Framework for high level safety

Falls from height are the most common fatal accident in the UK workplace. Unfortunately the statistics speak for themselves. During 2008/09  there were 35 fatalities, 4654 major injuries and a further 7065 injuries that caused a person to be off work for three days or more. However, rooftop visits are essential, and they range from plant inspection and maintenance, to one-off repairs and replacement of equipment. Clearly, works engineers maintaining HVAC and rooftop plant need a solution that can reduce the risks.

Key responsibility

The Work at Height Regulation 2005 applies where there is a risk of a fall that is liable to cause personal injury. Responsibility is placed on employers, the self-employed and any person who controls the work of others.

Works engineers need to protect themselves working at height but they also have a duty of care to anyone they contract to work at height. To comply with the Regulations duty-holders must ensure:

• All work at height is properly planned and organised;
• Those involved in work at height are competent;
• The risks from work at height are assessed, and appropriate work equipment is selected and used;
• The risks of working on or near fragile surfaces are properly managed;
• The equipment used for work at height is properly inspected and maintained.

Duty-holders that breach the Regulations could face legal action.

Hazards

Flat roofs are often 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 engineers to navigate, and a simple trip can become the devastating cause of a fatality.

Considerations

A key requirement in the Work at Height Regulations is to ensure appropriate work equipment is selected. There are a number of areas works engineers need to consider when selecting safe access systems for flat roofs. The equipment needs to be manufactured from appropriate materials to ensure it is robust enough to withstand the harshest of conditions. Wooden gantries, steps and frames will rot if not maintained. Meanwhile, walkways and step overs need to be slip free.

Load management is another key consideration. The roof must be robust enough to support the load of additional safe access equipment and the pedestrians using it.

When selecting a safe access system traditionally penetrative systems have been used on flat roofs. However, this can effect roof membrane integrity and cause potential problems with thermal bridging – a key issue with the current Part L Building Regulations.

Safe solutions

Faced with these issues manufacturers have developed non-penetrative support systems. These frameworks offer secure and easy access to roof-top building services via standard and custom designed site-assembled, safe access walkways, platforms and step-over solutions. Recyclable and repeatable they meet the changing needs of a building and can be moved or adapted.

Suitable for new build projects and retrofitting, non-penetrative safe access systems are easy to install, ensuring project cost and time clarity. They remove the need for time consuming and costly penetrations through the roof, thus maintaining the integrity of the roof membrane and avoiding thermal bridging and moisture ingress. 

Standard and custom step overs are available to allow for the safe passage of personnel accessing rooftop equipment over obstacles, such as chilled water pipework. Meanwhile, walkway systems, grating and non-slip surfaces are ideal for establishing clear, safe pathways around installations. When made from GRP and/or galvanised metalwork the equipment is robust and can withstand anything the elements can throw at it. 

Finally, load management is essential when installing safe access equipment or plant on flat roofs. Limited space, existing upstands and lightweight roofs may all require custom support solutions. Manufacturers, like Big Foot Systems, overcome these challenges with the aid of their technical surveyors and, for example, by using ANSYS FEA software to calculate permissible loads  . 

Technical support and expertise of this nature helps when selecting a solution for supporting heavy plant on flat roofs, such as chillers and large air handling units. Big Foot System’s free standing Heavy Duty range is designed specifically to support such services without the need to crane heavy steels or cast concrete plinths. These heavy duty support systems thus save installation time on site and allow flexibility when siting plant. 

With working at height still topping statistics for fatalities in the workplace it is essential for works engineers to ensure they are working safely. Non-penetrative safe access support systems can offer both a secure route for service engineers to access plant and manage the flow of other personnel. As such they offer works engineers a simple solution to reduce the very real risks incurred when working at height on flat roofs.