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Bolts on a flat roof

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 johnmctighe 24 Aug 2017
Greetings all
I have a new build house with a flat roof. It's a bit tall (15 m) so my architect want some sort of safety feature to prevent someone taking a lob off the top.
Ideally I'd like a couple of expansion bolts with a bit of via ferrata cable running between them so I could I secure myself while I'm cleaning the drains or removing branches off the roof.
Has anyone done anything similar?
Any tips?
Thanks in advance
John
 Reach>Talent 24 Aug 2017
In reply to johnmctighe:

For long term fixings I'd go resin over expansion bolts. Less of a risk with corrosion, water ingress and wrecking the roof. Do you want a cable or would a few discrete fixings do as if you think of it like a belay anchor the angles involved contribute significantly to the force applied?
 Rick Graham 24 Aug 2017
In reply to johnmctighe:

On our house I usually throw a line over (thin cord and sand filled small stuffsack ).
Use this to pull and old climbing rope over.
Tie inside house to staircase or down to parked car / heavy object.
Keep all keys to the vehicle on you!
 sbc23 24 Aug 2017
In reply to johnmctighe:

Biggest issue is waterproofing around the bolts. What kind of roof system is it?

Do a google for 'latchways'. They sell this kind of stuff. They do short stainless post that you can waterproof up and attach cables to. They also make a 'transfaster' which is a clever device that allows you to pass intermediate posts without unclipping. Probably not relevant for yours, but interesting to see.

You can also get a ballast system, which is just a pile of weights that sit on top of the roof membrane. No holes
 Mr Lopez 24 Aug 2017
In reply to johnmctighe:

Get the architect to arrange for permission to put up some 'safety' balustrades, and once in follow that up with some loungers, table, plants, hot tub, and enjoy your roof garden.
 Toerag 25 Aug 2017
In reply to johnmctighe:

My mate Carl runs a business doing exactly this. - http://sarnianroofing.com/edge-protection He's not likely to come up and do it so may well be happy to advise or sell you the bits you need.
 jkarran 25 Aug 2017
In reply to johnmctighe:

What type of construction, how is it weatherproofed and how do you plan to access it? For very occasional cleaning tasks on a domestic flat roof I'd probably just opt for the "don't fall off" option. If the architect is compelled by local building regs to provide for safe maintenance I'd leave it up to them to reccomend a solution, it's what you're paying them for.
jk
 Trangia 25 Aug 2017
In reply to jkarran:

> What type of construction, how is it weatherproofed and how do you plan to access it? For very occasional cleaning tasks on a domestic flat roof I'd probably just opt for the "don't fall off" option. If the architect is compelled by local building regs to provide for safe maintenance I'd leave it up to them to reccomend a solution, it's what you're paying them for.

> jk

Good advice, as you say his architect should be designing this.

I agree with what everyone has said about not puncturing the roof covering, flat roofs are troublesome enough in their own right long term without having to contend with something running through the covering.
 Fraser 25 Aug 2017
In reply to johnmctighe:
Google 'mansafe' or Latchway systems. Alternatively look into free-standing, fold-up 'Barrial' rails.

Edit: when you say newbuild, how new is it?
Post edited at 12:22
 Dark-Cloud 25 Aug 2017
In reply to johnmctighe:

There is loads of this stuff on the market for industrial roofing fall protection, if its going to be permanent it may be worth considering, pretty common setup, not sure on cost though

https://www.heightsafesystems.com/products/safety-lines-systems/flat-roof-s...

http://www.fallprotectionsolutions.co.uk/roof-cable.html

http://www.stqvantage.co.uk/page/roof-fall-arrest-systems/17/

OP johnmctighe 29 Aug 2017
In reply to johnmctighe:
Thanks all
My builder is going to fix 2 steel plates at each end of the roof (into the concrete)
All I need to do is get hold of some via ferrata type cable to run between the plates. I'll be able to lanyard myself to this
Should do the trick.

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