Fragile surfaces identified after someone stands on one
Translucent sheeting, aged fibre cement and corroded steel all look like roof. Identification and marking belong before access, not during.
Roofing JSA (NZ)
Fragile surfaces, edges on every side, wind that changes what a sheet weighs, and on any re-roof the real possibility that what you are removing contains asbestos.
⚖️HSWA + Asbestos Regs 2016
👷Reviewed by OH Professionals
✏️Editable .docx
NZD 99
Instant DownloadInstant download · Editable .docx
Roofing concentrates more serious-harm mechanisms into one task than almost any other trade. The fall risk is on every side and also through the surface, since New Zealand roof stock includes a great deal of material that will not hold a person. On re-roof work there is a second question that has to be answered before anything is lifted: whether the existing roof, its underlay or its flashing sealant contains asbestos. This JSA sequences both before the access method is even chosen.
Re-roof asbestos discovered mid-strip
Asbestos-containing roofing, underlay and sealants are present in New Zealand building stock. Identification or documented assumption is required before disturbance.
Wind treated as a comfort issue
A roofing sheet in wind is a sail attached to a person at height. The stop-work threshold has to be set and someone has to be named to enforce it.
Who this is for
- Roofing contractors
- New roof, re-roof, longrun, tile and membrane work.
- Builders doing their own roofing
- Residential new build and extension roofing.
- Maintenance and repair crews
- Leak repair, flashing and spouting work on unknown existing roofs.
- Solar installers
- Roof-mounted array installation combining fall, fragile-surface and electrical risk.
Where the roof is confirmed to contain asbestos, removal is separately regulated work and this JSA is not the document for it.
What's inside the template
Word — 15 pages (pre-populated JSA + surface survey + forms) · Formats: DOCX
- Section 1 — Task and scopeNew roof or re-roof, roof type, pitch, height, span, building age, occupancy and weather window.
- Section 2 — Hazardous materials check (re-roof)Asbestos in roofing sheet, underlay, flashing sealant and soffit — identified or assumed before any disturbance.asb 10
- Section 3 — Fragile surface surveyIdentification, marking and physical protection of every surface that will not bear a person.
- Section 4 — Access and edge protection decisionScaffold with edge protection, mesh or nets, EWP, or harness — ordered against the hierarchy with justification to move down.grwm 6
- Section 5 — Pre-populated step analysisSet up access, strip, inspect and repair substrate, underlay, install, flash, and clear down — each with hazards and controls drafted.grwm 5
- Section 6 — Material handling at heightLoading out, sheet stacking, securing against wind, and the sheet lengths that need mechanical handling.
- Section 7 — Wind and weatherStop-work thresholds for sheet handling, surface condition after rain or frost, and who is authorised to stop the work.
- Section 8 — Sharp edges and cuttingSheet edge lacerations, swarf, and hot metal fragments from abrasive cutting near membranes.
- Section 9 — Dropped objects and people belowExclusion zones, catch protection, and coordination with anyone working under the roof line.hswa 34
- Section 10 — Fall arrest and rescueWhere harness is used: anchor rating, clearance beneath the work, and the retrieval plan required before work starts.
- Section 11 — Skylights and penetrationsExisting openings and those created during the work.
- Section 12 — Notification checkWhether the work carries a risk of falling 5 metres or more, triggering 24 hours notice to WorkSafe.
- Section 13 — Pre-start and crew sign-onDaily weather assessment, surface condition, and crew changes.grwm 7
- Appendix A — Fragile surface registerLocation, material, protection method, installed by, checked.
- Appendix B — Roof access plan sketch sheetAccess point, exclusion zone, load-out area, anchor positions.
Compliance checklist
HSWA 2015 ss.30, 34, 36 · GRWM Regulations 2016 regs 5–7
A Job Safety Analysis is not a named statutory document in New Zealand — unlike an Australian SWMS, no regulation requires one by that name. Its weight comes from the duties it discharges, and from the fact that main contractors and prequalification schemes treat it as the expected evidence that a high-risk task was thought through before it started.
- GRWM reg 5Identify hazards that could give rise to reasonably foreseeable risks to health and safety→ Step-by-step breakdown — hazards identified against each step rather than for the task as a whole
- GRWM reg 6Eliminate risks so far as is reasonably practicable; otherwise minimise by substitution, isolation, engineering, then administrative controls, then PPE→ Control column — every control declares its hierarchy level
- GRWM reg 7Ensure control measures are effective and maintained so they remain effective→ Verification and pre-start review sections
- HSWA s36Primary duty of care — ensure health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable→ Residual risk assessment and the sign-on record
- HSWA s34Consult, cooperate and coordinate with other PCBUs where duties overlap→ Interfacing trades section — who else is affected by this task and how it is coordinated
How this template compares
The most common alternative in New Zealand is an Australian SWMS with the branding changed. It is worth being precise about why that is a problem.
Reviewed by OH Professionals
Written and reviewed by the occupational health and safety team at OH Consultant. These are drafted as New Zealand Job Safety Analyses, not as Australian SWMS with the terminology swapped. That distinction is substantive: a SWMS is an instrument created by Australian WHS regulation for high-risk construction work, with prescribed content and a statutory trigger. New Zealand has no equivalent provision, so a document presented as a "NZ SWMS" is citing a requirement that does not exist here.
Legislation referenced
- Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 30 — Management of risks ↗
- Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 34 — Duty of PCBUs to consult, cooperate, and coordinate ↗
- Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 36 — Primary duty of care ↗
- Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 — Regulation 5 — Duty to identify hazards ↗
- Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 — Regulation 6 — Hierarchy of control measures ↗
- Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 — Regulation 7 — Duty to maintain control measures ↗
- Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 — Regulation 10 — Identification ↗
Frequently asked
What counts as a fragile surface?+
Anything that will not reliably bear the weight of a person and any load they are carrying — translucent and fibreglass sheeting, aged fibre cement, corroded steel, some tile substrates, and skylights whether or not they look robust. Section 3 requires them identified, marked and physically protected before anyone accesses the roof, because they are not reliably distinguishable once you are on it.
Do I need to check for asbestos on a re-roof?+
Asbestos has to be identified or assumed before it is disturbed. On New Zealand building stock of a certain age, roofing sheet, underlay and flashing sealants are all candidate materials. Section 2 requires either identification or a documented assumption before the strip begins. If it is confirmed present, removal is separately regulated work and this JSA is not the document for it.
Why is wind given a stop-work threshold?+
Because a roofing sheet in wind behaves like a sail attached to whoever is holding it, and the force required to pull someone off balance at height is not large. Section 7 requires the threshold to be set for the specific sheet lengths in use and names the person authorised to call the stop, so the decision is not left to whoever is furthest behind schedule.
Is harness enough for roof work?+
It is the lowest of the options and needs justifying. Edge protection and safety mesh protect everyone on the roof regardless of what they are wearing or clipped to; a harness protects one person if the anchor holds, the clearance beneath is sufficient, and they can be retrieved quickly. Section 4 requires the reason for not using a higher control to be written down.
Is a JSA the same as a SWMS?+
In substance they do the same job — break a task into steps and assign hazards and controls to each. In law they are not the same. A SWMS is an Australian instrument required by Australian WHS regulation for high-risk construction work, with prescribed content. New Zealand has no equivalent provision, which is why the NZ convention is Job Safety Analysis or Task Analysis. If a supplier is selling you a "New Zealand SWMS", they are selling you an Australian document.
Is a JSA legally required in New Zealand?+
Not by name. What is required is that you identify hazards under GRWM Regulation 5, apply controls in the hierarchy order under Regulation 6, and keep them effective under Regulation 7. A JSA is how those duties are discharged at task level, and main contractors and prequalification schemes ask for it as a matter of course.
How does this relate to my SSSP?+
The SSSP is the project-level plan covering how health and safety is managed across the whole site. Job Safety Analyses sit underneath it — one per higher-risk task. On a typical job you have one SSSP and several JSAs, and the SSSP indexes them.
Who should complete and sign it?+
Someone competent in the work, with the crew who will actually do the task involved in developing it rather than handed a finished document. The sign-on section records that involvement, which is the part that distinguishes a JSA that was used from one that was filed.
How often does it need reviewing?+
Before each use, at minimum as a pre-start check for anything that has changed — different site conditions, different plant, different crew, weather. The pre-start section exists for that. A full review is warranted after any incident involving the task, or when the method or equipment changes.
Can I edit it for my business?+
Yes — it ships as an editable .docx with a single-buyer licence covering use across your own business and its projects. It is a starting point that reflects standard practice for the task, not a substitute for assessing the specific job in front of you. It is not licensed for resale or redistribution as your own template product.