Roofing health & safety · 12 October 2026
Fragile Roofing: WorkSafe Case Highlights the Cost of Missing Fall Protection
A roof repair can look straightforward from the ground. Up on the roof, one clear light panel can turn an ordinary working day into a life-changing injury.
WorkSafe New Zealand’s October 2026 release describes a Hauraki worker falling about 7.1 metres through a clear light panel and fracturing several vertebrae. Professional Trade Services NZ Limited pleaded guilty to a Health and Safety at Work Act charge and was sentenced in Waihi.
The investigation identified gaps in hazard assessment, planning, supervision and worker competence. Training had been postponed until after the labourer’s 90-day trial period, with course availability over the holiday shutdown also contributing to the delay.
For roofing and maintenance businesses, the lesson is immediate: make sure the work can be done safely before sending someone onto the roof.
Fragile roofing needs its own controls
Clear light panels and skylights must be treated as fall-through hazards. Weathered sheets and other roof materials may also be fragile. A roof’s appearance does not establish that it can support a person.
Edge protection around the building does not, by itself, stop someone falling through a panel in the middle of the roof. The assessment must cover both the perimeter and the roof surface, including the route workers will use to reach the job.
Before access, have a competent person assess the roof, identify fragile areas and decide how people will be kept safe. Never test a suspect panel by standing on it.
Plan the work before setting foot on the roof
Start by asking whether the task can be completed from the ground, from below or from a suitable work platform. Where roof access remains necessary, select protection for the actual task and building.
- Identify fragile panels, openings and unprotected edges.
- Provide a safe access route and suitable working platform.
- Use suitable physical protection to prevent falls through fragile areas.
- Have competent specialists select and install the required systems.
- Keep people below clear of falling tools and materials.
- Set weather limits and check conditions as the job progresses.
Depending on the site, controls may include scaffolding, mobile elevating work platforms, protected walkways, suitable covers or guardrails, and properly designed safety nets. Their suitability needs checking for the particular roof and work.
Signs and warning tape can help identify a hazard, but they do not support a worker who steps onto a fragile panel.
A trial period is still a working day
Putting a worker on trial does not make a hazardous task safe. If a course is unavailable, the employer needs to change the work arrangements rather than assume the worker can manage until training becomes available.
Before assigning roof work, check what the worker can actually do safely. That means task-specific instruction, appropriate training, demonstrated competence and supervision matched to their experience and the risks.
A course certificate is useful evidence. It still needs to be backed by an understanding of this roof, this equipment and this day’s work. New workers need a clear person to turn to when something looks wrong.
A harness needs a complete system
A harness on its own does not resolve the risk. Any harness system needs competent selection, suitable anchorage, compatible equipment and a check of the possible fall path.
Where fall arrest is used, there must be sufficient clearance and a workable rescue plan. A rescue arrangement should identify trained people, equipment and how they will reach the casualty. Calling emergency services should not be the entire plan.
Prefer controls that prevent a fall where reasonably practicable. If the agreed protection is missing, damaged or unsuitable, stop and resolve it before work continues.
WorkSafe’s construction focus: check your arrangements now
In the release, WorkSafe announced a three-month focus on residential construction sites and how businesses are managing falls from height. Contractors should use this as a prompt to review their arrangements before the next roof job.
Ask your supervisor and crew:
- Where could someone fall off or through this roof?
- What physical controls are in place, and who checked them?
- Does every worker understand the safe access route and restricted areas?
- Who is competent to do the work, and who needs closer supervision?
- What will make us stop, and how would we rescue someone?
Record the answers in the site plan and briefing. Then check that the arrangements described on paper exist where the work is happening.
How Auditsure can help roofing and maintenance contractors
Auditsure Ltd is a Māori-owned health and safety consultancy supporting businesses with practical risk management. For roofing contractors, builders and property maintenance businesses in Auckland and Waikato, we can help with:
- Site safety audits: review work-at-height arrangements, identify gaps and set clear corrective actions.
- Critical risk assessments: identify serious fall scenarios, the controls needed and who will verify them.
- Site-Specific Safety Plans: develop or review the plan for access, fragile roofing, supervision, emergency response and other trades.
- Competency reviews: check training records and task allocation, and identify further training or assessment needs.
- Contractor coordination: help businesses agree responsibilities for scaffolding, fall protection, roof access and changing site conditions.
- Toolbox discussions: help crews talk through the hazards and understand when to stop work.
Auditsure can help organise the assessment and follow-up. Specialist design, installation and certification of fall protection systems must be carried out by appropriately competent providers. Each business retains its own health and safety duties.
Our approach also draws on Te Whare Tapa Whā: protecting a worker’s physical health, confidence and wellbeing, and recognising the impact a serious injury has on whānau. Workers should feel able to raise concerns and stop when the controls are not right.
Get the roof safety plan checked before the next job
If you are unsure whether your roof work risk assessment or SSSP matches the job, talk to John Kerr at Auditsure. We can help you identify the gaps and prioritise practical improvements.
Send Auditsure an enquiry or email safety1stconsultants@gmail.com.
Sources and further reading
Case details: WorkSafe NZ news release supplied for this article, also republished on 12 October 2026 by The National Tribune. The practical recommendations above are Auditsure’s commentary.