Edge Protection System
HERMEQ temporary edge protection is manufactured in the UK and tested to BS EN 13374 Class A. Its mesh barriers are built to the Z type design, so they are compatible with the commonly used Z type systems and can join an existing run. The barriers are galvanised steel and finished with in-house powder coating.
The system closes open edges on concrete slabs, stairs, steel frames and excavations. Posts lock into their fittings without tools, and each barrier has an integrated toe board to stop tools and materials going over the edge.
Temporary edge protection barriers and posts
A run of temporary edge protection is built from mesh barriers held on posts by retaining slider brackets, and each post is fixed to the structure with the attachment that suits it.
Mesh edge protection barriers
The mesh edge protection barriers close the edge itself, with a toe board built into the foot of each panel. The longer of the two panel lengths covers a straight perimeter with fewer posts, and the shorter one fills corners, returns and openings where a full panel will not fit.
Edge protection posts
Edge protection posts carry the barriers and lock into their footing with a pop button, so a run goes up, moves and comes down without tools. Each barrier is held to its post by retaining slider brackets, which set the barrier at the right height anywhere on the post and stop it lifting out once fixed. Posts come in two heights, and the choice between them depends on the final barrier height the job needs.
Height enhancement barriers
The standard barrier gives protection to 1.1m. Where the risk assessment or site rules call for a higher barrier, to limit access at an open edge or to contain debris around a void, the height enhancement barrier slots over the taller post above the standard barrier, is secured with sliders and raises the run to 1.7m. Because it fits only the taller post, the post height has to be chosen before the job starts: a run built on standard posts cannot be raised later without changing them.
Pontoon barriers
Floating platforms are a different job from a building edge, and pontoon barriers are made for them. They fit modular pontoon systems, are powder coated against corrosion in marine and inland water, and close the edges of construction pontoons on bridge, dock and canal works as well as floating walkways at riverside events and regattas.
Edge protection fixings for concrete, steel frames and groundworks
Each structure has its own attachment, so the choice of fixing starts with what the edge is made of.
Concrete slabs and stairs
On concrete frames the bolted foot attachment fixes the post to any horizontal surface with a single bolt, and it is the usual choice on RC frame slabs and civil engineering structures. An independent pull test on the concrete before the run goes into use confirms the fixing for that slab. Stair edges, and slab edges where finishing work is still to come, take the stairway attachment: its points bite into the concrete, and it sets the post out from the edge to leave a working space for nosings and finishes.
Steel frame edge protection
Steel frames have two attachments, and the choice depends on when the edge protection is planned. The steel jaw clamp for I beams clamps onto the beam flange and adjusts on a threaded bar, so it fits steel that is already erected. The Vari steel web attachment bolts to the beam web, and where the holes are detailed into the steel at the design stage, in TEKLA for example, the edge protection is fitted to each beam at ground level and lifted into place by crane with the steel.
Trench sheets, sheet piles and shuttering
Around excavations, the shoring clamp for trench sheets and sheet piles grips the top of the sheet or a narrow concrete wall, and its coarse thread makes fitting and striking quick. Steel shuttering and sheet piling around voids take the groundworks clamp, whose threaded pin bites onto the steel.
Aluminium beams, walls and other sections
Aluminium frames take the aluminium beam attachment, made for that frame system. For any other edge, the adjustable clamp attachment grips sections from 20mm to 450mm thick, horizontally or vertically, and covers the walls, upstands and beams that no dedicated attachment suits.
Edge protection for slab perimeters, lift shafts and roofs
Slab perimeters on multi-storey frames
On a multi-storey frame the run climbs with the building: once the slab above is cast and its edge is closed, the run below is struck and the posts and barriers go up a level.
Lift shafts, risers and M&E voids
A shaft or riser is open on every side, so the run has to close each side fully, with the panels meeting at the corners and no gap left at the posts.
Roof and plant room perimeters
The system is used on flat roofs during roof access projects and around plant room perimeters, where the surface is flat and the work falls within the Class A rating it is tested to.
Edge protection, demarcation and fall arrest
A mesh barrier is edge protection only when it is fixed to the structure at an open edge, and the two cases below call for different equipment.
Ground stands for site demarcation
Ground stands are anchored to the slab or deck and carry a mesh barrier, with posts and slider brackets, to mark out safe zones, walkways, trip hazards and the area around an excavation. They are a demarcation barrier and are not designed as edge protection, so an open edge needs posts fixed with one of the attachments above.
Where fall arrest or safety fans take over
Some edges cannot be closed by a barrier, such as a leading edge during decking or a facade where work reaches beyond the line of the slab. Those jobs move to personal protection, with fall arrest systems and harnesses and lanyards for each worker, while safety fans protect the area below a facade from falling materials.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is edge protection designed to do?
Edge protection is designed to stop people, tools and materials falling from an open edge, such as a slab perimeter, stairwell, lift shaft or excavation, by putting a physical barrier along it. It is a collective measure, so once installed it protects everyone near the edge without relying on each person wearing and clipping on a harness. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 put collective measures of this kind ahead of personal fall protection wherever they are reasonably practicable.
Which standard does HERMEQ edge protection meet?
The system is tested to BS EN 13374 Class A, the European standard for temporary edge protection systems. Class A covers flat and shallow sloping surfaces, where the barrier has to resist a person leaning on it or walking into it. Steeper surfaces are covered by the higher classes of the same standard.
Will HERMEQ barriers fit other Z type edge protection?
Yes. HERMEQ mesh barriers use the standard Z design, so they are interchangeable with HERMEQ posts and with other commonly used Z type mesh systems. HERMEQ panels can therefore extend or replace part of an existing stock of barriers.
Can edge protection be reused from one job to the next?
Yes. The posts, barriers and attachments are galvanised steel made for repeated installation cycles, and the same kit moves from one project to the next, with only the attachments changing when the next structure is different. Between jobs, the barriers are kept in the edge protection stillage, which holds them stacked at an angle so the mesh and toe boards are not bent. The posts go into post stillages, steel pallets that stack for yard storage and lift onto a vehicle as a single load.
Can edge protection barriers be powder coated in company colours?
Yes. HERMEQ powder coats in-house, with barriers available in stock colours including HERMEQ Grey, and custom colours and corporate branding can be applied on request. Custom finishes are subject to minimum order quantities, and pontoon barriers can also carry a logo and company colours.