Skylight Maintenance Safety: Working at Height and Roof Risk Management

Maintaining skylights often requires roof access and working at height, both of which pose significant risks to employees. Whether cleaning or repairing skylights, it is essential to identify potential hazards and implement effective control measures to ensure worker safety and compliance with UK health and safety regulations.

Working at Height on Roofs

Routine tasks such as skylight cleaning may be carried out by in-house teams rather than specialist contractors. However, working on a roof is a high-risk activity. One of the most serious dangers is falling from height.

Hazards such as unprotected roof edges, fragile surfaces and uneven roof structures can quickly turn a simple maintenance task into a dangerous operation. This highlights the need for careful planning, supervision and control when managing working at height activities.

Skylight Hazards and Risks

Skylights are designed to introduce natural light into buildings, but they also present a hidden risk. They can be easily mistaken for solid, load-bearing surfaces.

Workers may unintentionally step onto a skylight without recognising the danger. Skylights are not designed to support the weight of an adult, and their structural integrity may deteriorate over time, making them increasingly brittle.

When preparing risk assessments and safe systems of work, employees must never be permitted to place their full body weight on a skylight.

Preventing Falls Through Skylights

According to the HSE, one in five fatal falls from height involves skylights. This statistic reinforces the importance of training, awareness and robust safety controls.

Where roof access is unavoidable, employers must implement appropriate fall prevention measures, including:

• Installing secure covers over skylights
• Using safety nets beneath roof surfaces
• Fitting durable mesh above or below skylights as a permanent safeguard
• Providing personal fall arrest systems, such as harnesses secured to fixed anchor points
• Clearly marking and identifying all skylights
• Conducting regular inspections to identify and address risks
• Using drones, where practicable, to minimise time spent working at height
• Providing appropriate PPE, including helmets and non-slip footwear
• Monitoring weather conditions and avoiding work during wind, rain, or poor visibility

Safe Systems of Work and Permit to Work

All work involving skylights should be properly planned, with specific consideration given to fragile surfaces. A Permit to Work system should be implemented before work begins to ensure hazards are clearly communicated and understood.

This system also establishes clear expectations for how tasks must be carried out safely and ensures that control measures are consistently followed.

Avoiding Lone Working on Roofs

Lone working should never be permitted when working at height on a roof. Even for small maintenance tasks, a second competent person must be present to respond in the event of an emergency.

Skylight Maintenance Safety: Key Takeaways

Maintaining skylights safely requires a combination of planning, training and appropriate safety measures. Workers must be equipped with the knowledge, skills and equipment needed to manage risks, particularly the danger of falling through fragile surfaces.

If you require advice on working at height or skylight safety, please contact us!