Design and Specification
The key to safe and efficient systems for working at height is the anticipation of all necessary building maintenance activities early in the design process before construction commences.
Rostek-UK understands that determining which areas of a building’s envelope will require regular maintenance is an essential part of the design process. Only when these are known and the frequency of work is established is it possible to select the most appropriate access system.
For existing buildings, this means assessing the maintenance activities currently being undertaken, and cross-referencing them with any systems for compliance with equipment standards, to ensure they provide safe access to all required areas.
From conception to construction
Rostek-UK work closely with designers to provide advice on the most appropriate Façade Access & Fall Protection systems for their building. The term ‘designers’ encompasses both individuals and organisations that carry out design work and may include:
- Architects
- Consulting Engineers
- Main Contractors
- Specialist Contractors
- Quantity Surveyors
Our Design & Specification service ensures all systems, proposed or otherwise, comply fully with relevant legislation, including European and British Standards and guidelines implemented by the Specialist Access Engineering and Maintenance Association (SAEMA), Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA), Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Design Considerations
A number of factors affect the selection of equipment for safe work at height. When considering a systems design our experts always take the following parameters into account:
- What areas of the buildings facades and roofs require access?
- What works will be carried out in these areas?
- What frequency will these works be carried out to?
Selecting Equipment
Once our designers understand the maintenance requirements of the building, they will work as part of your team to select the most suitable system.
Selection of equipment is based on a set of established principles, or a ‘hierarchy of risk’. As with all designers we have a legal duty to minimise risk and give collective protection systems priority over personal protection systems.
Completing your Design & Specification
Following the initial detailed consultation period, our designers will have established the most appropriate Façade Access and Fall Protection equipment to undertake the required ongoing maintenance activities on your building. Rostek-UK will then prepare for you a design & specification pack comprising:
- General arrangement drawings, detailing the position and layout of equipment relative to the building
- Drawings of the proposed equipment, including fixing details back to the structure
- Relevant NBS N25 clauses completed
- A budget quotation listing all available options and the advantages/disadvantages of each
