Roof work is high risk and falls from roofs, through fragile roofs and fragile roof lights are one of the most common causes of workplace death and serious injury. As well as in construction, these accidents can also occur on roofs of factories, warehouses and farm buildings when roof repair work or cleaning is being carried out.

By taking a sensible, pragmatic approach when considering precautions for work at height. Factors to weigh up include the height of the task; the duration and frequency; and the condition of the surface being worked on. There will also be certain low-risk situations where common sense tells you no particular precautions are necessary.

Do as much work as possible from the ground. Some practical examples include:

• Using extendable tools from ground level to remove the need to climb a ladder
• Installing cables at ground level
• Lowering a lighting mast to ground level ground level assembly of edge protection
• Cleaning windows with water fed poles

If you can’t avoid working from height read the next section ‘Prevent’.

You can do this by:

• Using an existing place of work that is already safe, eg a non-fragile roof with a permanent perimeter guardrail or, if not
• Using work equipment to prevent people from falling

Some practical examples of collective protection when using an existing place of work:

• A concrete flat roof with existing edge protection, or guarded mezzanine floor, or plant or machinery with fixed guard rails around it

Some practical examples of collective protection using work equipment to prevent a fall:

• Mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) such as scissor lifts
• Tower scaffolds
• Scaffolds

An example of personal protection using work equipment to prevent a fall:

• Using a work restraint (travel restriction) system that prevents a worker getting into a fall position.

If you can’t prevent a fall from occurring read the next section ‘Minimise’.

If the risk of a person falling remains, you must take sufficient measures to minimise the distance and/or consequences of a fall.

Practical examples of collective protection using work equipment to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall:

• Safety nets and soft landing systems, eg air bags, installed close to the level of the work

An example of personal protection used to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall:

• Industrial rope access, eg working on a building façade fall arrest system using a high anchor point

The following are all requirements in law that you need to consider when planning and undertaking work at height.

You must:

• Take account of weather conditions that could compromise worker safety.
• Check that the place (eg a roof) where work at height is to be undertaken is safe.
• Each place where people will work at height needs to be checked every time, before use.
• Stop materials or objects from falling or, if it is not reasonably practicable to.
• Prevent objects falling, take suitable and sufficient measures to make sure no one can be injured, eg use exclusion zones to keep people away or mesh on scaffold to stop materials such as bricks falling off.
• Store materials and objects safely so they won’t cause injury if they are disturbed or collapse.
• Plan for emergencies and rescue, eg agree a set procedure for evacuation.
• Think about foreseeable situations and make sure employees know the emergency procedures. Don’t just rely entirely on the emergency services for rescue in your plan.