Rethinking Roof Work: An Employer's Guide To Height Safety

If you have employees who are working at a height, you need to ensure that you have the right safety measures and protocols in place. Employees working at height are essentially any team members who could be injured if they fell from their workstation. Working on roofs, ladders, scaffolds and on ledges above-ground-level constitutes ‘’working from a height’ and, as an employer, you need to do everything you can to keep these employees safe and out of harm’s way. 

Roof work safety, in particular, needs careful consideration, as the consequences of a fall or much more significant. Employees working on a roof should be given extra attention as one slip can lead to a serious injury, or worse. As an employer, you have a responsibility to ensure that you provide safe access, via a roof access ladder

or hatch, and that you provide any employees working on the roof with fall protection and fall arrest systems, compliant roof ladders and you should also fit guardrails to minimise the risk of an accident. With the right approach to working at height safety, you can ensure that your team will be safe when they are on the roof. 

Let’s take a look at how you can keep your employees safe when they are working at a height. 

Wearing The Right Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Before any employee carries out work on a roof, it’s essential that they are wearing the right PPE. You will need to provide your team with high-quality harnesses that are comfortable and designed for the conditions and environment your team will be working in. Employees will also need to wear hardhats, high-vis and other day-to-day PPE when they are on the roof to keep them safe and secure. 

Using Quality Equipment

From attaching roof anchor points to installing ladder and static line systems, as well as roof access points, you need to ensure that you choose quality equipment. Roof safety gear needs to be reliable and durable to keep your team safe. This is not the place to choose inferior, less robust, cheaper alternatives as using the wrong products could put your employee’s lives in danger.

Implement A Buddy System 

To ensure the safety of your employees, the use of the buddy system should be encouraged by employers. This means that no employee is permitted to work on the roof without a designated partner. With this approach, you can ensure that your employees have some support on the roof if they get into trouble. 

Focus On Communication

From time to time, your team may need to work on a roofing project where there is space for only one employee. In this instance, communication is key in keeping your employee safe. Radio communications with the ground crew are essential and you should implement regular communication with your team so you know everything is going according to plan. 

The Two-Metre Rule

Your employees should always abide by the two-metre rule. This means that nobody is allowed to work within two metres of the roof’s edge unless there is a roof safety system in place and in operation. To ensure compliance with this rule, you can mark out the areas on your roof where employees are not allowed to work and provide training to educate employees about these safety measures.

Keep Your Employees Safe When They Are Working On The Roof

Roof work can be dangerous but if the correct safety precautions are taken, you can ensure that your team stays safe. As an employer, you have a responsibility to ensure the safety of your team while they are carrying out their work duties. Providing the right equipment and implementing effective safety strategies will ensure that your team can work efficiently and effectively when they are at a height.