Expired Anchor Points and the Insurance Claim That Was Denied

A storm passes through your building. Hail damage. Water intrusion. Your roofer calls and says they need to assess and repair within the week. Three days later, your insurance broker rings: “We need certification records for your rooftop access system.” You send them over. After a few hours of silence, they call back: “Your certification is two years out of date. We’re reviewing this claim more carefully.”

That silence is the sound of your insurer’s risk team opening a file marked “Challenge.”

You probably assumed someone was keeping track of your anchor points. You probably didn’t realise that certification isn’t a one-time tick box. Every year, every season, your rooftop anchor points degrade. UV exposure breaks down coatings. Coastal salt corrodes substrate and fasteners. Thermal cycling from heat and cold breaks fixings through roof sheets. A storm event like the hail and wind hitting Victoria puts stress on structural connections you can’t see from ground level. A two-year-old inspection certificate tells you nothing about your system’s condition today.

An anchor point installation with failed fixings could fail under load — and would not withstand an insurance investigation either.

Your insurer looks for evidence that you took the system seriously. They want inspection records. They want a clear chain of responsibility. They want documentation showing the contractor on your roof was working within a certified, compliant system. When that documentation is missing or outdated, your insurer has licence to scrutinise the claim harder and challenge whether negligent maintenance contributed to the incident.

We see this often at Anchored Height Safety. A storm hits. A trades contractor needs urgent roof access to stop water damage or assess damage. The building owner discovers the anchor point certification is three months past renewal, or six months, or two years. Now you’re in a reactive scramble. You can’t delay the work. Storm damage doesn’t wait for compliance. But you’re trying to organise urgent inspection and certification whilst contractor crews are standing by, insurers are asking questions, and you’re exposed.

We work with building owners who understand that height safety certification isn’t just a legal requirement. It’s a form of insurance itself. When you keep your anchor point system inspected and certified annually, you accomplish three things. First, contractors arriving at your roof connect to a system that’s been properly checked and tested. Second, you create a paper trail demonstrating due diligence to your insurer if anything goes wrong. Third, you remove the scramble. You’re not hunting for an inspector in an emergency. You have a current certificate on file.

A roof that hasn’t been properly maintained in some time.

Here’s how the certification process works. An experienced inspector arrives with knowledge and a checklist for compliance to AS/NZS 1891.4, AS/NZS 5532 and AS1657, the standards governing rooftop anchor systems in Australia. They visually inspect every connection point, mounting bracket, and anchor, looking for corrosion, fatigue, or degradation. They check the roof structure to confirm it can carry loads. They document everything. The result is a certification valid for twelve months.

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, Victorian PCBUs have a positive duty to provide and maintain a safe place of work. WorkSafe Victoria’s Compliance Code on the Prevention of Falls and Safe Work Australia’s Code of Practice for Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces both establish how that duty applies to rooftop access. A current, dated certification record is your evidence that the duty has been met. Without it, your insurer and WorkSafe are looking at the same gap.

When the next storm passes and a roofer arrives at your building, they don’t guess. They see the current certification. They know exactly what the system is rated for, what safety equipment is installed, and when the system was last inspected. They arrive prepared. They work safely. When your insurer asks, you hand over a current, dated certificate and confirm: yes, we maintain this system. Everything here is compliant.

An anchor point displaying a current inspection tag for safety

The alternative to current certification isn’t cost savings. It’s exposure. An incident on an uncertified system or one past its certification date can result in an insurance claim being challenged. WorkSafe can open an investigation. Your building owner faces regulatory action, financial liability, and the weight of knowing a preventable incident occurred because maintenance wasn’t scheduled.

Prevention is straightforward. You schedule an annual inspection. You maintain a current certificate. You reach out to our team, and we review your system, document its condition, issue a certification, and give you peace of mind. When the next contractor arrives at your roof, they step onto a system that’s been properly checked.

If you’re unsure whether your anchor point system is current or compliant, start with our free 2026 Height Safety Audit Guide at anchored.com.au. It walks you through what a compliant rooftop access system should include and what an inspection checklist looks like. From there, reach out to our team and we’ll help you understand where your system stands.

Contact us: 03 9555 3586, sales@anchored.com.au, or anchored.com.au.