Published 30 May 2023
What are Roof Inspection Checklists?
Roof inspection checklists are forms and templates used by construction workers and safety officers to identify and document safety hazards when working on a roof. Its primary purpose is to take stock of present risks and hazards so they can be eradicated through the implementation of safety controls including safety training and approved PPEs.
Roof Inspection Checklist
This roof inspection checklist can be used by professional roof inspectors to assess whether a roof, ceiling, wall, and other roof features of a client’s property are in good condition. Use this roof inspection checklist template to improve the efficiency of roof inspections and provide roof inspection reports to your clients faster. Further, this roof inspection report template lets you:
- conduct roof safety inspections, offline or online;
- take and annotate photos through the SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor) app and produce a professional comprehensive roof inspection report in seconds;
- automatically generate roof inspection reports once an inspection is completed and turn on auto-share so inspection data is immediately sent to those who need it; and
- Allow digital sign-offs for faster approval of a roof inspection job.
Preview the accomplished residential roof inspection checklist in PDF form to see a sample of a roof inspection report.
Roof inspection checklists, also called roof safety inspections and roof inspection forms, are used on a regular, semi-regular, and as-needed basis. Regular roof inspections are performed on a set schedule, while ad hoc inspections are performed when there is a suspected hazard, after an incident, or due to a worker’s report.
In this article
- Roof Inspection Checklist: Top Benefits of Consistent Roof Safety Inspections
- How Do You Perform a Roof Inspection?
- Make Roof Work Safety Easier With a Mobile Solution
- Featured Roof Inspection Checklists
Roof Inspection Checklist: Top Benefits of Consistent Roof Safety Inspections
The construction industry in general is already considered one of the most dangerous industries to work in. Roofers, a sub-branch of construction workers, are currently ranked #4 in a recent list of the 10 most dangerous jobs in America based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The importance of roof safety inspections, however, extends beyond the physical safety and well-being of roof workers.
Here are the top benefits of performing consistent roof safety inspections:
Protect Worker Morale
Consistent roof safety inspections do more than just keep workers safe from physical injury. Lax safety measures and protocols on the part of employers hurt worker morale by failing to control work-related stress. Considering roofers are almost constantly under stress due to occupational hazards, consistent roof safety inspections protect worker morale by ensuring them that their safety is valued by their employer and that the proper measures are being taken to promote it. Training them to use a roof work safety checklist can help ensure that they comply with safety requirements before embarking on a roof inspection duty.
Improve and Maintain Brand Reputation
Incidents resulting in major worker injuries or fatalities are not only traumatizing to affected parties, they can also pose serious problems for your company’s reputation. A damaged brand reputation can cause both clients and workers to cut ties with your company, and dissuade roofers from being part of your firm—issues that can be avoided through diligent roof safety inspections.
Save Money
Worker injuries, fatalities, and OSHA Fall Protection violations cost money to resolve. Simply implementing a consistent roof safety inspection process can drastically lower the chances of these issues occurring. The use of inspection checklists can help your team of inspectors develop the needed consistency in performing roof inspections according to your working safety standards.
How Do You Perform a Roof Inspection?
According to InterNACHI’s Home Inspection Standards of Practice for roof inspection, here is the general standard procedure inspectors must adhere to:
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The inspector shall inspect from ground level or the eaves:
- the roof-covering materials
- the gutters;
- the downspouts;
- the vents, flashing, skylights, chimney, and other roof penetrations; and
- the general structure of the roof from the readily accessible panels, doors or stairs.
- The inspector shall also describe the type of roof-covering materials. Roof coverings are the first line of defense that are supposed to protect the structure underneath from water incursion and damage; thus, it is crucial that the right type of materials are used based on weather conditions in the location and the roofing system’s geometry and underlayment.
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In the roof inspection report, the inspector shall detail observed indications of active roof leaks.
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During the roof inspection, the inspector is not required to:
- walk on any roof surface.
- predict the service life expectancy.
- inspect underground downspout diverter drainage pipes.
- remove snow, ice, debris or other conditions that prohibit the observation of the roof surfaces.
- move insulation.
- inspect antennae, satellite dishes, lightning arresters, de-icing equipment, or similar attachments.
- walk on any roof areas that appear, in the inspector’s opinion, to be unsafe.
- walk on any roof areas if doing so might, in the inspector’s opinion, cause damage.
- perform a water test.
- warrant or certify the roof.
- confirm proper fastening or installation of any roof-covering material.
Roof inspectors can further refer to the manufacturer’s official installation guide to ensure that the most optimal requirements of the roofing system are met.
Inspectors can develop their roof inspection checklists according to these general requirements and customize them accordingly based on the varying features of different roofing systems.
Make Roof Work Safety Easier With a Mobile Solution
Protecting workers from avoidable hazards and prioritizing their safety is an employer’s responsibility. Traditional roof inspections are done manually through pen-and-paper inspections, making records susceptible to damage, loss, and unauthorized access.
With a versatile mobile app like SafetyCulture, you can perform roof safety inspections using a digital roof inspection checklist for a more practical and efficient safety initiative. Make safety a habit by using SafetyCulture, the best mobile inspection app.
- Download ready-to-use roof inspection checklists for free, convert existing paper checklists into a digital format, or create smart forms from scratch with SafetyCulture’s drag-and-drop template builder.
- Perform roof safety inspections even while offline and SafetyCulture will automatically save your audit data via unlimited and secure cloud storage once you connect to the internet;
- Take and annotate photos through the app to document evidence and create a more comprehensive roof safety inspection report.
- Automatically generate audit reports once an inspection is completed and turn on auto-share so inspection data is immediately sent to supervisors, managers, and other key stakeholders.
- Schedule recurring and ad hoc inspections to personnel and assign corrective actions so issues are resolved ASAP.
- Take advantage of advanced data analytics to spot trends and common failures so they can be corrected.
Featured Roof Inspection Checklists
Roofing Pre-Start Safety Inspection
Use this roof work safety checklist template before commencing work on a roof. Begin with describing and capturing photos of the work to be performed and workers on site. Check permits, weather conditions, roof safety equipment, signage and proper PPE before employees start work. Confirm workers have undergone training and are informed about communication protocols. Assess the condition of access, walkways and guard rails. Identify potential openings which could cause slips and fatal falls. Finally conclude the roof inspection report with an overall rating and recommendation if employees should proceed with work or not.
Roofing Risk Assessment Template
This roofing risk assessment template can be used to identify and prioritize high risk activities to be controlled. Capture details of the worksite, and use the risk matrix reference to identify the likelihood and consequence of hazards. Take as much photo evidence as possible and save all your reports automatically in the cloud for easy retrieval from your desktop.
Roofing Harness Checklist
This roof work safety checklist template to ensure that your harness is in good condition before use to reduce the risk of falling. Begin with providing a description about safety harness usage then attach a photo of it. Carefully inspect each part of the harness and its connections (snap hooks, lanyard and tie-off adaptors/anchorages). Make sure to check the label of each to identify the type of harness, model, manufacturing details, limitations and warnings. Complete the inspection by rating the overall condition and providing recommendations to improve safe
Roofing Work Safety Checklist - Toolbox Talk
Toolbox Talks are intended to facilitate health and safety discussions. This Roofing Work Safety Checklist - Toolbox Talk template can be used before employees start working on roof. Record all the necessary details, instructions, communication protocols and tasks to be performed by your team. Discuss the hazards associated with work for the day and follow up on previous unresolved hazards. Have all participating employees sign off on the SafetyCulture app. Browse for other toolbox talk templates
PPE Checklist
Choosing the right roof safety equipment can lessen the possibility of falling, slipping and tripping when working on roofs. Use this roof work safety checklist template to select the appropriate PPE by identifying hazards that may get in contact with body parts. Begin with describing the hazard, then select the suitable PPE, check the quality of PPE and take photo evidence. End the inspection by providing a summary and recommendation of the PPE being used.