Combisafe’s non-traditional scaffolding solution helped Knightsridge Primary School slash roof refurbishment time.

Contractors William Cooper, needed to replace the existing flat felt roof, which measured 3,200 m2 and had failed in places, with a pitched roof solution including external drainage.

“The key challenges were completing the roof before winter storms and working in a live primary school,” says William Cooper’s director Iain Grimley. “Working at height in an operational primary school creates a problematic interface with children and parents, especially when you consider that traditional scaffolding could encourage kids to climb.”

As a result, William Cooper was looking for a safety solution that could, on one hand, help ensure the project was completed before winter and, on the other, address the safety concerns about using traditional scaffolding around children.

As such an edge protection solution from Combisafe was selected. The company supplied William Cooper with 500 linear metres of its Counterweight System. Specifically designed to better protect those working on flat roofs, the system sits on the roof itself, eliminating the climbing risk that is exists with traditional, ground-anchored scaffolding.

Made of galvanised steel for maximum durability and fully compliant with the Personal Protective Equipment Directive 89/686/EEC and EN 13374 class A EU regulations, the Counterweight System comprises guardrails placed at the roof’s edge, which are anchored via a lever arm, connected to a weight pack that sits further back on the flat roof.

The guardrails come in 1.57m and 3.07m lengths for flexibility in every environment, while the weight pack includes 3 x 15kg rubber weights and a weight holder.

Combisafe product sales manager Andy Gibbons says that what impressed William Cooper most was the speed of its installation when compared with traditional scaffolding. “A 10-metre run would take two scaffolders two hours. With our system it only takes half an hour to protect the same area – a quarter of the time.”

One reason for the counterweight’s speed of installation is its integrated trolley system, which provides easy, single-person loading, transport and positioning of rubber weights to reduce manual handling and risk of injury. It also incorporates a lever-controlled gas strut to adjust the lifting height.

The Counterweight Trolley provides easy, single-person loading, transport and positioning of rubber weights to reduce manual handling and risk of injury. It also incorporates a lever-controlled gas strut to adjust the lifting height.

Its impact on the overall project timescale for William Cooper was substantial. “This system helped us achieve a tight programme by saving two weeks of scaffold time,” says Grimley.

William Cooper’s refurbishment of Knightsridge Primary School’s roof was effectively completed on 23rd November 2015 – in good time for the school to be ready for the harsh Scottish winter.