UK trade-and-hazard guidance by the Riskora Editorial Team
Roofing remains the highest-fatality activity in UK construction — the HSE's annual fatal-injuries data has shown falls from height as the leading killer for over a decade, and roof work accounts for the majority of those deaths. A working at height RAMS for a roofing contractor cannot rely on harness-and-lanyard alone: it must demonstrate that collective protection (edge protection, scaffolding, MEWPs, soft-landing systems) was considered first, that fragile materials were positively identified before access, and that a written rescue plan covers harness suspension trauma within the 15-minute clinical window.
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Work at Height Regulations 2005
Regulations 6, 7 and 8
Avoid work at height where reasonably practicable. Where unavoidable, use work equipment that prevents a fall (collective) before equipment that minimises distance/consequences (personal arrest). The hierarchy is mandatory, not advisory.
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
Regulation 13
The principal contractor must coordinate health and safety, including verifying that contractor RAMS reflect the actual roof structure, fragile elements and shared scaffold interfaces.
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regs 1992 (as amended 2022)
Regulation 4
PPE is the last resort. Roofing harnesses must be selected for the anchor available (mansafe vs single-point), inspected pre-use, and supported by a documented rescue plan.
Every UK RAMS reviewer applies the hierarchy of controls in the order below. Defaulting straight to PPE is the single most common reason a RAMS fails review.
1. Eliminate
Move plant, lighting and antenna installations to ground level for assembly where the design allows; pre-fabricate roof panels off-site and crane in as a complete assembly.
2. Substitute
Replace work from a leading edge with work from a fully boarded scaffold or MEWP basket. Substitute fragile rooflights with non-fragile alternatives during refurbishment scope where practicable.
3. Engineering controls
Edge-protected scaffolding, mansafe lifelines, soft-landing systems below fragile areas, perimeter handrails to working platforms, MEWP outreach.
4. Administrative controls
Permit-to-work for roof access, weather hold (Beaufort 6 / 39 mph stop), trained operative-only access, paired working — never a lone operative on a sloping or fragile roof.
5. PPE (last line)
Full body harness with shock-absorbing lanyard, helmet with chinstrap, slip-resistant boots, hi-vis. PPE supports — does not replace — collective measures.
RAMS that name personal fall arrest as the primary control without first documenting why collective protection (edge-protected scaffold, MEWP, netting) was not reasonably practicable. PCs trained to the WAH hierarchy will reject at first read.
An illustrative extract structured for principal-contractor review. Site-specific facts must be substituted and checked by a competent person.
Edge-protected scaffold to TG20:21 will be erected to all roof perimeters before any operative accesses the roof. Where scaffold cannot fully enclose the work area (e.g. valley gutters), a Latchways mansafe lifeline will be temporarily installed by a competent person and certified before use. Personal fall arrest will only be used as a back-up to collective protection. Wind speeds will be monitored hourly using a handheld anemometer and work will stop at sustained 25 mph or gusts of 32 mph (Beaufort 6).
Pre-shift toolbox talk covering wind forecast and roof condition. Daily scaffold tag check (Reg 12 inspection). Live photo log of edge protection at start of work. Operatives to confirm rescue plan competency (named rescuer present on site at all times work is in progress).
Do roofing contractors need a separate RAMS for each property?
Yes — under WAH Regs 2005 and CDM 2015, a RAMS must be site-specific. The hazards (roof type, pitch, fragile elements, neighbouring access) change per address, so a generic 'roofing RAMS' submitted across multiple sites will be rejected by most principal contractors and is unlikely to satisfy HSE in the event of an inspection.
Can roofers work alone on a domestic property?
Lone working on a sloping or fragile roof is not advised and most insurers exclude it. The WAH Regs do not strictly forbid it, but the rescue plan obligation is impossible to satisfy alone — if an operative arrests on a harness, suspension trauma can be fatal within 15 minutes.
What wind speed should roofers stop work at?
Most roofing contractors set a stop-work threshold of sustained Beaufort 6 (25 mph) or gusts of 32 mph. Tile work and sheet handling become uncontrollable above this, regardless of operative experience. The threshold should be written explicitly in the RAMS.
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