FALL PROTECTION TAKES OFF AT VIRGIN ATLANTIC WITH SAFESITE

Safesite, a supplier of fall protection solutions, has provided Virgin Atlantic with a collective roof edge protection system that ensures optimum roof top safety for maintenance and inspection teams and complies with all relevant health and safety regulations. Located in Crawley, ‘The Base’ is one of two Virgin Atlantic buildings that house its global Headquarters. Situated in close proximity to Gatwick Airport and Crawley’s city centre, the building provides training and technical facility for cabin crews, pilots and engineers. Built in the 70s, the building includes an extensive flat PVC roof which is split over several levels. The building previously featured partially installed guardrails and failed demarcation systems which were deemed not fit-for-purpose. It therefore became necessary for the building to have a roof top safety upgrade comprising a complete roof protection system that enables safe access to the entire roof. Work began in December 2015 to provide a continuous, co-ordinated roof safety system to the roof perimeter of the building and surrounding the roof lights enabling safer roof access. Norland-based commercial property adviser, CBRE Group managed this project and contracted Safesite to specify and install a full guardrail scheme. After removing all existing guardrails, demarcation bases and chain, Safesite installed 900 Lm raked and standard KeeGuard® systems. “Once we became aware that the previous systems wasn’t performing correctly, we wanted to ensure that the new system was compliant with regulations, provided a full safety solution and wasn’t obtrusive to the design of the building” says Stephen Earl, Project Manager, CBRE (Norland). “Safesite is the expert in this area, and as they can offer the full service, from site surveys to installation, it was clear that they were the right choice for this project. The system that they have installed ticks all the boxes for us, and provides the client with the assurance that anyone accessing the roof will be safe.” The KeeGuard® range includes standard vertical, raked, radiused and folding systems. The modular design features Kee Klamp® open-style fittings, which facilitate quick and easy installation of the horizontal rails and 100% recycled PVC counterweights. No welding, threading or bolting is required on site, which further speeds up and simplifies the installation process. Suitable for installation on any flat roof up to a 10° slope, and compatible with concrete, asphalt, PVC membrane and felt roof surfaces, KeeGuard® can be used where a restraining wall is in place or where the rooftop is completely open around the perimeter. The flexible guardrail system can be used for retrofitting to older buildings as well as for new constructions. The range is fully tested and either meets or exceeds current rooftop safety requirements, including EN13374 Class A, EN ISO 14122 Part 3 and BS 6399: Part 2 1995 Wind Codes. -ends-

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