Falls through fragile roofs cause around a quarter of all fatal accidents in the building industry. Even the non-fatal accidents can be devastating for victims and their families …and in all cases; employers and building owners may face prosecution and heavy fines. One of the commonest jobs on a fragile roof can be the repair or replacement of roof lights, so Fixsafe kits could make a serious contribution to safety by allowing installation from below. Kits contain special fixings and top grade GRP sheets in the most popular profiles and sizes.

A good way to prevent falls through fragile roofs would be to avoid sending people up onto the roof in the first place. New Health & Safety legislation will soon introduce penalties that should discourage the temptation to send untrained workers up onto a roof, without the correct access equipment and safety apparatus.

Labour and materials costs for replacing roof lights can often be outweighed by the cost of external scaffolding or hiring a “cherry picker” …which still may not reach fully to certain parts of a roof and thus require workers to step out wearing a harness and other safety equipment. Then there may also be a cost for internal safety netting and access equipment, plus disruption to normal business below the roof in question.

The need for a better way became obvious to Letchworth Roofing, a leading UK contractor with nearly 40 years of experience in new & refurbished roofing and maintenance. Their aim was to devise fixings that would allow complete replacement of a rooflight or sheet from below. This idea had also appealed to Filon Ltd, specialists in the manufacture of GRP (glass reinforced polymer) products such as roof lights and other profiles in various shapes, sizes or colours. Together they developed patented fixings that would allow sheet installation from one side only, using just standard tools and a cherry picker.

Fixsafe kits are available with a range of sheet sizes and profiles, as direct replacements for all popular asbestos and fibre cement sheeting. Standard profiles include Bigsix, Cape Fort, Cape Monad, Doublesix, Doublesix M, Major Tile and Trafford Tile. More than a dozen other profiles are available to special order. Sheets are usually translucent, but opaque colours can be added. The top grade GRP material incorporates woven reinforcement, as used in marine applications to enhance strength and impact resistance. So Fixsafe kits will last a long time, as well as saving installation costs.

For more information contact John Chillman at Letchworth Roofing on 01462 755755.
Editors requiring print-quality images should contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it