Here at Austral Safety, we’re passionate about height safety and by the time you’re finished reading this article about the benefits of roof walkway systems in commercial premises, you’ll understand why!
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What is A Roof Walkway?
What is A Roof Walkway? Before we get right to it and fill you in on how a roof walkway can benefit your commercial space, let’s clarify what such a system is and what it consists of. To summarise, a roof walkway is a structure that is used to allow access safely from A to B—while working on a roof. This includes but not limited to plant and equipment on the roof, AC units, Gutters and everything in-between. We recently put a time-lapse camera on an adjacent building to follow the progress of ongoing development on behalf of the developers.
A roof walkway system offers personnel unimpeded access to areas that would otherwise feel congested all the while preventing slips, trips and falls. It also allows for infrastructure and equipment to be safely stored out of the way. The non-slip, non-corrosive roof walkway systems that Austral Safety provides can be applied to all roof surfaces.
It also protects your roof against damage from walking on the roof which prevents water leaks.
Now, onto the benefits of these systems and why your commercial premises can’t afford—quite literally—to go without one.
The 3 Benefits of Roof Walkways for Commercial Premises
1. They Protect Your Workers
Any good business or property owner knows that they can’t do what they do without their workers. You also know that roofs aren’t exactly the safest of walking surfaces and that extra precautions MUST be taken. Your employees can fall off the roof, trip over cabling, fall through weak points or skylights and more.
The fact of the matter is that accidents DO happen. But they happen a lot more frequently when proper measures aren’t in place. Avoid costly lawsuits, heightened insurance premiums and potentially injuring your workers—or worse—by having a roof walkway installed. Our experts can perform height safety audits and inspections to help you determine where you need roof walkways and other height safety equipment to protect your staff and contractors.
2. They Protect Your Roof
It’s not just your workers that are in need of protection but your roof too. As we mentioned above, roofs aren’t the safest walking surfaces simply because they were not designed to be walked on or over. This means that damage can be caused when roofs are walked on and you run the risk of your roof:
- Losing its waterproofing properties
- Not ventilating air properly (this applies to both hot and cold air)
- Losing its insulation
- Becoming structurally damaged
3. They Make Maintenance a Breeze
In line with the above, a big part of protecting your roof is maintaining it. With a roof walkway system in place, maintaining your roof is made much easier and significantly safer. Maintenance tasks such as surveying, inspecting and cleaning of the roof and any infrastructure up there (such as skylights, solar panels or HVAC systems) can become effortless. Talk to our team today about walkways and cooling tower platforms that make maintenance easy!
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to see why roof walkways are considered essential for commercial premises. We hope that this article has helped you to see the value of these systems too. The importance of protecting your investment, as well as your workers, shouldn’t go over your head.
If you aren’t sure whether roof walkways are the way to go for your business, we recommend taking us up on our height safety audits service so we can perform an on-site inspection and provide you with the height site safety solution you require. Give the height safety Melbourne experts a call on (03) 9462 3350 or send us an email at admin@australsafety.com.au.
