Bringing Roof Safety to New Heights
Starbucks was in the midst of opening a new location in Orilia, Ontario, when they noticed that the building drawings were missing a safe means of accessing the rooftop from the outside of the building. Starbucks reached out to the Skyline team to get an understanding of how they can go about ensuring safe roof access. Due to the new building being ready any day now, Starbucks required a solution that would be easy to install with a quick turnaround time from design to delivery.
Why Use a Modular Aluminum Roof Access Ladder
The height safety specialists at Skyline Group reviewed the building designs and recommended a modular aluminum cage ladder that would ensure a safe and compliant climb to the rooftop. The solution checked all of their boxes.
- Surpassed both national and local safety standards and regulations.
- Its aluminum structure and modular design made installation quick and easy.
- The aluminum material ensured that the ladder would remain looking new for years to come and protect it from rusting. Unlike a steel ladder, an aluminum ladder doesn’t require maintenance to ensure its coating remains intact. Contemplating selecting an aluminum roof access ladder versus a steel roof access ladder?
- The ladder cage adds a layer of safety when climbing, with the integrated platform and guardrail providing a safe means of stepping off the ladder onto the rooftop.
- It is not compliant or recommended to cut your ladders short, to restrict public access. This is why a lockable cage door was integrated into the design. This is common around buildings that have a lot of pedestrian foot traffic.
- The ladder and its components were all stocked in our Ontario warehouse, making a quick turnaround possible. With the ladder and its components being manufactured in aluminum, there was no need to delay the delivery in order to have the unit coated or painted.
Restricting Roof Access to the Public
During our discussions with Starbucks, they were looking to ensure that once on the roof there would be a safe means of stepping off the ladder onto the small rooftop. Due to the size of the rooftop you are always close to the edge of the roof, especially when stepping off of the ladder. This is why a walkway and guardrail system was integrated into the design of the ladder, ensuring the user would have a safe passage away from the edge of the ladder and roof. They also wanted to ensure that access to the ladder was restricted to only those employees or service personnel approved to be on the roof. As a result, Skyline introduced a lockable cage gate to the design, to restrict any unwanted access to the rooftop, while ensuring the ladder met local safety guidelines.
