The Swedish winters 2009/10 and 2010/11 were rich in snow and many roofs collapsed, mainly largespan frames. Investigations were made and the amount of snow was not the primary cause, insteadthere were several other causes. One of these was that in some cases roofs were shoveled in anunfavorable manner which affected the load patterns negatively, so causing the roofs to collapse.Most people lack the knowledge of how shoveling will affect the roof. Had there been an increasedunderstanding regarding shoveling, some roofs could have been prevented from collapsing.

Through both qualitative and quantitative research in the form of interviews and calculations thetheoretically best ways to shovel a selection of roof types is presented in the report. The roofstructures covered are 3-compartment, continuous and Gerberspliced metal roof decks. Thecalculations only concern the bending moments in the decks. The results show that differentmethods are required depending on the type of structure. Therefore it is very important to knowwhat kind of a building is to be shoveled.

To ensure that this information should be easy to understand and apply, a template has beendesigned with tips and advice for the structural engineer on how to establish a plan for shoveling.The plan for shoveling should then be passed on to the property owner with instructions, tips andadvice on how to attend to his property before, during and after the snow has fallen.