Integrating Roof Performance, Capital Planning, and Fall Protection Across 11 Facilities

In 2022, the University of Virginia engaged Technical Assurance to assess roof conditions and rooftop fall hazards across 11 campus facilities encompassing approximately 261,395 square feet of roof area. The program combined roof asset management with fall protection assessment to provide UVA with a more complete understanding of both asset performance and rooftop safety needs.

Technical Assurance inventoried existing roof assets and fall hazards, documented deficiencies, and developed condition and performance data to support UVA’s future maintenance and capital planning.

Using Asset Data to Prioritize Roof Investments

Roof assessment data was collected and analyzed through Technical Assurance’s ON-PNT® GIS database to establish Condition Index, Estimated Useful Life, and Total Cost of Ownership metrics. The analysis also evaluated anticipated service life with and without predictive maintenance, helping UVA distinguish assets requiring investment from those that could remain serviceable with appropriate maintenance.

The findings demonstrated the financial value of moving from reactive roof management toward a planned repair and maintenance strategy. Implementation of the recommended program was projected to provide approximately $500,000 to $1 million in savings while extending the useful service life of existing roof assets.

Evaluating Rooftop Access and Fall Hazards

Technical Assurance simultaneously conducted a rooftop fall protection assessment. The evaluation included on-site review of existing conditions, review of building drawings, rooftop access and OSHA compliance evaluation, and analysis of appropriate fall protection layouts and attachment methods.

Identified hazards were documented through pictorial hazard analysis reports that connected specific rooftop conditions with recommended remediation. The project sheet actually gives us a good example of this: one roof-edge access hazard is documented with its location, recommended roof anchors, quantity, estimated cost, risk factor, and supporting photograph.

Creating a Path from Assessment to Implementation

Technical Assurance developed conceptual fall protection drawings along with specifications and scopes of work for installation. The assessment also included a proposal for turnkey implementation of designated fall protection systems, giving UVA a defined path for moving identified safety needs from assessment into corrective action.

Together, the roof asset management and fall protection assessments provided UVA with actionable information for prioritizing investments that support roof performance, service life, cost management, and rooftop safety.