Maintenance on Rooftops – Simple Safety Solutions
Flat roofs are installed on buildings across the UK as they’re cheaper to install than sloping roofs. This has led to a flat roof being the first choice, especially on commercial and industrial buildings. However, flat roofs do need to be recoated and sealed every few years in order to maintain their structural integrity and prevent any leaks. If the roof hasn’t been properly cared for and maintained, replacement will need to be done sooner, rather than later. Another advantage of flat roofs is that they are easy to access in order to carry out inspections and maintenance, but they also represent several risks to those carrying out such work.
The larger a flat roof is, the less stable it will be. Flat roofs, especially the larger ones, can struggle to bear the weight of snow accumulation and even heavy rain. We often see stories on the news about flat roofs collapsing in foul weather conditions. The fact that these flat roofs are exposed to severe cold weather in winter and hot sunshine in summer means that the roofing material can degenerate quite rapidly and become fragile and brittle, making them a much more dangerous surface to work on.
If you’re a business owner with premises that feature a flat roof, then you are the person responsible for the condition of the roof and the safety of anybody expected to work on the roof, whether it’s to gain access to plant installed on the roof, to inspect the roof or to carry out repairs and maintenance work. This means that you are legally obliged to ensure the safety of those who need to access the roof in order to carry out such work. Assuming that the roof will be safe to walk and work on can lead to accidents, including falls from height, one of the most common causes of fatality in the workplace here in the UK.
Making sure your flat roof is safe to walk on means providing the right type of access and safety equipment that will keep workers safe. When it comes to walking on the roof, the installation of a roof walkway system like our RoofWalker. It’s easy to install without having to penetrate the roof (and risk leaks around the penetration points). It’s manufactured from recycled, anti-slip material and features a contrasting yellow stripe along the edges to delineate the walk way. The RoofWalker is made up of individual tiles which can be fixed together into a size and route that best suits your needs. The underside of the tiles are profiled to spread the pressure of those walking on it and to allow the flow of water, so that no water pools underneath them, weakening the roof covering and leading to leaks.
Because the RoofWalker system is modular, it’s suitable for installation on flat roofs of all shapes and sizes, offering building owners a simple, yet affordable solution to ensure the safety of inspections and roof maintenance personnel.
Look at our roof safety barrier which is perfect as a flat roof demarcation barrier and it's much better than the roof edge demarcation barrier.