The old roof is partly stripped when rain appears beyond the next ridge. Your roofer wet weather plan must tell the supervisor who calls the stop, what gets secured and when every tradie gets off the roof.
The call must come while the crew still has safe options. Not after the sheets start moving. Not after water reaches an opening.
Build the roofer wet weather plan before the job starts
Write the plan for the job in front of you. A tile repair on a low roof does not have the same shutdown problem as a partly stripped metal re-roof with open penetrations.
The roofer wet weather plan should sit with the work order, site safety documents and accepted scope. Give the supervisor a copy before mobilisation. Brief every person who may be sent onto the roof.
Set the stop-work authority
State that the supervisor makes the decisions to:
- hold the crew at the yard
- stop tradies from starting roof work at site
- stop roofing work when conditions change
- order a full roofing site shutdown
- approve the restart after inspection
Do not leave authority with somebody who is not at the site and cannot see the roof. The supervisor needs power to stop work without waiting for a customer, builder or office manager to agree.
No worker waits for permission to stop or withdraw from immediate danger. Tell every tradie how to report the condition once clear, and confirm jurisdiction-specific duties with the WHS regulator for the state or territory where the job is located.
Set triggers for this roof and this work method
Do not copy universal rain or wind limits into every job. Set start, stop and review triggers using the roof condition, access system, work method, equipment instructions and site safety controls.
Write observable triggers. These may include water reaching the work surface, temporary protection moving, visibility falling, loose materials becoming hard to control or the planned exit route becoming unsafe.
Separate a review trigger from a stop trigger. A forecast update may cause the supervisor to reassess the work stage. A dangerous condition calls for an immediate stop.
For workplace safety questions, use the regulator for the state or territory where the job is located. In NSW, ask SafeWork NSW (opens in a new tab) about workplace safety requirements. Use the equivalent WHS regulator when the job is elsewhere.
Plan how to protect the building without trapping the crew
List the openings that may be exposed during each work stage. Include removed roof covering, unfinished ridges, valleys, penetrations, junctions and wall interfaces.
Match temporary protection to the roof shape, drainage path, fixing method and expected conditions. Record where the protection will be stored and how the crew can reach it before the work area becomes unsafe.
Temporary weatherproofing does not outrank worker safety. If the roof cannot be secured safely, withdraw the crew and record the exposed condition from a safe position.
Check the forecast, roof and work stage before sending the crew up
The yard forecast does not replace what the supervisor sees at the site and on the roof.
Use the same roofer weather checklist at each check. That makes a changed decision easier to explain later.
Check conditions before leaving the yard
Record the forecast source, check time, issue time, forecast district, current warnings, conditions expected during the work window and next scheduled review. Use the Bureau of Meteorology (opens in a new tab) for official Australian forecasts and warnings, and name the person who made the decision to leave the yard.
Confirm that the vehicle carries the planned temporary covers, fixings, restraints and water-control materials. Check that the crew knows which work stage can be completed before the next review.
Inspect the site before stripping starts
Look at the roof surface, access equipment, edges, ground conditions and area below. Record the conditions actually observed. Keep those observations separate from the forecast.
Mark the work stage that will leave the building exposed. Estimate the sequence needed to stop roofing work, protect openings and withdraw. Do not strip more covering than the crew can manage under the job plan.
Check where sheeting, underlay, fixings, tools and waste will sit. Loose material spread across the roof becomes a shutdown problem when wind and rain arrive together.
Confirm communication and withdrawal
Tell the crew how the stop call will be given. Confirm who accounts for the crew and who contacts the customer or builder.
Keep an exit route available while work is open. Do not stack materials across it or move access equipment without telling the supervisor.
Record the pre-start decision against the job. A dated work order helps connect the planned work, assigned crew and site notes; use the work order template if your current job sheet lacks those fields.
Make the stop decision while safe options remain
Watch the site, not just the forecast. Conditions can change first at the roof edge, around temporary covers or underfoot.
Compare the live condition with the written triggers and the work method. If the trigger has been reached, make the call. Do not stretch production to finish one more run or remove one more section.
Stop roofing work before assigning shutdown tasks
First, stop the planned roofing task. Account for the people on the roof and tell them the shutdown sequence.
Then decide which protection tasks can still be completed safely. Stopping roofing work and securing the building are separate decisions. A stop does not mean every tradie stays exposed while somebody tries to save the work.
If water reaches an opening or unfinished junction, record it from a safe position. Do not send a worker back across a wet or unstable surface just to obtain a close photograph or fit another cover.
Escalate when the site has moved outside the plan
Conditions may change faster than the planned shutdown can handle. A temporary cover may lift. Access may move. Water may enter an internal area.
Withdraw the crew under the site safety plan. Control the area below from a safe location. Contact emergency services when the situation requires them. Do not improvise roof access after the planned route has become unsafe.
Run the roofing site shutdown in a fixed order
Use a written order so the crew does not split into unplanned tasks. The sequence may change for the site, but people come before materials and finishes.
Stop, account for everyone and withdraw non-essential workers
Stop roofing work. Account for every person on the roof, on access equipment and in the area below.
Withdraw non-essential workers along the planned route. The supervisor then names the designated workers who may complete the safe shutdown tasks. Nobody else returns to the exposed area.
Secure only what designated workers can reach safely
Designated workers may protect openings, restrain loose materials and remove tools only while access, footing and the exit route remain safe. Fit temporary covers using the planned fixing method, roof shape and drainage path.
Do not create a water trap that sends runoff into another opening. Do not rely on loose weight where the planned method calls for restrained protection.
Remove or restrain sheets, underlay, fixings, tools, packaging and waste only where they can be reached safely. Do not ask a tradie to chase material that has already moved into an unsafe position.
Abandon protection if conditions worsen, then withdraw
If footing, access, visibility, protection or the exit route gets worse, abandon the remaining shutdown tasks. Do not send another worker up and do not wait for the building to become watertight.
Withdraw the designated workers. Complete a final headcount from the safe assembly point and record any opening, material or tool left unsecured.
Tell the customer or builder what can be observed without claiming that hidden areas are dry or undamaged. Clear the area below when loose material or water presents a hazard.
Control internal areas and affected equipment
Check accessible internal areas below exposed roof sections. Move people away from water entry and protect contents where that can be done safely.
Isolate and label affected tools, leads and electrical equipment. Have them checked by the person authorised or competent under the site procedure and local requirements before anybody uses them again.
Photograph from safe positions
Take wide photographs that show the work stage, exposed sections, temporary protection, stored materials and area below. Add close photographs only when they can be taken safely.
Record the direction of each photograph in the note. A picture of wet underlay means little if nobody can tell which roof section it shows.
Keep roof weather delay records that explain the decision
The record must show what happened, when it happened and why the supervisor made the call. It is not just a line saying rain delay.
Record forecast information separately from observed conditions. The forecast explains what the crew knew beforehand. Site observations explain the actual decision.
Record the event against the job
Include:
- job and site
- date and time
- supervisor and decision-maker
- forecast source, issue time and check time
- forecast district and current warnings
- conditions observed at the site
- roof and access condition
- work stage when roofing stopped
- exposed openings
- shutdown actions completed
- initial and final headcounts
- photographs and notes attached
- customer or builder notification
- next review time
Keep the entries factual. Write that water was seen below an unfinished junction. Do not write that the whole ceiling is damaged unless it has been inspected and that statement is supported.
For a practical method of keeping dated notes, photographs and site decisions together, use the builder site diary process. Apply the same discipline to the roofing job.
Separate each type of time and work
Split ordinary production labour from shutdown work, temporary protection, damage inspection and remobilisation. Record materials used for protection separately from materials installed as part of the accepted roof scope.
This does not mean every recorded item can be charged. It gives you the facts needed to read the accepted quote or contract and decide what comes next.
Use this copy-ready field document on the next job:
ROOF WET WEATHER RECORD Job and site: [job number, customer and address] Supervisor: [name] Stop-work authority: [name or role] Forecast checked: [source, check time and issue time] Forecast district: [district] Current warnings: [warning or none shown] Next forecast review: [time] Conditions observed: [site observations] Roof and access condition: [condition] Current work stage: [work underway] Exposed openings: [location and condition] Temporary protection available: [items and location] Loose materials and tools: [condition and action] Decision: [start, stop, shutdown or continue with review] Decision time: [time] Reason: [observed trigger] Initial headcount: [names or count] Designated shutdown workers: [names] Shutdown actions: [work completed safely] Unfinished protection: [location and reason] Final headcount: [names or count] Customer or builder notified: [person, time and method] Photographs attached: [file references] Next site review: [time] RESTART Access and roof inspected: [findings] Temporary covers checked: [findings] Materials and equipment checked: [findings] Water entry or damage found: [findings] Work method and safety documents reviewed: [yes, no or not required] Revised work sequence: [next work stage] Restart approved by: [name, date and time] Customer update sent: [time and method]
Deal with the programme of works and price without guessing
A weather delay does not automatically change the accepted price. It also does not automatically give either party a particular contract entitlement.
Read the accepted quote or contract before promising a new completion date, charging for remobilisation or billing for additional protection. Check the stated assumptions, exclusions, delay terms and approved scope.
Separate the delay record from a variation
The delay record proves what happened on site. A variation records an agreed change to the work or price. Do not turn one into the other after the work is done.
If the customer requests extra protection, repairs or changed materials outside the accepted scope, describe the added work. Price the labour, materials and markup. Get approval before proceeding when it is safe and practical to wait.
Use the guide to writing a clear quote to state weather assumptions, temporary protection and exclusions before the job starts. Do not bury them in a vague note.
The Oak Street house example is electrical, but the document rule is the same. Quote Q-1847 for R. Chen at 14 Oak Street was 1,105 sample currency units. Extra cable and chasing were approved on site as a 160 variation, so invoice INV-1847 was 1,265. The approved scope change altered the invoice; merely recording a weather delay would not do that.
Do not use those figures as Australian rates. They only show the difference between a site record and approved extra work.
Check contract questions with the correct regulator
Ask the licensing regulator for the state or territory where the job is located which licence class covers the roofing work and what home building contract rules apply to that job.
For a NSW job, use NSW Fair Trading (opens in a new tab) for trade licensing and home building contract questions. Use the equivalent state or territory licensing regulator for work elsewhere. Do not guess from an old contract or a job completed in another jurisdiction.
Inspect the shutdown before approving the restart
Rain stopping is not restart approval. Wind and water may have changed the access equipment, temporary covers, roof surface, stored materials and area below.
Treat restart as a fresh site decision. The person named in the plan should inspect the job before the crew returns to production.
Recheck access and the work surface
Inspect the approach to the work area, access equipment, edges, roof surface and exit route. Look for movement, water, contamination and material that has shifted.
Check temporary covers and restraints before removing or working beside them. Inspect the drainage path and the area below for water that may still be moving through the building.
Inspect materials and tools
Check stored sheets, battens, underlay, fixings and other materials for movement, wetting or damage. Set aside anything that no longer matches the work method or product instructions.
Hold the restart when the work method has changed
Shifted access, failed temporary protection, water entry or a revised work sequence triggers a hold point. Review the work method and site safety documents before the supervisor approves the restart.
Write down who inspected the site, what changed and when work was approved to restart. If the sequence has changed, update the crew before anybody goes back up.
File the completed roofer wet weather plan, shutdown record, photographs and restart approval against the same job before roofing work resumes.