Why Your High-Rise Roof Deserves the Same Protection as Your Home; A focus on Fire, Safety & Security
When people think about life safety in a high-rise, the focus is almost always inward: corridors, service rooms, suites, lobbies, and stairwells. Yet one of the most vulnerable areas in any high-rise is the roof. Often treated as a service space — accessible to contractors, left unsecured, or used without the same discipline applied to interior spaces — the roof is in fact a critical part of the building’s safety.
Treating the roof with the same care as an occupied suite can prevent incidents, protect residents, and reduce costly damage. Achieving this requires a holistic approach, connecting security, hot work management, contractual safeguards, electrical oversight, and regular inspections.
Security: Controlled Access is Non-Negotiable
Unsecured or loosely controlled roof access introduces unnecessary risk. Unauthorized entry — whether by residents, vendors, or trespassers — can lead to smoking, tampering with equipment, unsafe work practices, and even accidents or fatalities.
Leadership practice:
Restrict roof access to authorized personnel only, logging every visit by date, time, and purpose. Many progressive high-rises now integrate roof doors into electronic access systems used for amenities, creating auditable records to protect both residents and the building.
Conduct roof inspections at least once every 30 days. Document findings thoroughly, and include photographic evidence when possible, ideally using smart inspection technology.
Controlled access sets the foundation for safety. Once the roof is secure, the next key risk to address is hot work, which is one of the leading causes of rooftop fires.
Hot Work on the Roof: Owner-Authorized, Never Contractor-Authorized
Rooftop fires in high-rises are high-risk events with potentially severe consequences. Wind-driven flames and fire spread can impact multiple floors, and suppression efforts are often complicated when elevators are disabled by water infiltration, delaying access for firefighters and equipment.
The 2023 high-rise fire in Winnipeg, Canada, highlights how quickly a rooftop incident can escalate, causing significant water damage and system failures throughout the building.
Roofing and other rooftop projects frequently involve open flames, welding, or cutting — all high-risk ignition sources. Fires often result from the so-called “quick five-minute job” in areas not designed or prepared for hot work.
Obtaining a hot work permit is just one element of a comprehensive hot work management program, which should also include proper planning, supervision, fire watches, and post-work monitoring. The 2014 edition of NFPA 51B: Fire Prevention During Welding, Cutting, and Other Hot Work provides a foundation for these practices. Owners and managers who incorporate these principles into roof access policies and permit systems take an important step toward reducing the risk of catastrophic fire.
Leadership practice:
Communicate hot work requirements to all trades and service providers via the building’s up-to-date Fire Safety Plan.
Ensure hot work permits are specific, time-bound, and authorized only by the building owner or their representative.
Maintain a fire watch during work and for at least 60 minutes after completion.
With proper hot work management in place, the likelihood of rooftop fires decreases significantly, protecting both property and residents.
Contracts and Leases: Embedding Safety in Legal Agreements
Rooftops are frequently accessed by contractors for HVAC servicing, telecommunications, or other mechanical work. Unless leases and contracts clearly address roof access requirements, hot work, electrical safety, and general rooftop safety, liability can fall back on the owner.
Leadership practice:
Include fire safety, worker safety, and indemnification clauses in all contracts.
Require proof of insurance and safety training compliance as a precondition for access.
Consider using a rooftop access form for service providers, as recommended by Lash Condo Law, a leading Toronto condo law firm.
Many owners have learned these lessons the hard way — fires caused by rooftop contractors have triggered lawsuits. Owners with clear contractual safeguards successfully shifted liability, while those without incurred both financial and reputational losses.
Electrical Safety: Out of Sight, But Never Out of Mind
Roofs often conceal electrical equipment such as HVAC controls, solar panels, antennas, and lighting. Left unchecked, these systems can pose fire risks comparable to interior electrical hazards.
Research by FM Global demonstrated that photovoltaic panels can dramatically increase fire spread on roofs, underscoring the importance of proper installation and ongoing oversight for rooftop equipment.
Leadership practice:
Require licensed electricians for all rooftop electrical work.
Implement scheduled infrared (thermal) scans to identify overheating equipment before failures occur.
Consider fire-resistant panel materials and appropriate spacing for PV arrays to reduce potential fire propagation.
Proper electrical oversight complements controlled access and hot work management, forming another layer of proactive risk reduction.
Owner Oversight: Regular Inspections
Ultimately, the roof is part of the building envelope, and responsibility rests with ownership. Oversight should never be entirely delegated to contractors.
Leadership practice:
Incorporate monthly safety spot-checks as part of your ongoing internal inspection requirements, and annual roof inspections into the building’s safety program.
Document and track findings as rigorously as interior inspections, ideally including photographic evidence.
Canadian high-rises are adopting tools like Safe Buildings to simplify tracking, accountability, and documentation of photograghs — which makes up 50% of an effective safety and risk management program.
Regular oversight ensures that all safety measures — from access control to hot work management and electrical inspections — are maintained and effective.
The roof is more than a service space — it is a critical part of your life safety strategy. By approaching roof management thoughtfully, owners and boards can reduce risks, protect residents, and foster confidence in the building’s safety.
About National Life Safety Group
At National Life Safety Group, we help high-rise building owners and managers move beyond “minimum compliance” to create safety programs that protect people, assets and reputation.
Fire Engineering – Code Consulting – Emergency Management – Occupational Health & Safety – Physical Security