About the project
Being leading experts in height safety, we’re able to work alongside some of the biggest names to help them with a variety of safety solutions.
Our involvement with supermarket giant Tesco at their head office at Welwyn Garden City allowed us to install various safety measures on an extension to the building which was already in place.
What the project entailed
Contractors had been brought in and tasked to create an extension to the existing head office building which would act as a canteen for the Tesco employees working at the site.
As this was an extension of an existing structure, it was noted that there would be a need for maintenance operatives to access the windows for cleaning which would now be situated above the roof of the extension.
This also meant Tesco required a permanent solution to allow safe means of accessing the roof level as well as some form of designated safe walking area to be implemented on the new roof.
The position of the newly installed skylights meant that some form of collective protection was required to protect those working nearby, in addition to this the designated walking area was to utilise an anti-slip walkway, as to avoid any workers falling and injuring themselves while walking on the new membrane roof.
It was also detailed that the walkway should help protect the membrane roof from wear and tear from maintenance operatives using the roof to go about their duties.
Constraints That We Faced
As with many projects, there were some constraints that we came up against when designing the perfect solution.
The first limitation was that the distance between the glazed skylights of the new building extension’s rooftop and the old building meant that a traditional freestanding guardrail system could not be used as a solution, as the weighted legs used on the uprights would create a trip hazard for maintenance operatives.
In addition to this there was very little space to install the access ladder due to the proximity of the existing building and newly installed ductwork.
Our Solution and Outcome
We needed to create a solution which not only provided maintenance operatives with a safe working area to carry out routine tasks, but also a safe and permanent means of access to roof level. We opted for a galvanised caged access ladder, non-trip freestanding guardrail and Dukmat anti slip walkway.
Once at roof level the access ladder connected to our non-trip freestanding guardrail thus providing an entirely collective access strategy to protect those working in the area from all nearby hazards.
Our non trip freestanding guardrail not only provided collective protection from the skylights but the unique ‘short leg’ design prevented a potential secondary trip hazard. The Dukmat anti-slip walkway installed has been purposely manufactured for use with membrane roofs, thus providing a non-penetrative, anti slip solution that won’t damage the roof.
As our non-trip, freestanding guardrail solution was not initially specified, we needed the approval of the architect working on the building extension to alert them to the benefits of the non-trip collective edge protection that we were proposing to use.
Following a full site survey which was conducted in advance, we were able to complete our solution within two days; from start to finish. During this period, we implemented a low maintenance, collective access strategy which would allow for safe future maintenance of the designated area.
We thoroughly inspected, tagged and certified that the systems installed on the project were safe for use.
A Testimonial Regarding Our Solution
“Altus Safety have been nothing but helpful on our recent project to extend the staff restaurant at Tesco’s Head Office. Not only did they quote what was specified but also suggested more cost effective products which would meet the same performance specification, they even liaised with the clients Architect to iron out the finer details. Installation on site went smoothly and safely which is always good, so overall very pleased with the service given.
I would highly recommend Altus Safety as a one stop shop for all your roof access, handrail and walkway requirements.”
Quantity Surveyor
If you would like to find out how Altus Safety can help you in implementing the best possible safety solution for your roof access, handrail and walkway needs, please don’t hesitate in getting in touch with us today; we’ll be more than happy to help.
