CoverLite™ Skylight Protection Cover

Rooflights can be one of the most easily overlooked hazards on a commercial or industrial roof.

Some rooflights can deteriorate over time, while others may never have been designed to support a person's weight. Dirt, weathering, coatings and changing light conditions can also make older rooflights difficult to distinguish from the surrounding roof surface.

A worker who steps or falls onto a fragile rooflight could therefore fall through the roof.

This risk can become particularly important during:

• Roof maintenance
• Solar PV installation
• HVAC servicing
• Cleaning
• Roof refurbishment
• Inspection work
• Gutter and drainage maintenance
• Installation of new rooftop equipment

The Work at Height Regulations require work at height to be properly planned and suitable precautions to be taken where falls could occur. HSE guidance also identifies fragile rooflights as a particular hazard during roof work.

Where access near a fragile rooflight cannot be avoided, suitable protection should therefore form part of the planned system of work.

CoverLite™ is particularly suited to temporary work where workers need to operate near fragile rooflights.

Roof Maintenance - Routine roof maintenance can bring workers into areas containing fragile rooflights. CoverLite™ can temporarily protect suitable rooflights within the working area while maintenance takes place.

Roof Inspections - Detailed surveys and inspections may require people to move around parts of a roof that are not normally accessed. Temporary skylight protection can form part of the precautions required during this work.

Solar PV Installation - Installing solar panels can significantly increase the amount of activity taking place on an existing roof. Where fragile rooflights are present within or close to access and working areas, CoverLite™ can provide temporary protection while the installation is completed.

HVAC Maintenance - Air conditioning, ventilation and extraction equipment is frequently located on commercial roofs. Maintenance routes to this equipment can pass close to existing rooflights.

Roof Repairs & Refurbishment - Roofing contractors carrying out repairs or refurbishment may need temporary protection that can be installed for the duration of the project and removed afterwards.

Cleaning - Roof cleaning and maintenance work can expose operatives to fragile areas that may otherwise rarely be approached.

Short-Term Construction Work - Where temporary access is required during construction or alteration work, CoverLite™ can provide a reusable solution for protecting suitable fragile rooflights.

CoverLite™ uses a combination of a lightweight GRP lattice and a dedicated fixing arrangement to protect the fragile rooflight below.

GRP Lattice Panel - The main CoverLite™ panel is manufactured from Glass Reinforced Plastic.

Its lattice construction creates a protective barrier while maintaining openings through which natural light can pass.

GRP also provides a lightweight and corrosion-resistant construction suitable for rooftop environments.

Dedicated Fixing Brackets - Each CoverLite™ unit uses dedicated brackets to establish secure fixing points around the rooflight.

Correct fixing is essential. The panel should not simply be placed loosely over the rooflight.

Aluminium Rivets - The brackets are secured using the approved fixing arrangement, including specified aluminium rivets.

Reusable Tension Straps - Reusable straps connect the CoverLite™ panel to the installed brackets and hold it securely in its intended position.

High-Visibility Upper Surface - CoverLite™ features a distinctive high-visibility yellow upper surface.

This helps make the protected rooflight immediately identifiable to workers moving around the rooftop.

CoverLite™ has undergone impact testing against recognised requirements for fragile roof and rooflight protection.

ACR Red Book Class B - CoverLite™ has been tested to the ACR Red Book Class B classification.

Manufacturer testing information states that the system withstands a 45kg mass dropped from a height of 1.2 metres without full penetration when tested in the specified configuration.

BS EN 1873 - CoverLite™ has also undergone testing relevant to BS EN 1873.

Manufacturer information states that the system has withstood a 50kg mass dropped from 2.4 metres, with the protective lattice maintaining openings below the specified limits.

These tests demonstrate the impact resistance of the system under defined test conditions.

Correct specification and installation remain essential. Test performance should not be interpreted as permission to intentionally stand, walk or place loads on the CoverLite™ panel.

CoverLite™ and the Work at Height Regulations 2005 - The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require work at height to be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out by competent people.

The hierarchy for managing work at height is to avoid the work where reasonably practicable, prevent falls where work at height cannot be avoided and minimise the distance and consequences of a fall where the risk cannot be eliminated.

Fragile rooflights need to be considered as part of that planning.

Where workers could approach a fragile rooflight during temporary work, suitable precautions may include preventing access to the area, providing collective protection or securely covering the fragile surface with an appropriate system.

CoverLite™ can form part of these precautions where temporary rooflight protection is suitable for the task.

Protecting the rooflight does not remove other rooftop hazards. Exposed edges, fragile roof areas, access routes, changes in level and other hazards must still be considered as part of the overall risk assessment and safe system of work.

The CoverLite™ Skylight Protection Cover can be particularly useful on commercial and industrial buildings containing fragile rooflights where temporary work is required.

Typical applications include:

Warehouses & Distribution Centres - Large industrial roofs can contain extensive runs of ageing or fragile rooflights alongside HVAC systems and solar installations.

Factories - Maintenance and refurbishment projects may require temporary access around rooflights that are not normally approached during everyday building operation.

Commercial Buildings - CoverLite™ can support temporary roofing, maintenance and installation projects where suitable fragile rooflights are present.

Schools & Universities - Education estates frequently contain older buildings with rooflights requiring consideration during maintenance and refurbishment work.

Hospitals & Healthcare Buildings - Temporary protection can form part of planned access arrangements during servicing and building maintenance.

Retail Buildings - Large retail roofs often contain rooflights alongside air conditioning, ventilation and other equipment requiring maintenance.

Solar PV Projects - CoverLite™ can provide temporary protection around suitable fragile rooflights while solar installation or maintenance work takes place.

Roof Refurbishment Projects - Its removable and reusable design makes CoverLite™ particularly useful during temporary roofing projects where the protection requirement ends when the work is completed.

Safesite has provided specialist fall protection and safe access solutions across the UK for more than 30 years.

We understand that skylight protection should not be considered in isolation. Before specifying a solution, the wider roof may need to be assessed for exposed edges, access routes, fragile surfaces, rooftop obstacles and the location of plant and equipment.

Safesite can provide support across:

• CoverLite™ temporary skylight protection
• Permanent skylight protection
• Roof safety surveys
• Kee Cover®
• Kee Dome®
• Roof edge protection
• Rooftop walkways
• Step over platforms
• Fall restraint and fall arrest systems
• Installation
• Inspection and recertification
• Work-at-height advice

This allows us to recommend a solution based on how the roof is actually accessed and used rather than treating the rooflight as an isolated hazard.