Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the national regulator for workplace health and safety in Great Britain. It publishes guidance, inspects workplaces and enforces the law. Roof work is one of its priority topics in construction. Its website is hse.gov.uk.

Roof work risks

HSE describes all roof work as highly dangerous, even short jobs, and reports that almost one in five construction deaths involve roof work. The main causes are:

• falls from roof edges or through openings;
• falls through fragile roofs, such as old cement sheet or corroded metal;
• falls through fragile rooflights, which can be hard to see in some light or when painted over.

Key guidance

• Plan the work. Employers must organise and plan all roof work so it is done safely. A method statement is the usual way to manage the job and communicate precautions.
• Fragile roofs. Every roof should be treated as fragile until a competent person confirms it is not. No sheeted roof, including ridges and purlins, should be assumed to bear a person's weight.
• Rooflights. These should be protected with secured, labelled barriers or covers.
• Edge protection. Sloping roofs generally need scaffolding or edge protection at the eaves. Flat roofs need a secure double guardrail and toe board. For very short tasks, secured ladders and roof ladders may be acceptable.
• Access. Options include scaffolds, stair towers, scaffold towers, mobile elevating platforms, ladders and roof hatches.
• Competence. Workers must be trained, competent and told about the precautions.

Legal framework

Relevant laws include the Work at Height Regulations 2005, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. HSE's detailed guidance on roofing is set out in its publication HSG33, Health and safety in roof work.

Comparison

In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets a 6-foot trigger height for fall protection in construction. British rules do not use a single trigger height; instead they require any work at height to be planned to prevent falls that could cause injury. Northern Ireland has its own regulator.