We often talk about guardrails and man anchors as safety precautions during construction, or for roofs that perform some kind of function, such as green roofs and solar panel installations. One issue we rarely focus on in detail, however, is the need to maintain the roof itself against weather damage; and with the winter months […]
Edge protection around fragile roofs and skylights could prevent seven fatalities a year in the construction industry, according to a Health & Safety Executive report. The rate of fatalities due to individuals falling through weak and unprotected skylights, and fragile roof surfaces, is more than one every two months. HSE inspector Frances Bailey adds: “”Many […]
Safety barriers can keep your operations safe if you’re a non-power business trying to capitalise on the opportunities presented by renewable energy. Opus Energy, a business-to-business energy supplier, recently conducted research showing how many British firms plan to introduce on-site renewable energy generation – and how many have already done so. The survey found 15% […]
While you’re enjoying some classic Christmas entertainment in the days to come, don’t let it dissuade you of the importance of edge protection for those who work at height. Classic movies like Mary Poppins were made before health and safety concerns made their way to the big screen – and while the sight of untethered […]
Edge protection could remain in substantial demand through until at least 2025 in order to protect individuals installing and maintaining solar panel arrays. That is because the price of solar panels has been predicted to continue falling until at least that point, leading to substantial growth in the total installed area of panels worldwide. The […]
The HSE has published its Health and Safety Statistics 2011-12 report, bringing together all of the reported incidents over a 12-month period. In the report, two-thirds of all fatalities can be accounted for by just four types of incident, one of which is falling from height. Moving objects, structural collapses and vehicle collisions contribute the […]
Safety ladders and roof rails can allow safe and secure access to green roofs – which could be essential during periods of high temperatures or little rainfall. Research carried out in the US recently looked at how plants might cope with extreme weather conditions, such as the heat and low rainfall seen in south-western Ohio. […]
Missing safety barriers, poor edge protection and other concerns about working at height led the HSE to halt work at 32 sites in Bradford, the north-east and Scotland during the first three weeks of September. In three separate regional reports, the HSE has highlighted the importance of complying with the rules relating to edge protection […]
Edge protection is an important part of protecting those employed in the European roofing products sector – the biggest regional market for that category of goods in the world. A new Research and Markets report ranks Europe as the world’s biggest region for roofing products, with a 35.5% share of all sales. Environmentally friendly roofing […]
In our articles about roof rails, we talk a lot about certain groups of individuals – from the construction workers who build a structure in the first place, to maintenance workers who need access to its heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, or to solar panels fitted to its roof. However, one discipline we rarely […]