The Situation
Gable Roofing & Cladding Ltd were contracted to improve the safety of Stewart’s Lane, a train maintenance depot in London’s Battersea dating back to the Victorian era. Stewart’s Lane helped to provide services to London Victoria, one of England’s busiest stations, until it was partially bombed and rebuilt following WW2. The building originally housed steam locomotives until the transition to more modern trains in the 1960s – and the building has remained largely unchanged since then.
The Solution
Network Rail required safe access to the roof for ongoing maintenance to the building, but the design of the building with multiple slanted roofs and gables presented a challenge to provide a safe access solution. Due to the need for the highest safety standards in the rail industry, finding a solution that maximised safety was paramount.
Familiar with the needs of the rail industry, Gable Roofing & Cladding Ltd identified that Modular Safety Systems’ KATT system would be invaluable for this application as it would save time and expense due to its modular construction. A project such as this, due to the type of building and additional hazards of oncoming trains below, required exceptional attention to detail and the highest standards of safety, which the KATT system could provide.
Engaging KATT Safety’s specialist technical support was the first step. Modular Safety Systems carried out several site visits throughout the project to scope and guide the project throughout.
To increase the safety of the building, multiple KATT ladders were installed between each gable, with a walkway built across the guttering for easier and simpler access to the roof space. Modular Safety Systems’ technical team carried out dynamic and static load performance testing to ensure the ladders were safe to accept a vertical safety line, meaning that workers could attach a harness to the ladders and be assured that the ladders would support their weight should they slip or mis-step. This extra protection was vital given the risk of falling onto a train track.