KEE SAFETY URGES COMPLIANCE WITH WALKWAY REGULATIONS

As part of its ongoing campaign to encourage safer working at height, fall protection specialist Kee Safety has urged contractors and specifiers to make sure that the permanent, walkway system selected for a particular roof top installation on projects complies with all relevant safety legislation. “Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, as amended by the Work at Height (Amendment) Regulations 2007, there is a legal requirement for anyone who contracts others to access and maintain rooftop equipment to ensure proper safety precautions are in place” says Tracy Dunn, Global Product Manager at Kee Safety. “In this context, it’s important that specified equipment and systems comply fully with existing regulations, European and British Standards. As far as we’re concerned, there should be no grey areas on roof top safety – systems that comply are safer than those which do not”. Kee Walk® is the only permanent walkway system of its type which complies fully with the harmonised European Standard EN 516:2006 (Prefabricated Accessories for Roofing – Installations for roof access – Walkways, treads and steps) which became mandatory in January 2006. It exceeds the deflection criteria and slip resistance requirements of this standard and achieves almost double the friction requirement of BS 4592 in both wet and dry conditions. Specifying Kee Walk® will help those companies needing to meet the requirements of Work at Height Regulations. The system is fully compatible with all horizontal safety line systems including Kee Safety’s own KeeLine® system. Designed for use on composite, trapezoidal metal profiles and standing seam roofs, Kee Walk® is an off-the-shelf, modular system which can be easily adapted to a wide range of different roof types, pitches and configurations. The systems is also much easier to install and more cost-effective than other walkway systems currently on the market. Providing a level, anti-slip walking surface, Kee Walk® modules can be easily connected together to form a clear demarcation route. This ensures that the roof is protected from unnecessary damage with the pedestrian weight uniformly loaded across the surface of the walkway. Kee Walk® is ideally suited to flat, barrel and sloping surfaces. Kee Walk® is supplied in standard modules, which can be supplied ex-stock for rapid installation on virtually any rooftop project. The modules are supplied as 1.5m and 3m pre-assembled sections to suit the requirements of different roofs. These lightweight modules are constructed from glass reinforced nylon treads attached to aluminium support beams that are fixed to the roof surface. Steps and a traverse option, complete with an adjustable hinge, enable a Kee Walk® installation to be adapted to roof configurations from 0 through to 35 degrees. The installer can easily set the angle of the steps, by removing the locating bolt in the hinge, adjusting the angle and replacing the bolt at the desired point on the hinge. No bespoke parts are required. For full details on Kee Walk® and the company’s range of compatible Personal Protection Equipment, including harnesses, lanyards, helmets, knee pads and boots, visit www.keesafety.com/uk. Full technical support and advice on walkway requirements is available direct from the company.

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