Do you have a comprehensive roofing pre-start inspection checklist? If not, here’s why you need one.
You’ve had a productive pre-start meeting, detailing all aspects of the job. Still, before you can start construction, you must have a sign-off on your roofing pre-start inspection.
A roofing pre-start checklist is a valuable tool that helps you carefully prepare for your inspection. The result? A smooth process that leads to quicker sign-off, along with jobsite and personnel that are ready for a safe construction phase.
As the job moves forward, the checklist acts like a guide. It helps you avoid problems, misunderstandings, delays, and extra costs.
Read on to find out how to prepare your roofing pre-start checklist.
Your roofing pre-start checklist protects you
Your roofing pre-start checklist will reflect all the areas discussed and mutually agreed upon in the pre-start stage. This includes all planning, risk assessment, material staging, labour coordination, site preparations and safety checks. The overall pre-start objective is to confirm site readiness. A key part of the planning is ensuring the safety of workers and building occupants.
The roofing pre-start inspection provides the contractor and the client with an opportunity to identify and resolve problem issues prior to construction. This lowers the risk of damages or injury.
It also reduces the risk of financial exposure and potential denial of insurance claims, fines or penalties for non-compliance with Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) laws, and reputational damage.
Your roofing pre-start inspection checklist
Each project is unique, but the roofing pre-start checklist items will typically apply to all commercial, industrial, and multi-residential projects. You can expect many sub-items within each of the main areas listed below.
1. General site conditions
Your roofing pre-start inspection checklist should include these three areas:
- Roof access: Roof access points, such as ladders, roof hatches, or staircases, must be operable and safe. This point may require innovative solutions when access is difficult, tenant-related issues exist (especially in multi-unit buildings) or other factors are involved.
- Site safety: First, identify and resolve known safety issues. Next, prepare a comprehensive safety plan to confirm that all safety procedures are in place, identify steps to mitigate site-specific hazards and verify that workers know the project’s safety procedures and protocols. The team will delay work until they correct the deficiencies and pass a follow-up inspection. Common safety issues include PPE, worker training and fall protection.
- Ground working area: This roofing pre-start checklist item can be hard in some situations. This is true for building sites that are hard to reach or have restricted access and cannot hold large equipment or provide safe ground storage and work staging areas.
2. Interior use of premises
When creating the roofing pre-start checklist, the project team must consider industry regulations, unique client needs, different levels of risk, the company’s equipment and/or inventory that may need protection, and other factors. All these elements must be reflected in the pre-start plan and checklist.
Case Study: The Four Seasons Toronto Hotel Call Centre
This call centre operates 24-hours a day. This issue adds to project complexity and calls for a highly organized pre-start checklist. Roof replacements typically cause some noise, odour, or other unpleasant effects. The landlord of this high-end boutique call centre demanded to do everything possible to keep workers from being disturbed by the roof replacement process. Also, the call centre needed to function as usual, without disruptions.
We developed solutions to these issues in the pre-start phase. Our checklist included the logistics associated with this project:
- Identify low-noise, low-odour repair methods
- Determine how to keep the call centre operational and running smoothly
- Develop a strict protocol to minimize disruptions
- Coordinate detailed schedules and logistics with vendors
We successfully completed the roof replacement, specifically building all the special factors into the pre-inspection checklist.
Find out more about this project.
3. Rooftop equipment
Plan for rooftop equipment you may need to dispose of, relocate, or disconnect and reinstall. You will need to plan for items like HVAC, antennas, other mechanical equipment and solar panels, as required.
4. Precautions
Ensuring worker comfort, injuries, illnesses, and productivity are top priorities. Plans and the roofing pre-start checklist must also protect building occupants from disruptions and prevent project-related health issues. The checklist should accommodate measures to reduce smells, noise, dust, fumes, water, vibrations and other issues.
A few common solutions are:
- Relocating or rescheduling workers temporarily shifting business hours,
- And providing portable heaters or noise-canceling barriers in partially affected zones.
5. Deck substrate issues
The roofing pre-start checklist must include steps to assess the condition of the existing roof deck substrate. This will help the team gauge the level of disruption and determine how to protect the building’s interior.
Checklist items should address substrate removal or painting – should this be required, the potential exposure to the interior, and what is directly under the work area.
6. Warranty
Thoughtfully choosing and thoroughly understanding your warranty is essential! The roofing pre-start checklist should ensure there is no deviation from the manufacturer’s warranty, which can result in the manufacturer invalidating or voiding your warranty.
The checklist’s materials, specifications, installation process, scope of work, documentation and other items should precisely align your warranty terms and conditions. See: What You Need to Know About Roofing Warranties (Part 1).
7. Scope of work
The Scope of Work (SOW) is vital for your roofing pre-start checklist. It ensures the contractor and landlord both have a clear understanding of the project’s objectives, tasks, deliverables and responsibilities. An SOW may also be required for insurance claims.
An SOW may contain hundreds of details, such as materials and labor, schedules, timelines, permits and much more. The SOW should also name the payment certifier. This is usually an architect or engineer. They are responsible for making sure payments are made correctly and follow the contract terms.
8. Tapered insulation
When plans call for tapered insulation, our tapered insulation supplier prepares shop drawings detailing the layout of the tapered panels to achieve the proper slope and drainage patterns. The roofing pre-start checklist should also include who is responsible for signing off on the drawings, such as the client, architect, engineer of record or general contractor.
9. Roof condition
The roofing pre-start checklist must include details for checking roof and substrate, where possible, for worker safety and the ability to preload the roof without triggering leaks. The roofing pre-start checklist must ensure that:
- The structure doesn’t show signs of substrate concerns
- Skylights, vents and openings are marked and protected
- The existing membrane or insulation aren’t damaged or defective
- There are no other telltale signs of a poor or unsafe roof
10. Fall protection
A recent analysis of fatal falls in Ontario found that 35% of fatal construction falls were attributed to roofing contractors, with common factors including a lack of worksite instruction, lack of training regarding falls, and either not wearing personal protective equipment or not wearing it improperly. The following solutions should be included in the roofing pre-start checklist:
- Remove or eliminate exposure to the fall hazard.
- Provide passive fall-protection measures such as guardrails around unprotected sides and edges and secured covers over penetrations and skylights.
- Plan for proper training, usage, and rescue plans for fall-restraint systems that use PPE (harness, lanyard and anchor point).
- Inspect the condition of harnesses and lanyards; accurately identify and secure anchorage points.
- Thoroughly train workers about fall protection equipment and procedures.
11. Ladders & roof access points
Thousands of Canadian workers face significant risks when accessing the roof using ladders, hatches and other entryways onto the roof. The roofing pre-start checklist must ensure that ladders are secured, used properly and are not defective. Other safety problems include inadequate training, poor maintenance, unstable surfaces or lack of fall protection.
Inspect and secure ladders properly. The checklist must also ensure that:
- Ladders extend at least three feet above the roof’s edge
- Ladders are placed at proper angles using the 4:1 rule
- Safety-related signs are placed in appropriate and visible locations
- Cages for propane storage and ladders are installed as required
- Fencing exists around disposal bins and other areas that may present a danger.
For more detailed information, check the guidelines for ladders from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.
12. Tools & equipment
Your roofing pre-start checklist must ensure that all tools and equipment are safe, adequate, available when needed, in good condition, free from defects and manufacturer-approved for the roofing system being installed. The long list of tools includes ladders, PPE, fall protection equipment, material handling equipment, specialty tools for roofing systems and temporary weather protection equipment.
Items requiring special consideration and care are power tools, electrical cords, gas-powered tools, hot kettles or torching equipment. Fire extinguishers must be available and accessible.
13. Materials & supplies
Identify your materials suppliers, prepare and cost your materials list. Make sure to properly stage and secure all materials, especially flammable items. Check your inventory to prevent shortages during the job. Finally, designate an area for waste disposal bins.
14. Safety & compliance
Safety has already been throughout the roofing pre-start checklist because it affects all aspects of the project and the people involved. The pre-start must also comply with construction and industry safety regulations. Following a comprehensive safety plan from the general contract, the roofing pre-start checklist covers procedures, equipment, installation processes, edge protection, permitting, identifying and mitigating site-specific hazards and more. Work will be delayed until any deficiencies are corrected and a follow-up inspection is passed.
Before construction begins, it is mandatory for the general contractor to:
- Post a Notice of Project (NOP) before starting construction.
- Prepare and make available WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) Safety Data Sheets (SDSs).
- Prepare an Emergency Information Sheet notifying work crews about the nearest hospital and emergency services.
15. Communication
Complex projects require that landlords, tenants, and subcontractors communicate effectively. The roofing inspection checklist should spell out clear communication protocols. For example, the project manager typically has primary responsibility for day-to-day communications.
A “chain of command” may be that the landlord communicates with the design team, which passes on appropriate information to the general contractor, who then provides directions to sub-contractors and suppliers. Questions and concerns are similarly passed up the chain, although communication may differ depending on the circumstances.
Your roofing inspection checklist leads to inspection sign-off
A detailed, highly organized pre-start checklist—with safety as a central component—can be your best friend as you prepare for your pre-start inspection. Once you pass your inspection, it can serve as a roadmap throughout the project until completion. The checklist also helps protect the landlord, roofing contractor, and workers, while avoiding potentially costly misunderstandings and delays along the way.
An experienced roofing contractor like Elite Roofing in Toronto has been through this process hundreds of times, making us a valuable roofing partner during pre-stage, construction, and beyond. Get the #EliteAdvantage.
