Skylights, roof lanterns, roof access hatches and other roof openings are among the most consistent hazards on completed buildings for anyone required to access the roof. The opening looks intact from above. The glazing may appear to be walkable. In practice, unless specifically designed for it, standard glazing will not support the weight of a person, and falls through skylights are a recognised category of construction accident that continues to occur regularly.
HSE data on falls from height includes a specific category for falls through fragile roof surfaces, of which skylights form a large proportion. The remedy is not complicated. Every roof opening needs to be either physically protected against foot traffic or specifically designed and marked to accept it. Where neither is true, the risk of a fall through the opening remains.
For construction sites where roof openings are being installed, the standard temporary provision is protective covers or edge fencing around the opening during the construction phase, with permanent protective provisions installed before the building is handed over. Where these permanent provisions are missed, the risk transfers to whoever accesses the roof after handover.
The specification gap that most often produces incidents is between the roofing specification, which typically ends at the roof surface being watertight, and the fall protection specification, which typically focuses on scaffold edge protection during the construction phase. The permanent fall protection around roof openings sits in the space between these two specifications and is often not owned by any single trade or contract.
Red Safety Netting's engagement with developer clients on schemes involving significant skylights or roof openings includes the permanent fall protection specification as a discrete item. The choice between physical protection (removable grilles or fixed guardrails), designed walk-on glazing, or a combination is made at design stage rather than left to construction stage discovery.
There is a specific class of building where this issue is acute. Industrial and warehouse buildings often incorporate large skylights across substantial roof areas. The roof surface may appear continuous from above. The skylights are often not distinguishable from the roofing material without close inspection. Roof workers unfamiliar with the specific building may not know where the skylights are, and standard fall protection may be inadequate.
For industrial and warehouse buildings, the fall protection specification should include marking of the skylight positions from above (typically with high-visibility mesh or barriers), and the maintenance access strategy should treat skylights as physical hazards that require specific protection. Buildings without this provision produce ongoing risk that HSE and insurers will identify.
On residential schemes, roof lanterns and large skylights present a similar issue in a different context. A homeowner or maintenance worker accessing the roof for a specific task may not appreciate that walking across the skylight is dangerous. Physical protection (typically decorative guardrails around the skylight edge, or engineered walk-on glazing rated for maintenance access) is the solution. Signage alone is not adequate for domestic contexts.
Red Safety Netting's site inspection service on completed buildings often includes fall protection audit around roof openings. Where existing provisions are inadequate, remedial recommendations are provided with costed options. For property portfolios with recurring maintenance access requirements, this audit is often a cost-effective way to reduce the ongoing operational risk.
For developers, the practical advice is to treat roof openings as a specific fall protection item at design stage rather than as a routine roofing detail. The cost of doing this at design is minimal. The cost of not doing it emerges when a fall occurs on the completed building, at which point the developer's original design decisions come under scrutiny.
Talk to Red Safety Netting To discuss fall protection around skylights and roof openings on your scheme, contact Red Safety Netting on 01223 881667 or email enquiries@theglobegroup.co.uk.
