Hierarchy of control applied
Recommendations start with avoiding the work at height, then collective protection, and only then personal systems.
Safe access to every part of your building, specified and evidenced.
Surveys and specification for fixed ladders, walkways, guardrails, fall-arrest systems and anchor points — so the people who have to get onto your roof can do it safely, and you can prove the system was fit for purpose.
Work at Height & Access
Most roof access arrangements were never designed. They accumulated.
Work at height remains the single largest cause of fatal injury in UK workplaces. On most commercial buildings the access arrangements were not designed as a system: a ladder here, an eyebolt of unknown provenance there, a walkway that stops three metres short of the plant it serves.
We survey what is physically there, test it against the hierarchy of control and the relevant standards, and set out what should be removed, upgraded or added — with the collective measures first, because harnesses are the last resort, not the plan.
What the service covers
- Safe access surveys — a full review of how every part of the roof and elevation is currently reached
- Fixed ladder and walkway assessment — condition, geometry and compliance against BS EN and BS 4211 requirements
- Guardrail and edge protection review — free-standing and fixed systems assessed for coverage, condition and loading
- Anchor points and fall-arrest systems — identification, condition, and the inspection and test regime they require
- Rescue planning — practical arrangements for recovering someone suspended after a fall
- Remedial specification — a priced-up scope for the collective measures that remove the risk permanently
Who it is for
Building owners and managing agents, facilities teams responsible for roof plant, and contractors who need to demonstrate safe access before their people go up.
What you get
A plan that removes the risk, not one that manages it forever.
Every report is written to be used on site, not filed and forgotten — prioritised findings, plain language and a clear owner for each action.
Every access route mapped
Each roof area, plant item and elevation is recorded with its current access method and its gaps.
Inspection regime set out
Where systems stay, you get the statutory inspection and test intervals they need, in writing.
Common questions
Work at Height & Access, answered plainly.
We already have eyebolts. Is that enough?
Only if they are documented, certified, inspected within the last twelve months and part of a system with a workable rescue plan. In practice, most inherited eyebolts fail at least one of those tests.
Can you inspect and test the anchors as well?
We assess condition and specify the regime, and coordinate testing with a specialist where load testing is required. Keeping the assessment separate from the testing keeps the advice independent.
Do we need this if people only go up twice a year?
Frequency reduces exposure but not duty. If anyone accesses the roof at all, the arrangements have to be suitable, and that is a question that gets asked after an incident, not before.