Method Statement for Domestic Roofing — UK
By the Riskora Editorial Team · Last reviewed
Domestic roofing kills more sole traders and small-firm operatives than almost any other UK construction activity. HSE data has shown falls from height accounting for around a third of construction fatalities for over a decade, and short-duration domestic roof work is consistently over-represented because crews underestimate it — a half-day strip-and-felt is the same hazard as a week-long commercial replacement, with less time spent planning. A proper method statement matters because most domestic roofs don't get scaffold-tower protection: the controls are ladder discipline, edge-awareness, weather thresholds and material-handling sequence. This page covers what a UK domestic roofing method statement needs to contain to be accepted at induction and to hold up after an incident.
UK (RAMS) example document — Two-Storey Rear Extension — 14 Birchwood Lane, Reading. Client: Mr & Mrs A. Whitfield (Private Client). Site: 14 Birchwood Lane, Reading, RG1 5JT. Scope: Construction of a two-storey rear extension (6.4m × 4.2m) to an existing semi-detached dwelling. Works comprise breaking out of existing rear elevation, trench-fill foundations to 1.0m, traditional cavity blockwork to first floor, pre-stressed concrete lintels, timber roof structure with natural slate finish, plus alterations to existing rear wall to form structural opening with rolled steel joist (RSJ 203×102 UB23). Works programmed over 9 weeks with a peak site team of 6 operatives. Hazards assessed: Manual handling — blocks, lintels, plasterboard, Working at height — independent scaffold & roof structure, Buried services strike during excavation, Collapse of excavation / trench wall, Hand-arm vibration (HAVS) — breaking out, drilling, Silica dust — cutting blocks, brick, concrete, Vehicle/pedestrian segregation — narrow domestic street.
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When This Document Is Required
A method statement for domestic roofing is required wherever a contractor is undertaking work at height on a residential property under CDM 2015 Regulation 13 (plan, manage and monitor). The Work at Height Regulations 2005 Regulation 4 require employers to plan all work at height, and a written method statement is the standard way to evidence that planning. Domestic clients are exempt from most CDM duties — but the contractor is not. If you are the sole trader or the principal contractor on a domestic re-roof, repointing, ridge or chimney job, you are responsible for producing the method statement. Insurers, lenders requiring a re-roof for a mortgage offer, and any sub-let scaffolders will also expect it before mobilising. Where the job is over 30 working days or 500 person-days, a CDM F10 notification is also required.
What Must Be Included
- Scope: roof pitch, area in m², covering type (slate, concrete tile, clay, felt) and access route
- Access method: scaffold, edge protection, roof ladder, MEWP or extension ladder with a documented justification per WAHR Schedule 1
- Weather window and stop-work thresholds (typically Beaufort 6 / wind speed >38 mph, ice, lightning, heavy rain)
- Tile and slate handling sequence — strip, salvage, stack on lath-protected platforms, lower via chute or hoist (never thrown)
- Eaves, verge and ridge working sequence with edge-protection arrangements at each phase
- Public protection: skip exclusion zone, debris netting, signage and pedestrian rerouting if the property fronts a footway
- PPE schedule: Class 3 hi-vis, EN 397 helmet with chinstrap (helmets without straps fail when you bend over an eaves), safety boots with grip, harness/lanyard where the access plan calls for it
- Hot works controls if torch-on felt is in scope — fire watch duration, extinguisher position, neighbouring-property fire risk
- Reinstatement, debris removal, gutter clearance and final inspection sign-off
- Emergency arrangements: nearest A&E, rescue plan if a harness arrest occurs (suspension trauma window is ~15 minutes), client/occupant communication
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating a half-day re-felt as too short to warrant a written method statement — short-duration jobs are over-represented in fall fatalities precisely because crews skip planning
- Specifying an extension ladder as the work platform rather than as access only — ladders are for access and short-duration light work under WAHR Schedule 6, not as a working position for tile-stripping
- Throwing or sliding tiles into a skip rather than lowering — public-injury claims from dropped objects are a common domestic-roofing liability
- No edge protection at the eaves on the assumption that 'the gutter line is the limit' — a competent assessor will reject this immediately
- Missing the weather stop-work threshold so operatives stay on a wet, gusty roof past the point of safe working
- Omitting the rescue plan for harness use — leaving an arrested operative suspended for over the suspension-trauma window has been fatal in documented UK cases
Example Scenario
A two-person roofing crew in Leeds is quoted for a full strip-and-replace on a 1930s semi: 85m² of concrete interlocking tile, gable verges, a chimney to be re-flashed, and a shared party-wall eaves with the neighbouring property. The homeowner's insurer requires a method statement before releasing the deposit. Using Riskora, the lead roofer selects the Roofing preset, confirms pre-loaded hazards (fall from eaves, fall through fragile rooflight on the rear extension, manual handling of tile bundles, dropped tiles into the side passage, hot works during felt-and-flash, public interface on the front pavement), specifies scaffold with toe-boards and brick-guards to all elevations, sets the weather stop threshold and lowering chute for tile removal, and exports a 9-page PDF in 5 minutes. The insurer accepts on first submission and the scaffold is up the following Monday.
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