| |
|
|
Health & Safety During Construction and Use
No special scaffolding is required for single ply roofing other than that which permits ready access and complies with current safety regulations. Facilities for hoisting should be provided and space arranged for the positioning of material on a clean, dry and level surface.
In addition to safe methods of working with materials there is a requirement to protect workers from falls. The Construction Safety and Welfare Regulations 1966 statutory no.1592 Regulation 6 states that it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that any employee required to work at a height of 2 metres or more must be suitably protected from any potential fall hazards.
The Construction Design and Management Regulations 1994 (CDM) extend the responsibility for Health & Safety to the designer. The designer must ensure that the design is such that it minimises risk during construction, maintenance and repair. Failure to comply with these requirements could ultimately lead to criminal as well as civil prosecution.
Safe methods of access and working should be used for the roof installation and ongoing maintenance of the roof and any equipment on it. Required performance in respect of security against access to and through the roof should be established at an early stage as this can influence the selection of roof type and detailing. A parapet wall 1.1m high or greater will negate the need for a fall restraint or fall arrest system. If the design cannot accommodate this a handrail, free standing or fixed, can be incorporated into the roof design. Where neither option is desirable a cable based fall arrest/restraint system can be fitted. Due to the high loads exerted during a fall, conventional anchorage for fall-arrest lines must be tied directly to structure on single ply roofs.
However energy absorbing anchorage posts fitted to the deck, such as the Sarnafil Constant Force post, are available which dissipate such loads whilst maintaining tension in the line. If a safety cable restraint or fall arrest system is installed it should have been type tested to European Standard EN795 and carry the CE mark and the user should have been trained. The support posts for the system should be of suitable design to withstand the high potential loads and to allow adequate weathering.
© 2006 Sarnafil Ltd. Legal Disclaimer
|
|
