Whenever you need convenient access to your roof all the time, you need to install a roof access hatch. They are one of the essential features of a commercial building. In most cases, several commercial buildings don’t install them because it only has a single floor, and they can access the roof propping a ladder at the building’s side.
But what they don’t know is that roof hatches can give more than granting easy access to the roof, such as providing efficient security and keeping harsh weather elements from entering the building. If you are not too familiar with roof hatches, you should find out what industry insiders have to say about them.
Roof Hatches Need Rail Guards
Note that not all roofs of commercial buildings will have a stable plain that people can step on. In some cases, the surface can make a person slip and fall, causing severe injuries and even fatalities if the building height is tall. You can prevent people from falling off the roof once going through the roof hatch by installing rail guards. If you have any complaint fall protection about it be clear and solve it ASAP.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) needs all buildings with roof hatches to install rail guards installed at the opening. Other building owners would find alternatives such as personal fall arrest systems and netting, which aren’t the best form of providing fall safety. In most cases, the person will suffer injuries when they land on the personal fall arrest systems.
Roof Hatches Need Ladder Poles When Possible
Another feature that a roof hatch should have is a ladder pole. Usually, roof hatch manufacturers would recommend clients ladder poles because it ensures the user a safer egress and ingress. Several holdings and footings on the ladder poles help users keep their balance when they enter the roof hatch.
Usually, you cannot reach the railings when you’re about to enter the roof because they are high. The only place you can grab on is the roof hatch’s sides, which may become uncomfortable for some, and they might also be slippery due to the rain. However, you won’t have to worry about anyone not gaining proper footing.
Roof Hatches Need Offset Railing
The main objective of offset railings is to ensure users don’t fall into the open latch by accident. There were many instances when unsuspecting people would not fall off the roof but rather into the roof hatch itself. Note that people who access the roof for a few minutes wouldn’t think about closing it, which can be dangerous.
What’s excellent about railings is that it surrounds the roof hatch from the sides and the front. The back doesn’t need railings because the hatch provides protection. The roof hatch will simply close if a person accidentally trips to the rear of the roof hatch. The railing offset will bar direct traffic but still leaves a break in the railing that provides access to an open hatch.
Roof hatches are the best features any commercial or industrial building should have. However, they can only use them efficiently if they have important safety features like railings and ladder poles.
