Roof work
Toolbox talks for roofers
Shaun Holmes
A repair that only takes a few minutes is still roof work. HSE says all work on roofs is highly dangerous, even for a job that short, and that almost one in five deaths in construction work involve roof work. Many of those people were repairing or cleaning, not only specialist roofers.
The working-at-height talk covers the order: avoid, prevent, then minimise. It was not enough on its own for a roof, so there is now a talk on roof edges and fragile surfaces. Treat the roof as fragile until a competent person says it is not. The pages stay open to read. The pack asks for an email the first time.
This talk supplements the site's own risk assessment and method. It does not replace them, and it is not a substitute for competent health and safety advice.
Talks for this trade
About 5 minutes
Roof work and fragile surfaces
Edge protection, roof ladders for work measured in minutes, and every fixed roof treated as fragile until someone competent says otherwise.
Read the talk
About 5 minutes
Working at height
The order for any fall: avoid the climb, prevent the fall, then shorten the consequences. Plan the rescue before you go up.
Read the talk
About 5 minutes
Ladders and stepladders
A secured ladder and a proper roof ladder are only HSE's option for short-duration work, measured in minutes.
Read the talk
About 5 minutes
Scaffolding awareness
Sloping roofs need scaffolding so people and materials cannot fall from the edge. We use a scaffold. We do not alter one.
Read the talk
About 5 minutes
Asbestos awareness
Cement sheets and soffits on older roofs. If you are not sure, stop. Awareness does not allow you to work on it.
Read the talk
About 5 minutes
Old lead paint
HSE lists working with lead on roofs, including flashings. Heating lead, or burning paint off a verge, is this talk.
Read the talk
About 5 minutes
Fire safety and hot works
Torch-applied roofing is hot work in HSE's fire-safety book. The watch continues after the flame is out.
Read the talk
Tools for your trade
- What day rate should I charge?
A day rate from the take-home you want, the days you cannot invoice, and the share you set aside for tax.
- Mileage allowance calculator
The HMRC flat mileage rate for a car, van or motorcycle, with the 10,000-mile split.
- VAT threshold checker
A rolling 12-month turnover set against the £90,000 VAT registration line.
HSE pages for this trade
These are the HSE pages I used. None of them are affiliate links.
Roof work (opens in a new tab)
Plan it. Edge protection on sloping and flat roofs. Short-duration access can be a secured ladder and a roof ladder. Fragile roofs and rooflights are a main cause of death and injury.
Fragile surfaces (opens in a new tab)
HSE says falls through fragile surfaces, particularly fibre-cement roofs and rooflights, account for 22 percent of fall-from-height fatal injuries in construction.
Fragile roofs, GEIS5 (opens in a new tab)
Work from underneath or from a MEWP basket where you can. Stagings, nets and a harness with a real anchor if you cannot. GEIS5 says on average 7 people a year are killed falling through a fragile roof or rooflight.
Working at height (opens in a new tab)
Collective protection, such as a guard rail or a scaffold, comes before personal protection.
Asbestos (opens in a new tab)
Do not trust an old sheet because it has been walked on before. Stop and ask.
Lead (opens in a new tab)
Lead flashings and hot cutting of lead are on HSE's list of tasks to assess.
A blank register, with nothing else on the page, is the toolbox talk sign-off sheet. The full library is on the toolbox talks page, and a year of topics is in the 52-week planner.
Roofers toolbox talk pack
The talks on this page, each with its own sign-off sheet, on one page you can print. The talks stay here to read. Opening the pack asks for an email the first time.
Get a ready-to-read toolbox talk every week
I've spent over 20 years in UK construction. Every issue of my free weekly email includes a toolbox talk you can read out on Monday morning, plus plain-English tips for the van and the office.
Free tools for a day rate, a tax estimate, a CIS deduction, and materials are on the tools page.