Roof work in NSW: safe access must last longer than the installation
A rooftop air-conditioning unit or solar array is not just an installation project. It creates a continuing need for people to inspect, clean, repair and eventually remove equipment. The safety question is therefore not simply, “How will the installer get up there?” It is, “How will every future worker reach and leave the work area safely?”
SafeWork NSW’s Work on roofs – commercial and industrial buildings code, published in May 2026 and commencing on 22 May 2026, addresses that whole-of-life responsibility. It replaced the 2009 commercial and industrial roofs code.
Check the scope before choosing the controls
The code covers commercial and industrial roof work, including roof coverings, roof-mounted equipment, access systems, inspections and maintenance. It is not the code for residential roofs, demolition, or construction of the roof’s supporting structure. Those activities require the relevant other guidance as well as the applicable law.
For a public-sector facility, correctional workplace or community organisation, the practical concern extends to people below and around the job. Staff, contractors, visitors and other occupants must not be exposed to falling tools, materials or uncontrolled work areas.
Start with design, not a harness
The first question is whether work at height can be eliminated. Where it cannot, work on a suitable solid construction and higher-order fall prevention measures take priority over systems that depend on each worker making the right adjustment every time.
The code distinguishes between a one-off task and regular access. Regular servicing of roof-mounted equipment should be supported by permanent access and fall-protection arrangements suited to that use. Temporary access used during construction is not automatically a satisfactory maintenance solution for the life of the building.
Installing new equipment can change loads, routes and the frequency of access. Have the existing safety arrangements reviewed rather than assuming an old anchor-point certificate covers the changed roof.
Protect against falls through the roof as well as over its edge
A roof can look continuous while containing fragile sheets, skylights, openings or deteriorated sections. Before work on an existing roof, the code calls for competent inspection of its structure, fragility, existing safety mesh and other hazards.
Roof safety mesh is not ordinarily a working platform. Its presence does not establish that it is still sound: deterioration, damage and the condition of its supporting members matter. Similarly, a protective cover over a skylight is not automatically a walkway.
Ask for an identified safe access route and work area, supported by the relevant inspection and design information. Do not ask an untrained worker to “have a quick look” on an unverified roof.
A harness is not a complete safety system
Fall prevention, work positioning and fall arrest are different. Fall arrest is intended to stop a fall after it starts; it does not prevent the initial fall. Its suitability depends on the complete system, including the structure, anchorage, available clearance, potential swing and rescue arrangements.
The code warns that fall arrest is typically unsuitable at roof edges because of clearance, excessive free-fall distances and potential damage to connecting equipment at the edge. Selection and design belong with competent specialists, not a generic purchasing checklist.
Where a fall-arrest system is used, emergency and rescue procedures must be established and tested, and relevant workers trained. The code says a worker should not use it unless another person on site can rescue them. Calling emergency services is not a substitute for planning a prompt, practicable rescue.
Roof hazards are not limited to falling
A roof-work plan should also address:
Electricity: overhead lines, installations and solar equipment. Switching off a main switch does not necessarily remove every source of electrical energy. Obtain competent electrical advice and the network operator’s requirements where relevant.
Asbestos: check the available register and relevant building information, identify suspect material and arrange competent assessment and properly authorised work. Do not disturb suspect roofing to find out what it is.
Radiofrequency transmitters: coordinate with the building manager and transmitter controller about site-specific exclusion zones and any necessary shutdown or power reduction.
Weather and physical demands: heat, wind, wet or slippery surfaces, fatigue, awkward postures and moving materials.
Isolation: someone can be isolated on the roof of a busy building. Effective communication, monitoring and an emergency response are still needed.
Signs, access permits and exclusion zones can support the system. They are not interchangeable with physical fall prevention where higher-order controls are reasonably practicable.
Before authorising the work
The organisation engaging the work and the contractors should consult, cooperate and coordinate. Workers and their health and safety representatives must be involved as required.
Ask who has confirmed roof condition and loading, who maintains the access system, how people below are protected, and who checks that controls remain effective as work changes. For high-risk construction work, a site-specific safe work method statement must be prepared before work starts. A document naming “harness and ladder” is not evidence that the actual site is controlled.
In a correctional setting, coordinate secure access and movements with the works team without compromising emergency access or rescue. This is a practical application of shared-site planning, not a separate rule imposed by the roofing code.
Current law and official document
This code refers to the WHS Regulation 2025. Since 1 July 2026, section 26A of the NSW WHS Act requires compliance with an applicable approved code, or another method providing an equivalent or higher standard of health and safety. Check current legislation and the complete code for the task; this article is an introductory guide, not an engineered access plan or legal advice.
Source checked 13 November 2026. Original commentary based on SafeWork NSW, Work on roofs – commercial and industrial buildings, May 2026, especially sections 1–7. Official document © State of New South Wales (SafeWork NSW), licensed CC BY 4.0 subject to its stated exclusions. An unaltered attributed copy may be displayed with its copyright notice retained; it is not an endorsement of this article.
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