Should you have a walkway on your roof?

Ensuring the safety of those who work at height on buildings should be a priority for both site managers and designers.

Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, foreseeable risks should be eliminated, reduced or controlled, both during construction and in the following years with maintenance or general roof work.

Where regular access is identified onto the roof, such as for maintenance of plant and equipment, the correct safety measures must be put into place.

This means, then, that under the CDM regulations, some form of safe, demarcated route that limits contact with the roof and steers workers away from danger areas should be considered.

How can I ensure safe access?

If your roof is relatively flat, simple non-slip matting might be suitable, offering a straightforward route for workers to use.

However, if your roof has different levels, or varied pitch, such a basic solution may not be effective, and could be non-compliant.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 state: “In a workplace every floor, traffic route and walkway should not have holes or slopes, or be uneven or slippery, exposing people to health and safety risks.”

In this case, then, you might consider a more comprehensive solution, such as a roof walkway system like Kee Walk.

Kee Walk is compliant to EN 516 and provides a safe, demarcated route thanks to its anti-slip treads. It can also be installed for pitches up to 35 degrees with step and traverse options.

Combined systems

Kee Walk is designed to be modular, meaning it can be combined with other systems such as step-overs and access platforms, for crossing large obstacles or tackling changes in level.

All roofs should generally have a form of guardrail or edge protection barrier, such as KeeGuard, though occasionally due to positioning and design, a guardrail system may not be practical.

You can solve this problem with the Kee Walk with Guardrail system.

Kee Walk with Guardrail provides all the same benefits as standard Kee Walk, including glass nylon anti-slip treads and compliance to CDM and Workplace Regulations, whilst also offering the advantages of a full guardrail system.

Integrated with the system itself, the guardrail - made from modular and highly durable Kee Klamp® fittings - will protect workers against exposed edges not currently protected by a guardrail.

Kee Walk with Guardrail is not only compliant to the walkway standard of EN 516, but also to the standards pertaining to guardrails, EN14122-3 and EN 13374, making it a comprehensive and effective solution.

Though it might not be something you have considered, the CDM regulations, as well as Workplace Regulations, make it clear that all efforts should be taken to keep those accessing your roof safe, and a walkway solution such as Kee Walk could be the answer.

For more information about our Kee Walk, or Kee Walk with Guardrail systems, click here, or call us on 01293 529977.