House Roof Safety Checklist: What NZ Tradies Must Check Before Working Over 2 Metres High by Auditsure Ltd

Free Roof Work Safety Checklist for Jobs Over 2 Metres High

1. Walk around the house before unloading the tools

Do not start with the ladder. Start with a slow walk around the property.

☐ What work needs to be completed?

☐ How high is the roof edge at its lowest and highest points?

☐ Is the property single-storey, split-level or two-storey?

☐ What is the pitch of the roof?

☐ Are there gable ends, valleys, dormers or awkward corners?

☐ Is the ground level, sloping, soft or uneven?

☐ Are there decks, fences, sheds or narrow side access areas?

☐ Are power lines, service cables or trees close to the work area?

☐ Could members of the public, tenants or children walk underneath the roof-work area?

Take photos and record your findings. A five-minute site check can prevent a bad decision later in the day.

2. Ask whether the roof needs to be climbed at all

The safest roof job is the one completed without putting a worker near an exposed edge.

☐ Can measurements be taken from the ground?

☐ Can a drone, pole camera or binoculars be used for an initial inspection?

☐ Can roofing materials be cut or prepared at ground level?

☐ Can components be pre-painted before installation?

☐ Can a mobile elevating work platform be used instead of standing on the roof?

☐ Can work be completed from a scaffold platform?

Eliminating the fall risk should always be considered first. Do not climb onto a roof simply because that is how the job has always been done.

3. Identify every place a person could fall

The outside edge is only one of the hazards.

☐ Could a worker fall more than 2 metres from the perimeter of the roof?

☐ Are there unprotected gable ends?

☐ Are there lower roof levels, verandas or carports?

☐ Are there skylights, translucent panels or penetrations?

☐ Is any part of the roof brittle, damaged, rusty or weathered?

☐ Could somebody fall through the roof after sheets are removed?

☐ Are there ceiling openings or internal voids?

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

☐ Could tools, roofing sheets or rubbish fall onto people below?

A roof can look solid from the driveway while hiding a few nasty traps. Do not assume that an old skylight or faded roof sheet will carry a person’s weight.

4. Select the strongest practical fall-prevention control

For roof work over 2 metres high, do not rely on balance, experience or good luck.

Work through the controls in order.

☐ Can the fall hazard be eliminated?

☐ Can scaffolding be installed around the work area?

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

☐ Can an elevating work platform be used safely?

☐ Would a properly installed temporary work platform provide safer access?

☐ Are skylights and roof openings securely covered or guarded?

☐ If a harness system is proposed, has it been selected and set up by a competent person?

☐ Is the system designed to stop the worker reaching the edge where practicable?

☐ Have anchor points been checked and confirmed as suitable?

Edge protection is usually the better option for residential roof work because it protects more than one worker and does not rely solely on each person clipping on correctly.

A harness is not a shortcut. It requires suitable anchors, correct equipment, training, inspection and a rescue plan.

5. Check the scaffold or edge protection

Scaffolding and roof-edge protection must suit the job.

☐ Is protection installed on every exposed roof edge where a fall could occur?

☐ Does it protect the gable ends as well as the gutter line?

☐ Has the system been installed by a competent person?

☐ Is the scaffold stable and suitable for the ground conditions?

☐ Are platforms fully decked?

☐ Are guardrails, mid-rails and toe boards installed where required?

☐ Is there a safe way to transfer from the scaffold onto the roof?

☐ Are skylights, brittle materials and roof openings protected?

☐ Is the equipment inspected before work starts and after any change in conditions?

Do not assume that a partial scaffold protects the whole job. Roofers often get caught out at the gable end or around an unprotected lower roof.

6. Plan the ladder access properly

A ladder is commonly used for access, but it should not automatically become the work platform.

☐ Is the ladder long enough for safe access?

☐ Is it the correct type and in good condition?

☐ Is it placed on stable and level ground?

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

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

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

☐ Can workers step safely onto the roof or scaffold?

☐ Is three-point contact maintained while climbing?

☐ Are heavy materials moved another way rather than carried up the ladder?

Do not perch on the top rung while leaning sideways with a drill in one hand. That might save five minutes, but it is not a safe system of work.

7. Check the condition of the roof

Older residential roofs need extra care.

☐ Is the roof iron rusted or corroded?

☐ Are tiles cracked, loose or fragile?

☐ Is the roof wet, mossy or slippery?

☐ Are fixings loose or missing?

☐ Is there any visible sagging?

☐ Are skylights weathered or brittle?

☐ Is there a chance the roof contains asbestos materials?

☐ Are decramastic roofing tiles, Super Six roofing sheets, soffits or cladding likely to be disturbed?

Stop and obtain competent advice before drilling, cutting, grinding or removing suspected asbestos-containing materials.

8. Check the weather before climbing

The weather can turn an ordinary roof into a skating rink.

☐ Is the roof dry?

☐ Has the local forecast been checked?

☐ Is wind likely to affect balance or control of roofing sheets?

☐ Is rain expected during the work period?

☐ Is frost, dew or condensation present?

☐ Could heat, glare or dehydration affect the team?

☐ Will the job continue into fading daylight?

☐ Has the team agreed on the weather conditions that mean work must stop?

Do not let a tight schedule talk you into working on a wet or windy roof. There is always another day. There may not be another chance after a serious fall.

9. Protect everybody on the ground

A falling object can seriously injure a homeowner, child, neighbour or another contractor.

☐ Is an exclusion zone set up below the roof-work area?

☐ Are barriers or signs in place?

☐ Have occupants and other workers been told where they cannot walk?

☐ Are tools secured where necessary?

☐ Are loose materials stored safely?

☐ Are roofing sheets controlled so they cannot slide or catch the wind?

☐ Is rubbish removed regularly?

☐ Are driveways, footpaths and public areas protected?

☐ Is traffic management required?

A hard hat is useful, but it is not a substitute for keeping people out of the drop zone.

10. Hold a short toolbox talk before starting

Keep it practical. Nobody needs a half-hour sermon in the driveway.

☐ What is the job?

☐ Where could someone fall?

☐ What fall-prevention controls are in place?

☐ How will workers access the roof?

☐ Are there fragile areas or skylights?

☐ What are the weather conditions?

☐ Who is supervising the work?

☐ How will tools and materials be controlled?

☐ Where is the exclusion zone?

☐ What conditions would trigger a stop-work decision?

☐ What is the emergency plan?

Make sure new workers, subcontractors and apprentices understand the setup. Do not assume they know what is in your head.

11. Confirm workers are competent and fit for the work

☐ Are workers trained and experienced in the selected work method?

☐ Have workers been trained to use any harness system?

☐ Has the equipment been inspected?

☐ Is anybody fatigued, unwell or injured?

☐ Are workers wearing boots with suitable grip?

☐ Are workers affected by medication, alcohol or drugs?

☐ Are breaks, hydration and sun protection planned?

☐ Can workers stop the job if something becomes unsafe?

The best equipment in the world will not help much if the person using it is exhausted or unsure what to do.

12. Prepare an emergency and rescue plan

A rescue plan matters, especially where a harness system is used.

☐ Is a first-aid kit available?

☐ Is at least one person trained in first aid?

☐ Is the site address written down and easy to find?

☐ Can emergency services reach the property?

☐ Is mobile-phone coverage available?

☐ Is there an effective way to communicate with a lone worker?

☐ Is there a rescue plan if somebody falls into a harness?

☐ Does the team know how to raise the alarm?

☐ Is the rescue equipment available and suitable?

Calling 111 is important, but it is not the whole rescue plan. A worker left hanging in a harness needs help quickly.

13. Complete a final check before anyone climbs

☐ A site-specific risk assessment has been completed.

☐ The work method has been agreed.

☐ Scaffold, edge protection or another suitable fall-prevention system is in place.

☐ Ladder access is secure.

☐ Roof openings and fragile areas are protected.

☐ Weather conditions are suitable.

☐ Tools and materials are controlled.

☐ The ground-level exclusion zone is established.

☐ Workers understand the emergency plan.

☐ Suspected asbestos materials will not be disturbed without proper assessment.

☐ The team knows when to stop work and reassess the job.

If something does not look right, fix it before climbing. A delayed job is frustrating. A fall from a roof can change somebody’s life.

What Does the HSWA 2015 Require?

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 applies to roofing companies, builders, contractors and self-employed tradies.

A business or self-employed person carrying out work must take reasonably practicable steps to protect workers and ensure that other people are not put at risk.

In plain English:

• identify the hazards before work starts;
• eliminate risks where reasonably practicable;
• use effective controls where risks cannot be eliminated;
• make sure controls remain effective;
• involve workers in the planning;
• review the plan if the job or conditions change; and
• stop work when the setup is no longer safe.

This checklist focuses on roof work involving a potential fall of more than 2 metres. However, lower-level work can still cause serious injury and also needs to be properly assessed.

Need a Practical Working-at-Heights Procedure for Your Business?

Auditsure Ltd is a New Zealand health and safety consultancy helping tradies and small businesses put practical safety systems in place.

Auditsure Ltd can assist with:

• working-at-heights procedures;
• residential roof-work checklists;
• safe work procedures;
• site-specific safety plans;
• toolbox-talk templates;
• risk registers;
• contractor prequalification documents;
• health and safety gap analysis; and
• HSWA 2015 compliance support.

The goal is not paperwork gathering dust in the office. It is giving your workers a simple system that works on a real job, on a real roof, on a Monday morning when everybody is keen to get started.