Lifting equipment onto roofs

Issues and risks

Manually lifting equipment, such as air conditioners and extractor fans, to be mounted on a roof can be dangerous.

Employees can be injured in the following ways.

• Overbalancing and falling off the roof or ladder.
• Being struck by falling objects.
• Incorrectly lifting or handling loads that are unstable, unbalanced or hard to hold/grasp can result in a musculoskeletal disorder.

Other persons nearby can also be struck by falling objects.

Solution

The risk of injury can be eliminated or reduced by using mechanical aids to help lift equipment onto roofs. Mechanical aids can include:

• ladder hoists
• portable lifting devices, such as a scissor lift
• mobile cranes.

The work area should be barricaded to stop people from accessing the area.

Mechanical aids need to be installed, used and maintained in line with the manufacturer’s or supplier’s instructions.

Employees must be provided with necessary training and supervision when using mechanical aids. If a licence is required, only licensed employees may use that equipment.