Safety Fan Systems

Scaffold catch fans and slab edge catch fans

The two fans in the range are separated by what they fix to: the mini fan mounts to scaffolding only, while the safety net catch fan fixes to scaffolding, concrete slab edges, walls and steel structures.

Mini scaffolding catch fan

The mini scaffolding catch fan is the right buy when a scaffold is the only structure available to fix to, as on facade, cladding, roofing and maintenance work to existing buildings. It clips directly to the scaffold guardrail, so no fixings go into the building and the fan can be added to a scaffold that is already standing. Its compact, lightweight format makes it straightforward to handle from a working lift.

Safety net catch fan

The safety net catch fan suits new-build frame construction and any job where the fixing surface changes as the work progresses. The same fan can be mounted to a slab edge on the lower floors, a wall once the structure is closed in and a scaffold where the facade is wrapped, so one system covers the frame, envelope and refurbishment stages of a high-rise job.

Catch fans on city centre and high-rise sites

Catch fans are used wherever overhead work sits above areas that cannot be closed off.

Concrete and steel frame construction

On a rising frame, the risk is debris falling past the slab edge onto pavements, roads, neighbouring roofs and gardens, or onto the site's own walkways and welfare areas. On city centre plots the boundary often sits close to the building line, which leaves no room for an exclusion zone at ground level and makes the fan the protection over the public. The safety net catch fan is the usual choice here, because it fixes to the slab edge or steel frame directly and does not depend on a scaffold being in place.

Facade, refurbishment and maintenance scaffolds

Recladding, window replacement, roof repairs and masonry cleaning on occupied buildings are carried out from scaffolds standing over shop fronts, entrances and footpaths that stay open throughout the work. The mini fan is the usual choice for this work.

Sites with tower crane lifts at the edge

Where a tower crane lands loads at the building edge, a fixed fan can sit in the path of the lift. The safety net catch fan folds upwards to a vertical position, so the crane slot can be cleared for a delivery of rebar, formwork or cladding panels and the fan lowered again once the lift is complete. When you plan the fan layout on a crane-served site, mark the loading positions on each floor and place folding fans there, so lifts are not held up while fans are taken down.

Catch fans or fall arrest safety nets

Catch fans and fall arrest safety nets are different equipment for different hazards. A catch fan contains falling debris, catching tools, materials and loose waste before they reach the people and property below, and it is a secondary measure on the elevation. People working at an open edge are protected first by edge protection or handrail systems that stop a fall happening, and then by fall arrest systems and harnesses and lanyards where a fall cannot be prevented. Used together with those measures, the safety net catch fan adds a layer of redundancy at an active edge, though it does not replace them. Where the site plan calls for netting to arrest people below a working area, specify a fall arrest net; where it calls for protecting the street, specify catch fans. Both sit within the same working at height equipment range.

Fitting catch fans without a crane

With no crane involved, fitting depends on the fixing surface being ready and the sequence being planned.

Fixing to scaffolding

A catch fan adds load to the scaffold, and the debris it catches adds more, so the scaffold design has to allow for fans before they are fitted. Confirm with the scaffold designer or contractor that the design includes fans at the positions and lifts you intend to use. Once that is agreed, fitting is a scaffold task carried out from the working lift, with the area below controlled while the fan goes on.

Fixing to slab edges and walls

At slab edges, fixing points are best planned before the pour. The Considerate Constructors Scheme records cast-in fixing points as best practice over post-drilled fixings for catch fans, and cast-in sockets remove drilling at the edge and put every fixing where the fan layout needs it. On walls and steel structures, the fixing positions are confirmed by the temporary works designer before the fans arrive on site.

Moving fans up as the work rises

Fans are kept close below the active working level, so they move up the building as the frame or scaffold progresses. Each move is a short manual job: clear the net, release the fixings, refit at the next level and check every fixing before work resumes above. Planning the moves alongside the floor cycle or scaffold programme keeps the elevation covered and avoids a gap between one level being stripped and the next being protected.