Auditsure Ltd - Planning a Roof Job? Use This Free Working-at-Heights Checklist Before Anyone Climbs the Ladder

Checklist Before Anyone Climbs the Ladder

Free working-at-heights checklist for tradies working on house roofs in New Zealand

A roof job can look straightforward from the driveway. Replace a flashing. Clean a gutter. Fit a vent. Paint the ridge. Swap out a few sheets of roofing iron.

Then somebody gets up there and finds a slippery patch, an old skylight, a brittle section of roofing, a loose ladder or a steep drop down the side of the house.

That is when a “quick job” can turn into a serious incident.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, tradies and businesses need to manage the risk of falls before the work starts. It is not enough to say the worker has been roofing for years or will only be on the roof for ten minutes.

Use this practical checklist before starting any working-at-heights job on a residential roof.

Free Working-at-Heights Roof Safety Checklist for Tradies

1. Stop and look at the job from the ground first

Before anybody climbs onto the roof, take five minutes and walk around the house.

☐ What work needs to be completed?

☐ Can any part of the job be done from the ground?

☐ Can measurements be taken using photos, a drone, a pole camera or existing building plans?

☐ How high is the roof?

☐ What is the pitch of the roof?

☐ Are there different roof levels, gable ends or awkward corners?

☐ Is the ground flat enough for scaffolding, an elevating work platform or safe ladder access?

☐ Are there power lines, trees, driveways, decks, fences or public footpaths nearby?

Do not rush this part. The roof may look tidy from below while hiding a few nasty surprises.

2. Identify the fall hazards

The roof edge is not the only place somebody can fall.

☐ Are all roof edges protected?

☐ Are there skylights, clear roofing panels or old roof lights?

☐ Is any roofing material brittle, rusted, cracked or weathered?

☐ Could a worker fall through an opening after roofing sheets are lifted?

☐ Are there internal fall risks into the ceiling space?

☐ Is moss, dew, rain, dust or loose material likely to make the roof slippery?

☐ Could tools or materials fall onto workers, homeowners, children, neighbours or people using the driveway?

☐ Are gutters, soffits or roof materials suspected to contain asbestos?

Older homes deserve an extra bit of caution. A faded roof sheet, soffit panel or decramastic roof may need to be checked before drilling, cutting, grinding or removal work begins.

3. Choose the right fall-prevention control

Start with the strongest practical control. Do not automatically reach for a ladder and hope for the best.

☐ Can the need to go onto the roof be eliminated?

☐ Can properly installed scaffolding be used?

☐ Can temporary roof-edge protection or guardrails be installed?

☐ Would an elevating work platform be safer for the task?

☐ Is a mobile scaffold suitable for the location and type of work?

☐ Are roof openings, skylights and fragile areas covered, isolated or guarded?

☐ If a harness system is proposed, has the correct system been selected and checked by a competent person?

☐ Is the system designed to prevent a fall where possible, rather than merely catching the worker after they fall?

Edge protection and scaffolding generally provide better protection because they protect everyone working in the area. A harness is not a magic cape. It needs the right anchor point, correct setup, suitable equipment, training and a rescue plan.

4. Check how workers will get onto and off the roof

Getting onto the roof is often where people take shortcuts.

☐ Is the access point planned before work begins?

☐ Is the ladder the correct type and length?

☐ Is the ladder placed on stable ground?

☐ Is it secured so it cannot slip sideways or kick out at the bottom?

☐ Is the ladder positioned away from doors, traffic routes and electrical hazards?

☐ Can workers step safely onto the roof without climbing over an unsafe gap or guardrail?

☐ Is the roof-access point kept clear of tools and loose materials?

A ladder may be suitable for access in some situations. It should not become the default work platform because the job was under-priced or the scaffold was “too much hassle”.

5. Check the weather properly

A light breeze on the ground can feel very different once you are standing on a roof.

☐ Has the weather forecast been checked?

☐ Is the roof dry?

☐ Is there wind that could affect balance, loose roofing sheets or long materials?

☐ Is rain expected during the planned work period?

☐ Is strong sun, heat or glare likely to affect the workers?

☐ Will fading daylight create additional risk later in the day?

☐ Has the team agreed on the conditions that will trigger a stop-work decision?

There is no prize for staying on a roof when the weather has turned ugly. Pack it in and come back when the job can be done safely.

6. Protect the people below

Roof work affects more than the person on the roof.

☐ Is there a clearly marked exclusion zone below the work area?

☐ Have homeowners, tenants and other contractors been told where they cannot walk?

☐ Are children and pets kept away from the work zone?

☐ Are tools and materials secured?

☐ Is loose rubbish removed as the work progresses?

☐ Are roofing sheets controlled so they cannot slide or blow off the roof?

☐ Are deliveries planned so materials do not block driveways or footpaths?

☐ Is additional traffic management needed near a road or busy driveway?

One dropped hammer can do plenty of damage. A loose sheet of roofing iron in a gust of wind can do far worse.

7. Confirm the workers are trained and fit for the job

Experience matters, but experience does not replace a safe setup.

☐ Are workers trained and competent for the equipment being used?

☐ Do they understand the site-specific risks?

☐ Has the team discussed the safest order of work?

☐ Are new workers supervised?

☐ Are workers wearing suitable footwear with good grip?

☐ Is anybody fatigued, unwell, injured or affected by medication, alcohol or drugs?

☐ Is there a plan for regular breaks, hydration and heat management?

☐ Does everybody know they can stop work if the conditions become unsafe?

A good toolbox talk does not need to be a half-hour sermon. Keep it practical: what can hurt us today, what controls are in place, and what would make us stop the job?

8. Prepare a simple working-at-heights plan

For residential roofing work, your paperwork does not need to become a novel. It does need to match the job.

☐ Record the work being completed.

☐ Identify the roof-access method.

☐ Record the key hazards.

☐ Record the fall-prevention controls.

☐ Identify the person supervising the job.

☐ Record the weather conditions.

☐ Confirm how tools and materials will be moved and secured.

☐ Record the exclusion zone and public-protection measures.

☐ Confirm the emergency and rescue arrangements.

☐ Update the plan if the job changes.

A generic safety document sitting in the van is not much use if the actual job has a brittle roof light, a steep gable and the homeowner walking underneath with a wheelbarrow.

9. Make sure there is an emergency plan

Do not wait until somebody is dangling from a harness to work out what happens next.

☐ Is a first-aid kit available?

☐ Is at least one worker trained in first aid?

☐ Can emergency services reach the site?

☐ Is the site address clearly recorded?

☐ Is there reliable mobile-phone coverage?

☐ Is there an effective communication system for anybody working alone?

☐ Is there a rescue plan if fall-restraint or fall-arrest equipment is being used?

☐ Does everybody understand the plan?

Calling 111 is important, but it is not the whole rescue plan.

10. Do a final check before starting

Take one last look before anybody steps onto the roof.

☐ The scaffold, edge protection or selected system is installed correctly.

☐ Access equipment is stable and secure.

☐ Workers understand the plan.

☐ Tools and materials are controlled.

☐ The exclusion zone is in place.

☐ Weather conditions are acceptable.

☐ The emergency plan is understood.

☐ Any asbestos concerns have been addressed before materials are disturbed.

☐ The team knows the conditions that will trigger a stop-work decision.

If something feels off, fix it before the work starts. A ten-minute delay is better than explaining a fall to a worker’s whānau.

What Does the HSWA 2015 Mean for Small Tradie Businesses?

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 applies to small businesses and self-employed contractors, not just large construction companies.

In plain English, you need to do what is reasonably practicable to keep your workers and other people safe. That includes identifying the hazards, choosing controls that suit the job, checking the controls are working and adjusting the plan when conditions change.

Workers have responsibilities too. They must take reasonable care of their own safety, avoid putting other people at risk and follow reasonable health and safety instructions and procedures.

A roof job does not become low-risk just because it is a small job, a familiar job or a job that should only take a few minutes.

Need Help Setting Up a Practical Working-at-Heights System?

Auditsure Ltd is a New Zealand health and safety consultancy supporting tradies and small businesses with practical health and safety systems that can be used on real jobs.

Auditsure Ltd can help with:

• working-at-heights procedures;
• roof-work checklists;
• safe work procedures;
• site-specific safety plans;
• risk registers;
• toolbox-talk templates;
• contractor prequalification support; and
• health and safety gap analysis for small businesses.

The goal is not paperwork for the sake of paperwork. It is giving your team a clear way to plan the job, control the risks and get home safely.