Roof work method statements: sequence, access and edge protection

What a roof method statement must do

I read roof RAMS every week. The good ones read like a story you can follow with your boots on. A roof work method statement should tell me how you get in, how you get up, where the edges are protected, where you put gear, how you work across the deck, when you stop for weather, and how you come down safe. Use HSG33 Health and safety in roof work as the backbone and match the Work at Height Regulations 2005 on planning and hierarchy.

If you work like this, the principal contractor can actually manage the risk. If it reads like a photocopied template with guesses, it gets sent back. The last one I rejected had a scaffold in the drawings, but the access section talked about a cherry picker with no ground bearing check, no rescue and no mention of overhead cables. That kind of mismatch tells me the sequence was never thought through. Start with sequence, then fill in the kit and the people.

I always look for five things first: access and egress routes, perimeter and opening protection, material loading and laydown, weather limits and stop rules, and the end of shift state. If you get those five right, everything else falls into place. If you miss any one, the job will try to bite you. HSG33 is plain on that, and it aligns with what inspectors expect under the Work at Height Regulations.

Access and egress: the route up and back down

Start at the gate. Write the delivery route, turning area and offload point. If you need a crane or hoist, say where it sets up, the outrigger bearing, the exclusion zone and the banksman. If you use a forklift to feed a hoist, say who is trained and what the traffic plan is. Then describe the route from ground to roof: fixed scaffold stairs, a MEWP, internal stair, or a combination. Do not mix access types without saying who controls the interface.

Fixed scaffold stairs are my first choice for multi day work. They are predictable, they carry traffic both ways, and you can get a stretcher down them. Make sure the stair tower is tied, has gates that close, and that the lifts you step off are properly decked with no part loaded transoms. Where you use MEWPs, name the exact model, its safe working height, outreach, ground bearing limits and any overhead restrictions. The Work at Height Regulations expect you to plan and use suitable work equipment.

If the access is through a building, say how you protect finishes, how you control other trades, and how you move long sheets around corners. Put the little things in. I want to know who opens the roof hatch each morning and who locks it at night. I want to know how you keep the staircase clear of loose insulation granules and wet footprints. I have smelled cut cement board on stair treads and watched someone skid because the RAMS forgot housekeeping.

If you need a checklist of what clients usually ask for, see Roofing RAMS Requirements UK and tune your paperwork before it goes in.

Edge protection comes before work

If the perimeter is not protected, you are not roofing. Simple. HSG33 is blunt on guarding edges and openings before work starts. Your method statement should say who installs the scaffold or guardrail, to what standard, and who inspects it before first use. If it is scaffold, refer to current NASC guidance like TG20 for design compliance and SG4 for fall prevention during erection. Do not assume the PC has sorted it. Name the person who signs the first use inspection.

Guardrails need top, mid and toe boards where there is a risk of materials rolling. Loading bays need gates that close. If you use proprietary temporary edge systems on a concrete deck, state the fixing method, the spacing and the pull out checks. If you are on a metal deck, show that the clamps match the profile and are not chewing the sheet. If the roof is a replacement in strips, describe how you maintain a safe edge as the strip moves across.

There are jobs where a rail is not reasonably practicable. Then you tell me the next control in the hierarchy. Maybe tensioned safety nets below, installed and tagged by competent riggers. Maybe a full restraint system with fixed lines and short lanyards so no one can reach the edge. The Work at Height Regulations put fall prevention above arrest. So if you write arrest only, it had better be justified and teamed with a rescue plan that works on your footprint.

Fragile surfaces, openings and the deck under your boots

I treat every rooflight and every piece of weathered asbestos cement as fragile until proven otherwise. HSG33 says exactly that. Your method statement should list the surveys you have, the drawings that mark the fragile zones, and how you physically mark them on site. If you have to cross a fragile area, specify stagings, crawling boards, or a boarded walkway that spreads the load to structure. Put photos in the appendices if you can. Words are cheap. Holes are not.

Openings are their own story. If you cut or strip, cap the void with a cover that is fixed, signed and strong enough for a person to stand on. Use the rule I like: if it will take a wheelbarrow full of offcuts without deflecting, it will take a worker. Covers need a label that says hole below and do not remove without permission. Where you cannot cover, guard. Remember that service risers eat tape and kick boards for fun if you do not fix them properly.

On strip and replace, explain how you keep a weather tight edge. Wind can flip loose felt like a sail. If you are laying insulation boards, say how you stop them blowing off the deck. The best method statements describe temporary fixings at the leading edge, the number of fixings per board while you chase the permanent pattern, and the rule for stopping if gusts pick up. You can hear it on the day, that low plastic rattle, then a sudden clap as a board lifts.

For a starting point you can adapt to the real job, the Roofing RAMS Template UK covers the common roof activities and controls.

Material lifting, loading and waste out

Material handling breaks a lot of sequences. The method statement should state how you lift, where you put each load, and how you stop the roof from being overloaded. If you lift palletised sheets, is the pallet suitable to land on the deck or do you break it down on a landing bay and re stack on skids. If the purlins are light, do not drop a tonne in one bay. I have seen a ridge line move because someone stacked like it was a concrete floor.

Cranes and hoists need their own detail. Name the lift plan, the appointed person, and the exclusion. If you are using a goods hoist, write the loading sequence so the operator is not trying to read a contractor’s mind on a wet Tuesday. With MEWPs, do not overload the basket with rolls that block the gate. If you are lifting bitumen or LPG, cover hot works permits, bottle storage upright and chained, and fire watch. The Work at Height Regulations still apply on a hoist landing.

On the deck, set a laydown with distances from edges and rooflights. Store sealants and primers in trays so they do not tip and creep to the gutter. Put a waste plan in. Are you using a chute to a skip. If so, fence the landing zone and net scaffold lifts below. If you bag and lower, say who ties the bags, what knot they use, and how many you lower per minute. People rush at 3 pm and that is when bags split.

Manual handling is not an afterthought. Long sheets in wind are nasty. The method statement should say the team size for each sheet length, the carry route, and where you set the sheet down if a gust hits. If you are cutting cement board, write how you will dampen, how you will collect dust, and who is on face fit tested RPE if it is not avoided. I can smell the cut board on a still day, and I will ask where the dust went.

Weather limits, stop rules and permits

Weather is not a surprise. The method statement must name the weather conditions that stop work. HSG33 expects you to plan for wind, rain, ice and lightning. The Work at Height Regulations say consider weather when organising and planning. I do not need a number for every product, but I need a rule. No sheeting in gusts that make control unsafe. No torch on when rain is blowing under the flame. No access on ice until the access is gritted and signed off.

Talk about adhesives and primers. Many fail if the deck is cold or damp. Name the minimum substrate temperature and the cure time from the manufacturer’s data. Put in a simple test, like a digital thermometer and a moisture reading method. If the job is coastal or exposed, say what you do differently. If lightning is forecast, stop and clear the roof. I have seen aluminium angle ping in a storm and I do not want anyone up there when it does.

Permits help hold the line. If you work near skylights, use a fragile roof permit. If you are hot working, use a hot works permit and record the fire watch after. If you use a MEWP, record your pre use check and wind reading. A permit is not a magic ticket. It is a reason to stop and think before you commit to the deck.

The daily sequence and coming down safe

Here is the sequence I sign off. Pre start: supervisor checks the scaffold tag or edge system, MEWP, ladders and stairs. Openings are covered or guarded. Fragile areas are marked. Rescue kit is on the roof. Weather is checked and recorded. Brief the team. Then move materials up in a controlled batch. Set a laydown clear of edges and rooflights. Start the strip or install in lanes with a defined leading edge and fix temporary until permanent fixings catch up.

Mid shift: keep the deck tidy, review the weather at lunch, and keep the exclusion zones clean below. If the wind builds or the rain wins, call it. Late shift is where jobs go bad. Your method statement should say how you finish a lane weather tight, how you tie off loose ends, and how you come down. Count tools. Count gas. Make the roof safe to leave. Edge protection stays. Holes stay covered. Nothing that can blow sits loose near a parapet.

At handover, record the state you leave the roof in and who holds the keys or permits. If you have an area where you must not tread the next morning because of wet mastic or adhesive, mark it. The principal contractor wants confidence that if the wind wakes up at 2 am, your work is not going to travel. The Work at Height Regulations expect inspection after events likely to affect safety, so write that trigger in too. If a storm hits, re inspect before anyone goes up.

Questions we get asked

What should a roof work method statement include?

Set out the sequence: access and egress, edge and opening protection, material lifting and laydown, fragile surface controls, weather limits and stop rules, the daily work stages, waste removal, and end of shift state. Align with HSG33 Health and safety in roof work and the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and include rescue arrangements.

Do I need edge protection before starting roof work?

Yes. HSG33 is clear that edges and openings must be protected before roof work starts, and the Work at Height Regulations prioritise preventing falls over mitigating them. Only where guardrails are not reasonably practicable should you move to nets, restraint or arrest, with a working rescue plan.

How do I set weather limits for roofing?

Use manufacturer data for adhesives, primers and membranes, then write simple site rules for wind, rain, ice and lightning. HSG33 expects you to plan for adverse weather and the Work at Height Regulations require weather to be considered in planning. Record checks and be ready to stop if conditions turn.

What does a principal contractor look for in roofing RAMS?

I check access and egress, perimeter and opening protection, how materials get up and down, weather limits, fragile surface controls, waste out and the end of shift state. I look for who inspects what, when, and how rescue will be carried out. If the method statement matches the drawings and the kit on order, it gets signed.

Are rooflights always classed as fragile?

Treat rooflights as fragile unless you have solid evidence to the contrary. HSG33 advises that rooflights and old sheets should be treated as fragile until they are assessed and protected. Guard, cover or net them before work starts in that area.

The short version

A good roof work method statement reads like a clear sequence: the way in, the way up, protection on before work, how you load and lay down, weather limits that hold on a wet Tuesday, and the way you come down safe every time. HSG33 and the Work at Height Regulations back that approach.

Write the real job: edges and openings guarded first, fragile zones marked, materials lifted to a plan, and stop rules that everyone understands. If it matches the drawings and kit on order, the principal contractor can sign and you can build without surprises.