Uniline Safety Systems

When your roof is old, it is reasonable to assume that the requirement for access for maintenance and repair will be more frequent and often less well planned, as sometimes the elements can take you by surprise and your building envelope is less well equipped to deal with them.

The risks associated with carrying out maintenance tasks on older roofs can be significant and it is extremely important not to send anyone on to an older roof construction that does not have experience and training. Risks need to be identified in advance and solutions for access put in place to mitigate those risks. Good management controls are essential to ensure short duration works are carried out safely.

Older roofs can often be fragile, or have fragile, non-load bearing elements. A step in the wrong direction could result in a fall through the roof. Steep roofs, loose materials and slippery surfaces can also add to the risks.

Even on a solid concrete roof, the fixing surface will need to be tested prior to installation of a safety system to facilitate future access. Failure to do this, could result in system failure in the event of a fall.

In our experience safety systems on older roofs require:

• Detailed assessment prior to deciding on an appropriate solution
• Solutions that minimise the number of fixings to the structure or often require more fixings to better distribute loads in the event of a fall
• Bespoke fabrications to facilitate the installation of the system
• Very competent System Integrators to carry out the work
• The addition of complimentary safety measures to provide a complete safety solution

Uniline have developed the following solutions for use on older roofs:

• Uni-16™ – Our award winning, unique synthetic cable horizontal lifeline system. Minimises structural loading, maximises span length and supports multiple workers
• Uni-8^® - Our quality 8mm stainless steel wire system used in conjunction with Roofsafe Anchors incorporating Force Management Technology to reduce structural loading or bespoke fabricated anchors to suit your specific building

Uniline have a great deal of experience in designing and installing safety systems for older roofs and buildings. Through our systems integrators or in house technical team we can offer a detailed assessment and design service to help you to identify and implement an appropriate solution.