Staying safe when working at height throws up a whole host of safety issues, especially in autumn and winter when bad weather makes maintaining rooftop plant more hazardous. Sam Birch, technical manager at Big Foot Systems, explains how a non-penetrative framework can provide the solution.
Working at height can be risky. This risk rises during the colder months as the number of slip and trip accidents escalate. In icy conditions and winter weather this type of accident increases for a number of reasons: there is less daylight, and the weather is more likely to be wet, icy or snowy, which makes pathways slippery and fallen leaves a problem. Working at height makes the risk even greater for maintenance engineers.
Falls from height are the most common type of fatal accident in the UK workplace, while slips and trips cause more major injuries than anything else. However, rooftop visits are essential for maintenance engineers, who require access to HVAC and other plant. They need a rooftop solution that is easy to install, spreads the load and reduces the risks of slips and trips.
Slippery when wet
When undertaking a rooftop risk assessment it is essential to consider whether pathways, walkways and stepovers for walking across a roof are fit for their purpose. Winter weather really puts this equipment to the test. It cannot just be suitable for fair weather: since maintenance is a year-round job it needs to stand up to rain, wind, ice and snow. A key requirement in the Work at Height Regulations is to make sure that appropriate work equipment is selected. Equipment must be made from appropriate materials to withstand rooftop weather conditions. Although wood may seem a convenient material to erect a safe access solution quickly, unfortunately wooden gantries, steps and frames will rot if not maintained and will be slippery when wet.
Safe slip-free solutions
Luckily innovative safe access systems are available from companies like Big Foot Systems that do not require the roof structure to be penetrated, so they are quick and simple to assemble, and feature non-slip surfaces. Walkway systems, grating and non-slip surfaces are ideal for establishing clear, safe pathways around installations. Manufactured from GRP or galvanised metalwork, the equipment is robust and can withstand anything the elements can throw at it. Removing the need for time-consuming and costly penetrations through the roof maintains the integrity of the roof membrane and avoids thermal bridging and moisture ingress.
Such systems offer secure and easy access to rooftop building services via standard and custom designed, site-assembled safe access walkways, platforms and stepovers. Recyclable and repeatable, they meet the changing needs of a building and can be moved or adapted.
Ideal both for new build projects and retrofitting, non-penetrative safe access systems are easy to install, providing clarity over project cost and time.
Hazards
Depending on a building’s use, the roof can be the location of a range of process machinery as well as HVAC equipment and other plant, and if a manufacturing process demands extensive cooling, chilled water is often piped on flat roofs. This can result in a maze of pipework for maintenance engineers to navigate, and a simple trip can become the devastating cause of a fatality. Standard and custom stepovers are therefore available to allow the safe passage of personnel over obstacles such as chilled water pipework.
A final consideration is rooftop cabling: trailing cables or badly made and installed cable trays can result in serious trip injuries or falls if near the edge of a roof. Modern cable trays with specialist supports are high quality, non-penetrative, freestanding products, such as Big Foot Systems’ support range, which is made from glass-filled nylon and recycled car tyres with aluminium inserts, making it highly robust. These systems offer a neat, tidy and secure solution with greater protection for cabling.
With winter approaching, now is the time to assess the rooftop working environment to make sure maintenance engineers can work safely. Non-penetrative safe access support systems offer a secure route for workers to position plant and offer a simple solution to reduce the real risks incurred when working at height on flat roofs, whatever the weather.
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enquiry@bigfootsupport.com