Container roof working

hsme · Post by **hsme** » Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:39 am

Morning all,

I have an ongoing issue around maintenance staff accessing and working on top of containers. There is on some of the containers quite a lot of ancillary equipment mounted , which makes any possible movement not easy at the best of times.
All containers are outdoors with nothing above them except the sky (before anybody says you need sky hooks, I have already tried to get some but they are out of stock being so close to Christmas

)

The current process is for scaffold to be erected around the area of work required. The problem I have is that we have site all over the UK and this can be a time consuming process to get organised and in place, sometimes for work that is only taking 15 minutes.

My question is, has anyone ever seen or worked with a mobile system of fall arrest that can easily be moved from site to site? Access and ground level varies greatly just to add to the mix of problems.

A permanent system on each container would be the perfect, but having over 200 containers nationwide in remote sites makes this a very costly solution.

Thanks in advance for any ideas

Stevie Johnno · Post by **Stevie Johnno** » Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:22 am

Rather than "fall arrest" you might be better looking at "Work positioning/fall restraint" system which as the name suggests prevents the person doing the work getting in a position where they can fall. When you start down the "fall arrest" route you have to consider the arrangements to recover/rescue anyone who has fallen etc.

I have seen systems that look like a Wire suspended between 2 Posts/Pylons that are weighted down to the Roof/Floor but you would have to Google it

hsme · Post by **hsme** » Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:40 am

Thanks for that your reply.
Prevention system is what I was thinking about initially as I agree with what you say.
Ideally I would like a line directly along the centre line of the container length, sadly the items on top are hefty in size and are almost covering the entire width of the container which is causing a problem in itself.
Long and short of the problem is poor design in the
First place to be honest.
I will get googling and see what I can find.

Stevie Johnno · Post by **Stevie Johnno** » Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:45 am

Not sure where you are but if you contact someone like "Spanset" who manufacture Lanyards, Harness sets etc they will be able to point you in the right direction.

Disclaimer......Other Suppliers of PPE are available.

hsme · Post by **hsme** » Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:56 am

Funnily enough they were on my list of contacts to try. Thanks again for your input, much appreciated.

Andyblue · Post by **Andyblue** » Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:18 pm

Another source may be some of the specialist rope access teams- not just ropes in the traditional sense but they skills accessing awkward places, working and keeping safe.

hsme · Post by **hsme** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:50 am

Thanks for that

everything is worth a try.

Garyih · Post by **Garyih** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:04 am

Whilst working in Remote sites (basically the bush) where the supply of some equipment is of very short supply a method used for working on container roofs was to use a minimum of a 12.5mm steel cable fixed with crosby clamps along the edge of the container, attached to this was the worker with a safety harness with a 1m lanyard clipped to the cable.
With the permanaely placed containers a scaffold was erected around the containers and permanately tied in just to stop the theft/others feeling thier need for the scaffold was more important.

Not perfect.