It doesn’t have to be dangerous to work at height. Although falls from height are a major cause of workplace injuries, a roof walkway that is well-designed and maintained can help reduce the number of accidents and protect staff. These are the essential tips to help you build and maintain a reliable rooftop walkway system.
- Be careful when choosing your materials.
Rooftops can be nothing more than fragile membranes or substrates that are placed over the actual building. They are therefore limited in their weight capacity. Your walkway material should be lightweight and have a high strength-to-weight ratio. It should be strong enough to withstand all weather conditions, especially UV exposure.
- Check the load-bearing capability.
Rooftop walkways must not only be light but also be able to support foot traffic and large units such as air conditioners. Test walkways with 1.5Kn load over a 100mm square area. Deflection should not exceed 15mm or 1/100th of the span. You should then increase the load to 2.6Kn, and hold it for one minute.
- Ensure safe drainage.
If they happen on roofs, slips and trips can quickly turn into falls. Pooling water, which is exposed to the elements and not regularly inspected can pose a danger. It can cause roof damage and pose a risk.
You can design your walkways to ensure drainage by using gratings or creating gully channels leading to the rest of the roof drainage system.
- Avoid using wood.
Wood is not a good choice of material, despite its natural beauty. Wood can slip when wet. You should design your walkway with non-slip options in mind. You can use tactile or spiked surfaces, or fit anti-slip treads to slippery surfaces.
- Make sure that you don’t damage your roof with the fixings.
Protecting vulnerable roofs is one of the main reasons to install a roof walkway. Be careful when selecting a walkway fitting system. It can cause damage to the roof and, more importantly, could lead to a leak in the waterproof membrane.
- Draw a route.
Roof walkways provide users with a safe and clear path. Access to all areas of the roof is made possible by walkways. They also allow for easy access to slopes and pitched roofs. The walkway encourages users not to wander off the path. This is crucial for roof integrity.
- Consider incorporating handrails if necessary.
Roof pitches should be protected if the roofing structure is fragile. To provide extra safety for narrow surfaces or those with gradients exceeding 10 degrees, walkways can be fitted with handrails.
- Flexible seasonal maintenance is possible
Roof walkways are meant to be used to maintain roofs. It makes sense to make sure that walkways don’t require too much maintenance. The right materials can ensure that there is minimal maintenance.
It is important to take into account seasonal effects when you need to maintain your property. It’s a good idea to inspect the spring for damage caused by the winter months. To ensure that nothing is damaged, check for signs of slipping hazards.
Make sure you do any major maintenance before the winter arrives. It is more difficult to repair walkways in the winter months. You don’t really need to do anything during winter unless there is an emergency.
- Take care of maintenance.
Despite being strong and reliable, accidents can happen. Safe conduct is essential when maintaining roofs. Do not work in isolation and ensure that no one is weighing more than one section of the walkway.