Minor roof work

Working conditions
Types of access
Tips for safe working
Further reading
From experience

These pages help you to:

identify the risks involved with minor roof work
choose the right access equipment to do the job

Working conditions

Questions to ask include:

Height

How high is the job from the ground?

Surface

What surface will the access equipment rest on? (e.g. a wall, cladding, etc)

Is this surface strong enough to take the weight of the workers and their equipment?

Ground

What is the ground condition under the area where access equipment might need to be set up - for example, is it sloping, muddy or uneven? The access equipment you use must be suitable for the ground conditions - stable, level and not liable to fall or collapse.

Weather

Is it raining hard, or very windy?

Task

What tools or materials will you need for the roof work? How will you get them up and down safely?

Types of access

When looking at what you need to do the job, think about the following…

From the ground	Can you do the work from the ground?
From the roof	Can the work be done from a flat roof that is accessible and strong enough to work from?
	If you need to work from the roof, does it have guardrails or other equipment that will prevent a fall?
	If no, can this be installed?
From a platform	Can you do the work from a mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) or tower scaffold?
Fall protection	Do you need personal fall protection to allow safe access?
From a ladder	Is the work low risk and short duration?
	Do you have a ladder that will reach the area?
	Can you secure the ladder safely?
	Can you or your workers use the ladder safely?

Tips for safe working

Minor roof work will involve a small area and can be completed in minutes not hours. Make sure that you know what the job entails and that the people who will do the job have the right experience and training to do it safely.
Plan the work properly before you start, include in your plan what you will do in an emergency, or if someone falls. Involve the workers who are doing the job in your planning and consult them about the right equipment to use.
Check that the roof is strong enough to support any weight you put on it.
Make sure that nothing can fall off the roof and injure someone. If there is a risk of this, make sure no one comes into the area below the work.
Take frequent breaks, especially when working from a ladder - do not work from a ladder for longer than 30 minutes at a time.
If you use a ladder, keep three points of contact wherever possible.
If you are hiring access equipment, make sure you are competent to use it safely and know how to install and dismantle it safely - ask the hirer for instructions or assistance if you need them.

From experience

Good practice:

Installing roof fans