:
always consider measures that protect all those at risk, ie■ collective protection
systems such as scaolds, nets, sot landing systems, beore measures
that only protect the individual, ie personal protection measures such as
harnesses;always consider■ passive systems such as nets (where the individual does
not have to do anything to activate the system) beore active systems such as
harnesses (where the worker has to clip on); and
make sure work is carried out only when weather conditions do not endanger■
the health and saety o workers.
Precautions for all roof work
Risk assessment and method statements
You should carry out a risk assessment or all roo work. Simple jobs may not
require a great deal. More complex jobs need to be assessed in much more depth.
But all roo work is dangerous and it is essential that you identiy the risks beore
the work starts and that the necessary equipment, appropriate precautions and
systems o work are provided and implemented.
Except or the simplest jobs where the necessary precautions are straightorward
and can be easily repeated (eg use a proper rooing ladder to replace a ridge
tile), you should prepare saety method statements. They should be speciic and
relevant to the job in hand and clearly describe the precautions and system o work
identiied during risk assessment. Diagrams or pictures can oten say more and be
clearer than text. Everyone involved in the work needs to know what the method
statement says and what they have to do. This might need someone to explain
the statement or more complicated jobs. There will usually need to be somesupervision during the work to check that the correct procedures are ollowed.
Those
planningwork at
height must:
avoid work at height
where they can;
use work equipment or other
measures to prevent falls
where they cannot avoid working
at height; and
where they cannot eliminate the risk of a
fall, use work equipment or other measuresto minimise the distances and consequences
of a fall should one occur.Figure 1 The hierarchy or
Prevent access to danger areas underneath or adjacent to roo work. Where this
cannot be guaranteed, consider using debris netting, ans, covered walkways or
similar saeguards to stop alling material causing injury.
Particular care is needed where there is public access close to roo work. I
possible, try to arrange or work to be carried out when passers-by will not be
there, eg carry out repairs to schools during the school holidays. I this cannot
be arranged, minimise public access to danger areas. In some cases physical
protection to catch alling materials, eg scaold ans or debris netting, may be
appropriate. Remember that even ine material such as dusts can cause discomort
or eye injuries.
Training
Roo workers need the appropriate knowledge, skills, training and experience to
work saely, or should be under the supervision o someone else who has it. They
need to be able to recognise the risks, understand the appropriate systems o workand be competent in the skills to carry them out such as:
installing edge protection;■
operating a MEWP;■
manually handling materials;■
erection o tower scaolds; and■
installing and wearing harness systems (including rescue procedures).■
Workers need training and experience to achieve these competencies. It is not
enough to hope that they will ‘pick up saety on the job’.
Weather conditions
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 speciically state that work should not be
carried out i weather conditions could endanger the health and saety o workers.
Do not work on roos in icy, rainy or windy conditions. Anyone carrying a roo sheet
can easily be blown o the roo i they are caught by a gust o wind.
Avoid excessive exposure to sunlight by wearing appropriate clothing and using sun
creams. Too much exposure to sunlight can cause skin cancer.
Short-duration work
Short-duration work means tasks that are measured in minutes rather than hours.It includes tasks such as inspection, replacing a ew tiles or minor adjustment o a
television aerial. It may not be reasonably practicable to provide ull edge protection
or short-duration work but you will need to provide something in its place. The
minimum requirements or short-duration work on a roo are:
Figure 4 A mobile elevating platorm being used to replace a
a sae means o working on the roo (eg on a sloping roo, a properly■
constructed roo ladder, or on a at roo, a harness with a sufciently short
lanyard that it prevents the wearer rom reaching a position rom which theycould all and attached to a secure anchorage).
Mobile access equipment or proprietary access systems can provide a suitable
working platorm rom which to carry out some work. They can avoid the need or
scaolding and can be particularly appropriate or short-duration minor work.
Fragile roofs
What is fragile?
Falls through ragile roos account or 22% o all the deaths that result rom a all
rom height in the construction industry. A ragile material is one that does notsaely support the weight o a person and any load they are carrying. The ragility o
a roo does not depend solely on the composition o the material in it, the ollowing
actors are also important:
thickness o the material;■
the span between supports;■
sheet profle;■
the type, number, position and quality o fxings;■
the design o the supporting structure, eg the purlins; and■
the age o the material.■
Remember that even those roos that were deemed to be ‘non-ragile’ when theywere installed will eventually deteriorate and become ragile over time.
Sometimes the entire roo surace is ragile, such as many ibre cement roos.
Sometimes part o the roo is ragile, eg when ragile roo lights are contained in an
otherwise non-ragile roo. Sometimes a roo is temporarily ragile, such as during
‘built up’ roo construction when only the liner is installed or sheets have not been
secured. Sometimes the ragility o a roo may be disguised, eg when old roos
have been painted over. This guidance applies to all these situations.
The ragility, or otherwise, o a roo should be conirmed by a competent person
beore work starts. I there is any doubt, the roo should be treated as ragile
unless, or until, conirmed that it is not. It is dangerous to assume that a roo is
non-ragile without checking this out beorehand.
Prevent unauthorised access
Make sure that unauthorised access to the roo is prevented, eg by implementing
a permit-to-work regime or blocking o roo access ladders. Make sure that
appropriate warning signs are displayed on existing roos, particularly at roo access
points.
Working on fragile materials
Work on ragile materials must be careully planned to prevent alls through the roo:
all work should be carried out rom beneath where this is practicable;■
where this is not possible, consider using a MEWP that allows operatives to■
carry out the work rom within the MEWP basket without standing on the roo
by slipping down the roo and then over the eaves;■
through the roo internally, eg during roo truss erection; or■
rom gable ends.■
Edge protection
Full edge protection at eaves level will normally be required or work on sloping
roos. The edge protection needs to be strong enough to withstand a person alling
against it. The longer the slope and the steeper the pitch, the stronger the edge
protection needs to be. A properly designed and installed independent scaold
platorm at eaves level will usually be enough. Less substantial scaolding barriers
(rather than platorms) may not be strong enough or work on larger or steeper
roos, especially slopes in excess o 30°.
On some larger roos, the consequences o sliding down the whole roo and hitting
edge protection at the eaves may be such that intermediate platorms are needed
at the work site to prevent this happening.
I the work requires access within 2 m o gable ends, edge protection will be
needed there as well as at the eaves. Alternatively, consider using MEWPs (Figure 4) or
proprietary access systems (Figure 3), which are easy to transport rom site to site,
quick to erect and provide good access, as an alternative to ixed edge protection
where appropriate or the work you are planning.
Roof ladders
On sloping roos, roo workers should not work directly on slates or tiles, as they
do not provide a sae ooting, particularly when they are wet. Use roo ladders and
proprietary staging to enable sae passage across a roo. They must be designedor the purpose, o good construction, properly supported, and, i used on a sloping
roo, securely ixed by means o a ridge hook placed over the ridge, bearing on
the opposite roo. They should be used in addition to eaves-level edge protection.
All proiled sheeting should be speciied to be non-ragile when ully ixed.
Contractors need to be aware that unixed or partially ixed materials cause the roo
assembly to be deemed ragile. Careully developed systems o work, including
leading edge protection and being ully netted out underneath, must thereore
remain in place.
Falls from the leading edge
Whatever system o work you choose, the presence o dangerous gaps is always a
possibility as space is created to place the next leading edge sheet.
You must take precautions to prevent alls rom these ‘leading’ edges. Nets and
birdcage scaolds are the preerred options in this instance. However, where
these are not reasonably practicable you can consider using work restraint saety
harnesses with running line systems or temporary barriers at the leading edge, eg
trolley systems.
Saety netting is the preerred method o all protection as it provides collective
protection and does not rely on individual user discipline to guarantee acceptable
saety standards. Using nets can simpliy systems o work and protect both roo
workers and others, such as supervisors.
I saety nets are used make sure that they:
are installed as close as possible beneath the roo surace;■
are securely attached and will withstand a person alling onto them; and■
are installed and maintained by competent personnel.■
Trolley systems can be a useul aid, but or many reasons are oten not practicable
or appropriate or all roos, eg where there are hips or dormers. Remember that
installing and moving such systems can involve signiicant risks.
I trolley systems are used, the system o work needs to be careully thought out to
avoid unnecessary risks, eg can roo workers lock the trolley in position ater it has
been moved orward without stepping over the newly created gap?
Make sure that other measures to minimise alls are also used to protect againstpotential alls through the gaps created as the leading edge moves orward.
Figure 7 Saety nets
installed prior to sheeting.Note that the net is ixed as
I harnesses and running line systems are used make sure that they:
are securely attached to an adequate anchorage point (trolley guard rails are not■
usually strong enough);
are appropriate or the user and in good condition;■
are actually and properly used – ensuring this requires tight discipline; and■
the running line and harness are compatible.■
Falling materials
Try to avoid leaving materials on the roo when the site is closed, especially at
weekends and during holiday periods. I materials are let on the roo make sure
that they are secured so that they cannot be blown o the roo by windy weather.
Make sure that toe boards are in place around the roo perimeter.
Control other trades’ access to areas underneath rooing work, unless protection
such as debris netting is provided which ensures protection or anyone workingunderneath.
Manual handling
Handling awkward roo sheets is a particular problem or roo workers and can lead
to back injuries which can cause a lietime o pain and disability. The irst question
to ask is ‘does the load need to be manually handled at all?’ Consider whether the
materials can be delivered directly to the point o use, possibly by crane or hoist,
rather than being manually carried, pushed or pulled. Oten this is necessary as
some o the larger sheets on the market must not be manually handled due to their
weight.
Where manual handling cannot be avoided, introduce systems which make manual
handling easier. Provide workers with inormation about the weight o the loads they
will have to carry. Handling teams o more than our people are not recommended
due to the diiculty in co-ordinating the team members.
Working on flat roofs
Work on a lat roo is high risk. People can all:
rom the edge o a completed roo;■
rom the edge where work is being carried out; or■
through openings or gaps.■
Edge protection
Unless the roo parapet provides equivalent saety, temporary edge protection will
be required during most work on lat roos. Both the roo edge and any openings in
it need to be protected. It will oten be more appropriate to securely cover openings
rather than put edge protection around them. Any protection should be:
in place rom start to fnish o the work; and■
strong enough to withstand people and materials alling against it.■
Where possible the edge protection should be supported at ground level, eg byscaold standards, so that there is no obstruction on the roo. I the building is too
high or this, the roo edge upstand can support the edge protection provided it is
strong enough. Edge protection can also be supported by rames, counterweights
or scaolding on the roo. The protection should be in place at all times. Guarding
systems are widely available that enable roo repair work to carry on without
removing any guard rails.
Demarcating safe areas
Full edge protection may not be necessary i limited work on a larger roo involves
nobody going any closer than 2 m to an open edge. In such cases demarcated
areas can be set up, outside which nobody goes during the work or access to it.
Demarcated areas should be:
limited to areas rom which nobody can all;■
indicated by a continuous physical barrier (ull edge protection is not necessary■
but a painted line or bunting is not sufcient); and
subject to tight supervision to make sure that nobody strays outside them■
(demarcation areas are unacceptable i this standard is not achieved).
Short-duration work on flat roofs
‘Short duration’ means a matter o minutes rather than hours. It includes such
jobs as brie inspections or minor adjustment to a television aerial. Work on a flat
roof is still dangerous even if it only lasts a short time. Appropriate safety
measures are essential.
It may not be reasonably practicable to provide edge protection during short-
duration work. The minimum requirements or short-duration work on a roo are:
a sae means o access to the roo level; and■
a sae means o working on the roo – a harness with a sufciently short lanyard■that it prevents the wearer rom reaching a position rom which they could all
and attached to a secure anchorage.
Where saety harnesses are used they must be:
appropriate or the user and in good condition;■
securely attached to an anchorage point o sufcient strength; and■
actually used – tight management discipline is needed to ensure this.■
Further reading
Managing health and safety in construction. Construction (Design and
Management) Regulations 2007. Approved Code of Practice L144 HSE Books
2007 ISBN 978 0 7176 6223 4
Health and safety in roof work HSG33 (Third edition) HSE Books 2008
ISBN 978 0 7176 6250 0
Health and safety in construction HSG150 (Third edition) HSE Books 2006