When Wareing Buildings carry out roof cladding works, we are required to provide fall arrest netting and edge protection to the working roof area. This ensures that all works are conducted safely and in full compliance with relevant Health and Safety legislation and standards.
With regard to edge protection, the system must be designed and installed in accordance with BS EN 13374:2013+A1:2018. The system classification we typically use – Class B – must meet two key requirements:
1. Demonstration of adequacy by design calculation for static load requirements
2. Demonstration of adequacy by testing for dynamic load requirements
Requirement 1 above is undertaken in house by our structural engineers and the testing undertaken below then satisfies requirement 2 ensuring that our edge protection system is fully compliant.
From discussions with other professionals and contractors, it is evident that requirement is often overlooked, with a heavy reliance placed solely on design calculations (requirement 1). By fulfilling both requirements of BS EN 13374, we ensure full compliance with the standard and demonstrate our commitment to “doing it right.”
The testing conducted by Harrigen not only validates our design calculations but also provides peace of mind that our edge protection system has been rigorously and independently tested. Their detailed and professionally presented Harrigen report offers valuable documentation for clients and serves as clear evidence of our ongoing commitment to best practice in health and safety.
