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roof access

Bilco UK’s Roof Safety Range Puts Compliance and Safety First

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A leading manufacturer of roof safety products, Bilco UK, offers an extensive range of complementary solutions for residential and commercial developments with its Roof Access and Safety Range, which features a variety of ladders and fall protection products.

Designed to provide construction professionals with high quality products to mitigate potential falls from height, the range complies with all relevant legislation and safely and successfully meets the unique requirements of a range of developments.

The Roof Access Range includes:

Ladders

Fixed vertical ladders can be utilised across a diverse range of commercial and residential applications to provide permanent access to a roof area. The ladders can be installed on the exterior of a building or internally via a roof access hatch or smoke vent. Available in standard sizes for floor-to-ceiling heights of two – six metres, with bespoke sizes also available on request.

Companionway ladders provide permanent roof access across commercial and residential applications via roof hatches where the rise is less than three metres. These are manufactured in four height ranges up to three metres. Bespoke options with rest platforms can be supplied for heights greater than three metres.

Retractable ladders are suitable for use with larger access hatches up to 1500mm in size and for commercial applications such as schools and hospitals where the floor area must be kept clear at all times.

Roof safety systems

The Bilco UK BilGuard® 2.0 Fixed Roof Hatch Railing System provides a permanent means of fall protection around the top of roof hatch openings, with a non-penetrating attachment enabling it to be installed quickly and easily on new or existing Bilco UK roof access hatches and smoke vents.

The unique LADDER UP® Safety Post provides safe and easy ladder access through roof access hatches, floor doors and manholes across commercial and residential applications. It can be attached to the top two rungs of any fixed vertical ladder to enable the user to enter or exit in an upright balanced position with  a secure hand-hold.

Bilco UK’s Roof Edge Protection system provides a permanent or temporary guardrail around the exterior of a commercial or residential roof, without requiring mechanical attachment to the roof.

Stepover Units

The range also includes a variety of stepover ladders, which can be installed in freestanding or fixed positions to provide flexible access over obstacles on the roof over a range of widths and heights, whilst keeping the operative enclosed by a handrail on both sides.

Suitable for residential and commercial applications, Bilco UK’s stepover ladders can be manufactured to bespoke sizes to suit the requirement of any application.

Marcus Parnham, Commercial Director at Bilco UK, said: “We have a responsibility to ensure every access solution we manufacture delivers the highest standard of performance and compliance, whilst enabling safe means of access for the end user.

“With over 30 years of manufacturing experience, our in-house team of engineering experts can assist construction professionals in successfully meeting the unique requirements of their project, whilst providing maximum fall protection and compliance.”

For further information on Bilco UK’s complete range of roof access solutions, visit: www.bilcouk.co.uk or call 01284 701696.

Bilco UK sets the standard for safety at Glasgow Housing Development

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Glasgow’s latest redevelopment project, located on Langside Road, is built upon the former site of the city’s Victoria Infirmary and consists of a large housing development that includes 413 flats, offices and retail space.

The 3.75 hectare site, which is situated next to Queen’s Park on the south side of the city, forms an important part of the Battlefield area’s character, with the buildings’ exterior reflecting and complementing the surrounding heritage by using the city’s traditional blonde coloured sandstone.

As part of the construction process, Bilco UK was commissioned to supply six ESW-50REM Smoke Vents, in addition to seven E-50TB Roof Access Hatches, to provide the highest standards of safety and efficiency, whilst being sympathetic to the project’s overall design.

Installed onto the roof areas of four blocks of flats by Scottish contractors, Procladd Small Works Ltd, Bilco UK’s ESW-50REM Smoke Vents were specified to provide essential ventilation in the event of a building fire. Featuring a linear actuator operating mechanism that opens the cover to 140 degrees within 60 seconds, the smoke vents ensure compliance with Building Regulations Approved Document B, BS9999 and EN12101-2.

The built-in wind deflector also provides protection against smoke being blown back into the vent in the event of a fire., whilst the newly-designed closed-cell EPDM sponge gasket helps meet Building Regulation air leakage targets by providing a better seal of the cover to the curb. With the addition of a fixed vertical ladder, the smoke vents can also be used by maintenance engineers for roof access.

Billy Baillie, Managing Director at Procladd Small Works  Ltd, said: “We have a longstanding relationship of over 20 years with Bilco UK, and will continue to do so over the forthcoming years, due to their impressive product quality and outstanding service. Bilco UK’s Roof Access Hatches and Smoke Vents were incredibly easy to install, and knowing they’re engineered to meet the highest industry standards, it provided both ourselves and the client with the confidence that the installation would set the standard for performance and longevity.”

Constructed with corrosion-resistant materials, Bilco UK’s E-50TB Roof Access Hatches were also installed to provide engineers with safe, regular and convenient access to the roof to conduct essential maintenance. Engineered with compression spring operators to provide easy one-hand operation, the roof access hatch meets the requirements of Manual Handling Regulations, whilst the automatic hold-open arm locks the cover in the open position to ensure safe egress. The overlapping cover design, fully welded corners and insulated cover also ensure weathertightness and energy efficiency to deliver the highest standards of resilience.

Mark Baird, Sales Operations Manager at Bilco UK, said: “Drawing on our longstanding relationship with Procladd  Small Works Ltd, it was fantastic to work together on this project, which has been designed to positively impact the city’s culture. The products installed were manufactured with fire safety and efficiency in mind, delivering assurance of the durability and suitability of the installation for years to come.”

For further information on Bilco UK’s complete range of roof access solutions, visit www.bilcouk.co.uk or call 01284 701696.

Key considerations when choosing ladders for safe rooftop access

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According to recent figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), falls from height accounted for 44% of all non-fatal injuries and 25% of all fatal injuries over the last five years. Here, Tom Brandon, Specification Sales Manager at Bilco UK, discusses why adopting a bespoke approach to roof access can ensure the highest level of safety, suitability and compliance.

When specifying a ladder to facilitate roof access, it’s important to ensure you’re choosing the correct system to meet your project’s specific requirements. This includes identifying the reason for access to the roof and the frequency of access required. It’s also crucial to determine whether tools and equipment will need to be transferred through the access hatch, or solely roofing professionals.

This will provide clarification on where the ladder will need to be mounted and whether any additional safety measures will be required to maintain individuals’ safety when using the ladder, such as the addition of a safety cage or guard rail.

Once you have established your reason for requiring safe access to the roof, you will then be able to make an informed choice regarding which roof access hatch and corresponding ladder system is best suited to meet the needs of your project.

The right ladder for the right application

If access to the roof is required on a regular basis for professionals who need to transfer tools and equipment, a Companionway Roof Access Hatch would be required in conjunction with a Companionway Ladder, which is a 75-degree incline ladder with handrails that makes it easier for the user to gain access to the roof. When larger tools and equipment are being used, a Fixed Staircase Roof Access Hatch, also known as a Service Stair Roof Access Hatch, would be specified. This is a larger elongated access hatch, which should be specified in conjunction with a permanent staircase to provide permanent access to a roof hatch of up to 2440mm or 3360mm in length as standard available sizes

Other ladder types are available depending on the application and access required. Due to their small footprint, industrial vertical fixed ladders are always recommended for use in conjunction with smoke vents, as they ensure there is no hinderance to the flow of smoke through the vent to meet the minimum 1 metre squared free vent area required by the regulations.

Whereas, if the floor space must be kept clean and tidy at all times, for example, within buildings such as schools and hospitals a retractable ladder would be ideal where a larger roof access hatch of up to 1500mm is installed.

Special ladder applications

For commercial projects that require more complex specifications, contractors should collaborate with manufacturers to create bespoke ladder applications that safely and securely fulfil roof access requirements. Bilco UK’s in-house design and engineering teams work closely with roofing contractors to manufacture special ladder applications that are custom-made to meet the project’s specific requirements.

For example, if a ladder that has a reach over 10 metres is required to be installed onto the exterior of a building and will be used as a means of escape or for maintenance, contractors would need to consider a series of fixed vertical ladders that are split by railed platforms every six metres to ensure safety and compliance. The installation would also require the addition of a safety cage and handrails in order to maintain the safety of contractors when gaining roof access.

Maintaining floor space and ensuring walkways are kept clear is a common challenge when choosing ladders for roof access, which is why fixed vertical retractable ladders, where the lower section of the ladder can be retracted when not required is a popular and convenient choice. A detachable version is also available where the bottom section of the ladder can be removed completely and installed again when needed. Other alternatives that ensure ladder access security is maintained is the use of the hook on, hinged ladder gates or magnetic locking ladder gates.

Rooftop Access

When contractors need to travel across the roof for maintenance and access reasons, it can be a challenge to navigate the roof safely if there are potential trip hazards such as wires and ducting. Bilco UK manufactures a range of aluminium stepovers that can be seamlessly fitted over obstructions to provide a stable hand-railed platform that enables individuals to get from one area of the roof to another safely and quickly. As the stepovers feature weighted big foots it eliminates any requirement for roof penetration, therefore avoiding any risk of leaks or drafts. Stepovers can be installed with either companionway steps or fixed vertical steps, depending on the available space on the roof.

Whilst there are a range of ladder options available to roofing professionals to achieve safe and secure access to the roof area, it is crucial to work in conjunction with a manufacturer from the initial design stages to ensure the installation provides the highest standards of safety and compliance for the entire lifecycle of the building.

For further information on Bilco UK’s complete range of roof access solutions, visit www.bilcouk.co.uk or call 01284 701696.

For advice on how to specify the correct ladder, visit: www.bilcouk.co.uk/news/specifying-ladders