Solar installation safety improved by PMC using parapet mounted guardrail
Location: Clarendon Place, Portslade
Products:
Guardrails,Kee Guard, Fixed guardrail
The solar installation industry has been growing rapidly in recent years, with an increasing number of homes and businesses turning to solar energy as a power source. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global solar capacity increased in 2021 to exceed 10000 TWh. With this astronomical rise in solar power use, the safety of workers should be the top priority when undertaking any working-at-height project. Installing solar panels and working at height can be dangerous if proper safety measures and protection systems are not in place. The consequences of neglecting safety can be severe, including injury or death.
Fixed guardrail project background
Parapet mounted guardrail
Safety system requirements
The system Simplified Safety designed for this project needed to provide the solar power installation engineers with a safe working environment while working on a roof. The engineers needed to manoeuvre heavy and costly materials onto the roof and assemble the parts. This challenging task would have been unsafe and potentially fatal to perform without a guardrail system in place. In recognising that they need to protect their workers and seeing that they need to protect their workers and seeing that Simplified Safety was able to provide a safety system that met their requirements, PMC fulfilled their obligations to their partners and kept their workers safe.
PMC solar installation with guardrail protection in place
Installation of the guardrail system
The installation of the parapet fixed guardrail was done quickly and professionally. The installation was carried out in two phases. The uprights were delivered having been pre-cut, which helped speed up the process, resulting in 141 meters being installed in just 3 days.
Fixed guardrail installation
Post project thoughts
The end client was concerned about corrosion because the project was installed in a coastal environment. Due to our Kee Klamp fittings being hot dip galvanised to comply with BS EN ISO 1461, the system will provide the client with many years of protection and peace of mind. The Side-fixed Kee Klamp type 265-8 provided the 40mm offset needed to clear the cladding on the parapet wall. With the guardrail being side fixed, this allowed all roof space to be kept clear for installing solar panels and other services as and when required.
Guardrail fixed to a parapet
