Health, safety and wellbeing for Roofing Material Makers: coil lifts, sharp edges and roof work
Coils are heavy, sheet edges cut and roofs are high. A roofing plant's safety work starts with who may lift, how sheets are carried and what is said before a team climbs.
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A roofing plant combines three hazards. Coils weigh a lot and are moved by cranes and slings. Sheet edges cut hands when stacked and carried without gloves. Installers work at height on roofs that may be wet, fragile or crowded. A casual hand moves a coil because the crane operator is at lunch. A bundle is carried by two people with no gloves. An installer steps on a roof panel nobody checked. None of it is clever, and all of it repeats.
Good practice has three parts. A written lift list names who may use the crane and slings, and slings are checked by a named person. Handling rules cover gloves, carrying and stacking, with the kit given free and replaced on request. For roof work, a pre-start talk covers access, edge protection and who is the lead, and a team does not go up without the kit. Staff are asked about cuts, back strain and heat.
How to set it up
1. List who may lift
Write the names of crane and sling users. Hang the list at the crane. Add a daily check of slings by a named person.
2. Set handling rules
Gloves, carrying in pairs for long sheets, no stacking above a set height. Give the kit and replace it on request.
3. Run a five minute roof talk
Before each roof job the lead covers access, edge protection, fragile areas and who stays below. Tick it on a card and keep the card.
4. Record cuts and near misses
Place a book at the line. Note cuts, dropped sheets and near misses in one line each. Read weekly with the supervisors.
5. Look after the body
Ask staff about back strain, cuts and heat on the roof. See health, safety and wellbeing. Adjust rest breaks, water and loads where you can.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- List who is authorised to handle and lift coils.
- Count injuries and cuts recorded in the last quarter, or note if there is no record.
- Ask an installer what they are told before they climb a roof.
- Check the last sling inspection and who did it.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach health, safety and wellbeing in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Name who may lift, check slings daily, keep people clear of the load and brief casual hands before they go near the crane. These steps are cheap and catch most habits that cause trouble.
Where the access is, where edge protection is, which areas are fragile, who leads and who stays below. They should also have the right kit. If any of these is missing, the job waits.
Give gloves that fit and replace them freely, carry long sheets in pairs and stack at a sensible height. Note cuts in a book and look at where they happen. Often a single bottleneck causes most of them.