INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS
Don’t Compromise on Rooflight Safety or Service Life By Hambleside Danelaw Rooflights are an integral part of a metal roofing system in modern industrial buildings, bringing natural daylight into the building and thus reducing the dependence on artificial lighting. At the same time, they have to deliver structural integrity, contribute to the non-fragility classification of the overall roof and satisfy the HSE requirements for roof safety. Most reputable rooflight manufacturers can now satisfy the HSE’s preferred option of products delivering long term non-fragile performance.
importantly the rooflight assembly or configuration. Technological developments have led to the introduction of stronger thinner and lighter products, which when used in the correct assembly can give an expected service life well in excess of 30 years. It is generally accepted that the current market expectation
However, regardless of their stated non-fragility classification, industrial rooflights should never be walked on. They perform all of the functions listed above, but are not designed for foot traffic. Walking on rooflights may damage the performance, structural integrity and also risk the safety of those on the roof. The safety performance of a given rooflight must be tested as part of the whole roof assembly including all components needed to install it and the roofing system it is installed in. Successful rigorous testing in accordance with the recommendations from the Advisory Committee for Roofsafety (ACR) has seen the development of GRP rooflights which incorporate a woven continuous glass filament reinforcement mat resulting in Class B non-fragility classification for 30 years. The service life of a rooflight is dependent on several factors, most
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May/June 2021
Test rig for non-fragility testing of GRP rooflights
www.daylightingmag.co.uk
