Types of Edge Protection

“Prevent persons or objects falling” 

Edge Protection is a broad area of construction site safety, but one of the most important when it comes to ensuring the safety of your site. A large number of fatal accidents in construction areas are related to working at height, either from falling from the leading edge or through a high surface or from having an object fall on you. 

This is why edge protection solutions are imperative, as their primary function is: “to prevent persons or objects from falling to a lower level”. A clear and crucial mission statement, but inarguably one with a very broad scope. 

There are many different situations in which a worker can be said to be “working at height”, and many different scenarios that could lead to an accident because of this- there has to be an edge protection solution in place to safeguard against all of these. There are a range of different products available aimed at either reducing the impact of falls, or preventing them from happening in the first place: Catchfans to prevent any fallen objects reaching the ground or damaging the structure, personal protection systems to protect individual workers in the case of falls, and the simplest solution: rails and fences to prevent falls before they happen. 

Different Edge Protection Systems

Barrier Systems 

The Barrier System provides high quality steel fence systems that can be fitted to the edges of any platform through drilling, clamping (clamp), cast-in or free standing to prevent any person or object falling from the edge of a platform. The vast range of component applications outlined above ensures that the HAKI Edge Protection system is well suited for most environments including steel and concrete slab frame work as well as timber and aluminium beams. 

HAKI offer a wide range of Edge Protection barriers to suit site requirements with each having different unique qualities such as the barrier height, length and return. Make-up barriers are also available to extend the height of a standard barrier for additional containment and the Stair Barrier is stocked to provide Edge Protection on stairs. 

Compression Post solutions are also available and can provide floor to soffit containment options from 2.44 and 4.5 metres. 

As with all HAKI temporary edge protection products the range is quick to install/remove and flexible in being able to meet the complexities, challenges and demands of the environments our partners work in.

Catchfans 

Catchfans are essentially double layered nets that rest at angles on the side of the structure to absorb the force of any object that may fall from the edge. This minimises the damage caused by such an incident, by catching it before it can hit a member of the public or cause any damage to the structure of the building itself. 

The Catchfan comes in different sizes to accommodate both smaller and larger projects, and can be fitted to both steel frames and reinforced concrete, making them a solution for the majority of projects to ensure the safety of the site and the workers. 

Catchfan Mini

The Catchfan Mini is designed specifically for scaffolding and clamps easily onto both scaffold types (system scaffold and tube and fitting). Equipped with an extremely light aluminum framework (89lbs) a 2-man install and lift is made possible overcoming the need for a crane lift. Catchfan Mini projects 5'10" (1.8m) from the building and is well suited when space is limited. 

Catchfan Maxi

Covering an exceptional 13’9” (4.2m) from the buildings edge Catchfan Maxi is HAKI's largest netting solution suitable for both concrete and steel frame projects. 

Fall Arrest Systems 

These are personal fall protection systems that anchor a single worker to the ground, aimed at reducing any impact should they fall. 

The Alsipercha is a steel frame that allows the worker to move around a 6.5m radius whilst conducting their work in a harness attached to a column anchored to prevent any falls from impacting the worker. The Alsipercha aims to minimise the impact of any fall whilst still being quick and easy to install, making sure there are no excuses for avoiding edge protection measures even for the smallest and most short-term projects. 

We hope that this article has provided a succinct answer to the question 'What is Edge Protection?' whilst providing an overview of the different types of edge protection HAKI offers. 

To find out more about our solutions to enhance your Workzone Safety please explore our Edge Protection system pages or submit a form to request follow-up from one of the experienced HAKI team.