Edge Protection Scaffold
Edge protection in the workplace.
Question. Who needs it? Answer, every person who is at risk of falling from a height, be it 30 metres up in the air or a place at or below ground level.
Work at Height Regulations 2005 has been developed in order to prevent deaths and injuries caused by falls from height. If you employ people or are the person who is in control of work at height, then the regulations apply to you.
With effective planning in the early stages of the contract, the Principal Contractor and scaffold designers are able to establish where work at height could be avoided and make allowances for the erection of temporary edge protection.
Every type of edge protection, and there are many, must be designed to BS EN 13374-1, by a qualified engineer, taking into account the wind loadings and other imposed loads it is expected to withstand. For example, if brick guards are to be fitted, the edge protection needs to be capable of supporting the weight of a pack of bricks which could possibly fall against them.
It must also be fixed to a building, structure or substructure which is capable of supporting it. The top guard rail must be at least 950 mm above any edge from which a person could fall. An intermediate guard rail must be positioned so that there is no unprotected gap exceeding 470mm. A toe board is then usually fitted to prevent materials from falling from the edge of the roof/platform. In a scenario where the edge protection is fixed to open steel work, the toe board would prove ineffective and would be replaced with a third guard rail.
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Four Different types of edge protection
Rakered Edge Protection;
These are mainly erected to enable people to work safely on flat roofs and or other horizontal platforms up to a height of 6 meters. Built from a frame at ground level, it is restrained with rakers fixed at roof level down to the outside ledger at its base. kentledge is also placed on the base lift for stability. The guard rails are erected working from the roof/platform.
Roof Mounted Edge Protection;
As above, these are mainly erected to enable people to work safely on flat roofs and or other horizontal platforms. The edge protection is placed on top of the roof structure with kentledge positioned on the base of the frame, alongside the toe board. It is erected working from the roof/platform.
Edge Protection Mechanically Fixed to The Perimeter Walls;
This type of edge protection is erected using shear plates, which are mechanically bolted to the wall. The Shear plates are a heavy duty scaffolding fixing plate which either comes with a forged scaffolding fitting or a scaffold stub-tube attached to it, for fixing the upright to support the guard rails. This method is usually erected working from a mechanically elevated work platform or mobile tower.
Edge Protection fastened to steel beams;
This method of edge protection is erected using scaffold fittings which are specifically designed to fix a short scaffold tube to a steel beam. An upright scaffold tube is then punched off the short tube for the guard rails to be fixed to. This type of edge protection is predominantly used on open steel work, prior to the erection of new built steel roofs. The edge protection is almost always erected from a mechanically elevated work platform or mobile tower.
Why choose our edge protection scaffolding services?
- Personal service designed around your needs
- Full drawings provided for full project management
- Full design to completion service
- Strong Health and Safety culture
- Fully trained and experienced staff with on-site management
- Years of experience at complex structures
- Highest quality materials and maintenance
- National Access & Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) member
- Fully guaranteed and insured
- We help build your reputation
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