Roof Plumbing — Gutters, Downpipes SWMS
Roof plumbing involves the installation, repair and replacement of gutters, downpipes, flashings, roof sheeting, box gutters and rainwater systems. All roof plumbing work at a height greater than 2 me
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Roof plumbing installation covers the installation of roof drainage and roof coverings associated with the disposal of rainwater — roof sheeting and flashings, gutters, downpipes, rainwater heads, box gutters and the rainwater drainage that carries stormwater away. It is plumbing work carried out predominantly at height, so the dominant hazard is falls — from the roof edge, through fragile or skylit roof areas, and from ladders and access equipment — alongside the manual handling of sheeting and the weather exposure of roof work. This document is written on the basis that roof plumbing is carried out by a licensed roof plumber with fall-prevention controls appropriate to the roof, and that the roof drainage is designed and installed to carry the design rainfall.
Roof drainage is installed to AS/NZS 3500.3, the stormwater drainage part of the plumbing and drainage standard, which sets the requirements for gutters, downpipes, rainwater heads, box gutters and overflow provisions sized for the design rainfall intensity. Work at height on roofs is governed by the managing the risk of falls Code of Practice, and a risk of a person falling more than two metres is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS. The fall hazards of roof work — unprotected edges, fragile roofing and skylights, and access — are the defining risks. This document coordinates the fall-prevention, roof-drainage-design and manual-handling controls so the roof plumbing is installed without a fall.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Serious or fatal injury from a fall from height at the roof edge
Fall through a fragile or non-trafficable roof surface or opening
Fall injury during access to and from the roof
Water ingress and damage where gutters and downpipes cannot carry the design rainfall
Musculoskeletal and dropped-load injury handling materials on the roof
Heat stress, slips on wet roofs, and wind affecting materials and balance
Impact injury to workers and the public below from dropped objects
Electrocution where roof work is carried out near overhead electrical lines
Lacerations and eye injury from sheet edges and cutting swarf
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Engineering: provide fall prevention appropriate to the roof — perimeter edge protection or guardrails, roof-edge scaffolding, or a travel-restraint or fall-arrest system where edge protection is not practicable — to the managing the risk of falls Code of Practice.
- 2Engineering: protect or cover fragile roofing, skylights and roof openings, and provide safe access and walkways across non-trafficable areas so workers cannot fall through.
- 3Engineering: provide safe roof access — appropriately secured ladders, stair or platform access — rather than improvised access at height.
- 4Engineering: design and install the roof drainage to AS/NZS 3500.3 — gutters, downpipes, rainwater heads and box gutters sized for the design rainfall, with overflow provisions to prevent ingress into the building.
- 5Administrative: prepare a SWMS for the work at height high risk construction work where there is a risk of a person falling more than two metres, and brief the fall-prevention and access controls.
- 6Administrative: control dropped objects with edge protection, tool tethering and exclusion zones below, and monitor weather, ceasing roof work in unsafe wind, lightning or wet conditions.
- 7Engineering: identify overhead powerlines near the roof and maintain safe approach distances or arrange isolation, so workers and materials do not contact energised lines.
- 8Administrative: ensure the work is carried out and certified by an appropriately licensed plumber or gasfitter under the relevant state or territory plumbing and gasfitting licensing scheme, with a compliance certificate issued where required.
- 9Administrative: all workers must hold a valid White Card (General Construction Induction Training, CPCCWHS1001) before entering any construction workplace, with the plumbing, gasfitting and any confined space competencies and licences required for the work.
- 10Administrative: conduct a daily pre-start toolbox talk covering the day's work, identified hazards, isolations, required PPE and emergency procedures, and record attendance in the consultation section.
- 11Administrative: consult workers and any health and safety representatives on the work and its risks, record the consultation, and keep this document available at the workplace.
- 12PPE: eye protection to AS/NZS 1337.1, hearing protection where required, gloves appropriate to the task, and Class I or Class II safety footwear with protective toecap to AS/NZS 2210.3.
- 13Administrative: review and update this SWMS whenever the work scope changes, after any incident or near miss, when a worker or health and safety representative raises a concern, when new hazards are identified, or at minimum every 12 months.
Applicable Codes of Practice
The stormwater drainage standard for gutters, downpipes, rainwater heads, box gutters and overflow provisions sized for the design rainfall.
Fall-prevention controls for roof plumbing work at height, including edge protection, fragile-roof protection and access.
Selection and use of fall-arrest and travel-restraint systems where used for roof work.
The risk management process and hierarchy of controls applied to the hazards of the work.
Selection, fit testing and use of respiratory protection where dust, fumes or atmospheric hazards require it for the work.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Roof plumbing is carried out at height where a person could fall more than 2 metres from the roof edge, through fragile roofing, or from access equipment, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences.
This is licensed plumbing or gasfitting work that, in the circumstances described, is high risk construction work — where there is a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres — so a SWMS must be prepared before the work commences, kept readily accessible, reviewed as necessary, and given to the principal contractor if one is appointed. The work is carried out to the relevant AS/NZS 3500 plumbing and drainage standards and, where gas is involved, AS/NZS 5601.1:2022, which are called up by the state and territory plumbing and gas safety legislation, with the excavation, confined space or work-at-height controls applied as relevant. A failure in this work can cause serious injury or harm to the water supply or the public, and breaches of the plumbing and gas legislation and the primary duty of care under the model WHS Act are actively enforced, with offence categories running from failure-to-comply through to reckless conduct, and the most serious breaches carrying imprisonment for individuals. Body-corporate maxima are substantial and indexed; the current maximum follows the prevailing schedule of the responsible regulator.
Who this is for
- →Licensed roof plumbers installing roof drainage and roof coverings.
- →Roofing and roof-plumbing crews installing gutters, downpipes and flashings.
- →Plumbing businesses carrying out roof drainage and stormwater work at height.
- →Builders and PCBUs engaging roof plumbers for roof work.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the fall-prevention and roof-drainage controls.
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word document (.docx) fully compatible with Microsoft Word 2016 and newer, Google Docs, and LibreOffice Writer.
- ✓Title page with editable fields for PCBU name, ABN, site address, project name, principal contractor details, and document revision date.
- ✓Hazard register with the roof plumbing installation hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Roof drainage prompts referencing AS/NZS 3500.3, a fall-prevention and roof-access section referencing the managing the risk of falls Code of Practice, a fragile-roof and dropped-object control section, and a weather and powerline section.
- ✓Licensing and compliance-certificate prompts for the relevant plumbing and gasfitting scheme, and a respiratory protection selection and fit-test record per AS/NZS 1715 where relevant.
- ✓Worker consultation record per the model WHS Act consultation duty and a worker sign-on register (blank, expandable).
- ✓Applicable legislation and Codes of Practice schedule pre-populated for the model WHS jurisdiction with a state-variance reference table covering the harmonised states, plus Victoria.
- ✓Emergency procedure template and a revision log.
Worked example
A licensed roof plumber is engaged to install new box gutters, downpipes and rainwater heads on a commercial building, with some work near the roof edge and over a section of skylit roof. Because the work is at height with a risk of falling more than two metres, a SWMS is prepared and the work follows the managing the risk of falls Code of Practice. Perimeter edge protection is installed along the work area, the skylights and any fragile roof sections are covered and protected, and safe roof access is provided by secured platform access rather than improvised ladders. The roof drainage is designed and installed to AS/NZS 3500.3, with the box gutters, downpipes and rainwater heads sized for the design rainfall intensity and overflow provisions fitted so heavy rain cannot back up into the building. Dropped objects are controlled with edge protection, tool tethering and an exclusion zone below, and overhead powerlines near the roof are identified with safe approach distances maintained. Roof work ceases in unsafe wind, lightning or wet conditions. The roof plumber issues the compliance certificate and retains the records.
Related legislation
- Model Work Health and Safety Act — primary duty of care; the duty to consult workers; the reckless-conduct offence; and notifiable-incident provisions, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- Model Work Health and Safety Regulations — Section 291 high risk construction work and the SWMS preparation and review duties, and the excavation and confined space provisions where applicable, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- The relevant plumbing and drainage standards AS/NZS 3500 (Parts 0–5) and, for gas, AS/NZS 5601.1:2022, are called up by the state and territory plumbing and gas safety legislation, together with the requirements of the relevant network utility.
- Plumbing and gasfitting work is licensed under each state and territory's plumbing and gasfitting licensing scheme, with compliance certification required for notifiable work.
- Victoria operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, with the high risk construction work, excavation and confined space provisions applying in place of the model instruments.
Frequently asked questions
Why is roof plumbing high risk construction work?
Roof plumbing is carried out predominantly at height, where a person could fall more than two metres from the roof edge, through fragile roofing or skylights, or from access equipment. A risk of a person falling more than two metres is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS, and fall prevention is the defining control for the work.
What fall-prevention controls apply to roof work?
Fall prevention is matched to the roof: perimeter edge protection or guardrails, roof-edge scaffolding, or a travel-restraint or fall-arrest system where edge protection is not practicable, to the managing the risk of falls Code of Practice. Fragile roofing, skylights and openings are protected or covered, and safe access is provided rather than improvised ladder access.
How is roof drainage sized?
Roof drainage — gutters, downpipes, rainwater heads and box gutters — is designed and installed to AS/NZS 3500.3 sized for the design rainfall intensity, with overflow provisions so heavy rain cannot back up into the building. Box gutters in particular require careful sizing and overflow design because a failure discharges water into the building.
What about fragile roofs and skylights?
Fragile roofing, skylights and roof openings are a major fall hazard because a worker can fall through them. They are protected or covered, and safe walkways and access are provided across non-trafficable areas, so workers cannot step onto or fall through a fragile surface. This is a core part of the fall-prevention controls for roof work.
How are dropped objects and powerlines managed?
Dropped objects are controlled with edge protection, tool tethering and exclusion zones below the work, so tools and materials cannot fall onto people. Overhead powerlines near the roof are identified and safe approach distances maintained or the lines isolated, because contact with energised lines during roof work can be fatal.