Roof work risk assessment template
Before anyone steps onto a roof, establish whether the work can be done without going onto it and whether the roof or any rooflight is fragile. Record the proposed work, access route, edge and opening controls, weather limits, people below and rescue plan. A blank form cannot verify a roof's load capacity or make a harness anchor suitable. Use the worksheet below as a site-specific decision record, with a competent person selecting and checking the actual controls.
The worksheet applies to inspection, maintenance, cleaning, installation, repair and similar roof access. It is not a trade-specific roofing method statement; the planned roofing RAMS template would cover a roofer's full activity sequence only if that page passes its separate owner review. The existing RAMS pillar explains the broader combined document.
HSE's roof-work guidance covers new roofs, repair, maintenance, cleaning and demolition. It highlights falls through fragile materials such as rooflights and asbestos-cement sheets. HSE's fragile-surface guidance says roofs should be treated as fragile until a competent person confirms otherwise. This includes a roof that appears to have a metal sheet or a convenient purlin line; a rooflight can be hard to see. Do not accept “walk on the bolt lines” as a control.
The first decision: avoid roof access if possible
Can the task be done from the ground, from inside the building, by a camera or from a suitable platform such as a mobile elevating work platform? If a person must go onto or near the roof, specify the route and protection before they climb. Select a working platform, edge protection and fragile-surface controls that prevent falls so far as practicable. If residual fall risk remains, select appropriate mitigation and a rescue arrangement that can work at the actual location. A warning sign or harness alone is not a substitute for prevention.
The building owner or site controller should supply relevant information about roof construction, rooflights, access points, previous repairs, hidden openings, services and hazards below. A competent inspection or design check may be needed. Do not infer load capacity from appearance or the fact that someone walked there previously. If information is missing, the work remains on hold until the roof can be safely assessed or a no-roof-access method is chosen.
Copy-and-complete roof-work assessment
| Scope and evidence | Site-specific entry |
|---|---|
| Project, address, building, roof area and task | [Enter] |
| Client/building controller, contractor, assessor and supervisor | [Enter] |
| Date, work window, weather forecast and version | [Enter] |
| Roof construction/condition and evidence of fragility assessment | [Enter competent evidence; hold if unknown] |
| Rooflights, openings, edges, gutters and hidden hazards | [Mark on plan/photo] |
| Access/egress route and equipment | [Enter and inspect] |
| Work-at-height hierarchy decision: avoid, prevent, mitigate | [Explain choice] |
| Edge protection, covers, staging, nets/restraint/arrest systems | [Specify design/checks] |
| Anchors and competent verification where used | [Record evidence] |
| Materials, tools and lifting route | [Enter] |
| Ground-level exclusion and affected people | [Enter] |
| Emergency communication and rescue method/team/equipment | [Enter and test] |
| Linked permits, RAMS, design or survey records | [Enter versions] |
| Hazard or failure mode | People at risk | Site-specific control and verification | Owner | Stop-work trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall from edge or access point | [Enter] | [Preventive edge/access controls] | [Enter] | Protection incomplete |
| Fall through rooflight or fragile sheet | [Enter] | [Avoid, cover/guard or engineered staging; competent check] | [Enter] | Fragility unknown/control absent |
| Opening, skylight, service penetration | [Enter] | [Locate, cover/guard, mark on plan] | [Enter] | New opening found |
| Unsafe ladder, platform or transition | [Enter] | [Suitable equipment, setup, inspection, safe transfer] | [Enter] | Movement/defect |
| Weather, slippery surface, light | [Enter] | [Forecast, actual condition, agreed stop limits] | [Enter] | Deterioration |
| Falling tools/materials | [Enter] | [Containment, tethering where suitable, exclusion below] | [Enter] | Public access breaches boundary |
| Manual handling/material placement | [Enter] | [Lifting plan, delivery point, stable storage] | [Enter] | Load/route changes |
| Electricity/overhead lines/services | [Enter] | [Locate, isolate or segregate by competent plan] | [Enter] | Unidentified service |
| Rescue after fall or injury | [Enter] | [Named team, equipment, access, communication, rehearsal] | [Enter] | Rescue unavailable |
Do not copy “PPE: harness” into every row. Ask whether the system is fall restraint, which prevents reaching an edge, or fall arrest, which limits harm after a fall. An arrest system needs a compatible, verified anchor, adequate clearance, training and a realistic rescue plan. If the worker could strike a lower level before the system arrests the fall, or the team cannot rescue them promptly, the proposed control is not adequate.
Planning and on-site sequence
- Collect information. Agree the task and work area with the owner/controller; obtain drawings, surveys and roof-condition evidence. Mark known rooflights, edges, openings and services on a plan.
- Choose the method. Document why work from below or a protected platform is or is not practicable. Have a competent person select the access, prevention and mitigation arrangement.
- Design and inspect controls. Install edge protection, covers, staging, nets or other specified equipment safely. Confirm anchors, guardrails and access equipment are suitable and inspected. Control the installers' own fall risk.
- Protect others. Establish the exclusion area below and around lifting routes. Tell occupants and other contractors; do not rely on a ground-level sign in a busy public area.
- Brief the crew. Show the roof plan, permitted route, fragile zones, weather limits, emergency contacts, rescue procedure and stop-work triggers. Check competence and communication.
- Do the work within the boundary. Keep materials stable, manage tools and monitor weather. Do not step outside the protected route for a “quick look”. Stop if the roof differs from the plan, an opening appears or controls move.
- Close out. Remove temporary controls through a planned safe sequence, confirm the roof and ground area are secure, account for the crew and hand the area back to the controller.
HSE says a work-at-height method statement should be clear and no longer than necessary to communicate the controls. For complex roof work, a sketch showing access, fragile zones, edges and rescue points may be more useful than extra generic paragraphs. Keep the task method aligned with this assessment.
Example: maintenance visit near a rooflight
A facilities team wants to inspect a rooftop fan near a translucent rooflight. The original proposal is to climb a ladder and walk along the sheet laps. The assessment identifies that no competent evidence confirms the roof is non-fragile. The team looks for a no-roof-access inspection method or a suitable protected platform. If roof access remains necessary, a competent designer/planner specifies a protected route, rooflight control, edge protection and rescue arrangement. The permit and briefing show exactly where the worker may go. Until these are installed and checked, the job is held. Merely naming a harness does not clear it.
Sign-off, review and links
Record assessor [name/date], competent roof/access reviewer [name/date], site controller [name/date], supervisor [name/date], crew briefing [names/time] and controls inspection [person/time]. Review after weather changes, access changes, new openings, damaged protection, altered task or near miss. Maintain the plan/photo with the assessment so the safe route is not ambiguous.
The risk assessment software page is the intended money-page connection. CTA: complete the site-specific form, obtain competent roof/access approval, brief workers and retain the checked version in the organisation's verified workflow. Do not claim Complys confirms roof capacity, designs fall protection, inspects anchors or approves rescue arrangements. These require real competent checks.
Source, claim and writer-side QA register
| Material claim | Primary source | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Roof work includes repair, maintenance and cleaning and carries serious fall risks | HSE HSG33 | Task/site-specific assessment required. |
| Treat roofs as fragile until competent confirmation; avoid or control fragile-surface work | HSE fragile surfaces | Do not infer safety from appearance. |
| Work-at-height hierarchy prioritises avoidance and fall prevention | HSE step-by-step guide | Mitigation only after appropriate prevention decision. |
| Roof method statement should communicate task-specific controls and changes | HSE assessment of work at height | Competent design and supervision remain. |
Intent/cannibalisation: no exact Complys roof-work risk-assessment form owner observed on indexed UK host on 5 October 2026; distinct from roofing trade RAMS and generic work-at-height guidance. Repository/in-flight owner check remains. Product truth: no roof-design, inspection or rescue capability claimed. Links: live RAMS and software pages; planned roofing RAMS link conditional on separate approval. Writer-side QA: usable form, fragility and rescue stop gates, primary sources, metadata and GB scope checked. Specialist site and whole-page publication review remains.