ECEX achieves safe access to university rooftop services
ECEX has solved a roof-safety and access problem for the University of Oxford with the custom fabrication and installation of a non-slip grating on a sub-frame to provide consistent, level and safe access to HVAC equipment. The grating is of galvanised steel, as is the sub-frame to support it.
Access across the roof of a complex of laboratory buildings was obstructed by pipework, cables and supports serving extraction and HVAC units, including chillers and condensers.
There was a series of significant trip hazards to people working on the room, so the university’s engineering team called in a specialist from ECEX to survey the area and improve access.
ECEX has previously supplied and installed air-intake screens for equipment serving many of the university’s 300+ buildings.
ECEX uses the hierarchy of control measures determined by the Health & Safety Executive to decide the optimum solution in each specific case.
John Grenville, managing director, explained: ‘In other words, the ultimate measure is to remove the hazard completely if this is practical. If not, the next measure down is to use collective fall protection such as guard railing so that someone without specialised training can move around the roof safely. The next level down would be the use of personal protective equipment such as a harness, and so on.’
Access for the University of Oxford project was through occupied parts of the building, so the gantry system was installed out of hours to avoid disruption.
