Guardrail Systems

Collective fall prevention for roofs and plant

Guardrails are the first line of fall prevention. They keep people away from an open edge so work can go ahead without every operative being clipped to a line. That is why the Work at Height Regulations ask specifiers to consider collective measures before personal fall arrest.

Onestop designs, supplies and installs free-standing and fixed guardrail for flat roofs, plant enclosures, mezzanines and parapets. As approved installers of VersiRail and Latchways guardrail systems, we fit each run to the structure it sits on rather than forcing a catalogue kit onto a roof it was never measured for.

Free-standing, counterbalanced systems protect single-ply and membrane roofs without penetrating the waterproofing. Weighted bases hold the posts, so the membrane stays intact and the warranty on the covering is not put at risk. Fixed rails are used where a parapet, steel upstand or concrete edge can take a structural fixing.

Where guardrail is the right system

Specify collective edge protection when people need regular access close to a drop, and when you want a physical barrier that does not rely on training or PPE to work. Typical applications include:

• Roof plant, AHUs, AOVs and PV arrays
• Mezzanine floors and loading edges
• Walkways and step-overs with an exposed side
• Industrial and commercial flat roofs used by facilities teams

Where a sightline must stay clear, we can specify folding or curved rails. Powder-coated and galvanised finishes are available so the installation matches the building.

Design, manufacture and handover

Every project starts with a site survey. We check the roof build-up, edge condition and how the area is actually used, then produce a design proposal with risk assessments and method statements. Our own teams manufacture, install, test and sign off the run. The same people can return for inspection and recertification on a 12-month cycle.

Guardrail is often combined with walkway systems so the protected route is obvious, and with edge protection on construction-phase edges that later become a permanent rail.

Standards

Systems are designed to BS EN 13374 and BS EN ISO 14122 as appropriate. We will confirm the exact product specification against your building, not a generic data sheet.

If you are choosing between a rail and a personal lifeline, read when to specify a guardrail or a Constant Force line, then book a free site survey.