Roof Railing on a Historic Rooftop in New York City
Challenge
Historical building needed to become compliant with perimeter guardrail without drilling holes in the roof.
Solution
KeeGuard's counter-weight, non-penetrating design provides ultimate strength and permanent protection without damaging the roof.
Results
Full perimeter guardrail was installed easily protecting all employees who accessed the roof.
The Challenge
Due to the age and design of the building, mounting a permanently welded guardrail to the underlying roof structure would have been extremely difficult, costly, and time-consuming. It would require putting holes in the roof membrane to find out where the guardrail could be attached, and then more openings would be necessary to secure the guardrail to the structure.
The aesthetics of the railing were important to them. Flag Waterproofing didn't want a system that would stick out like a sore thumb. Many guardrail systems only come in "safety yellow" and rely on powder coating as their only form of protection against corrosion.
In this case, a non-penetrating guardrail like KeeGuard was ideal because it eliminated the need to cut or drill holes into the roof and was able to be installed in a short amount of time.
KeeGuard was simple, straightforward, and easy to install. I look forward to installing more systems in the future.
- Thomas Delio, Flag Waterproofing & Restoration
The Solution: KeeGuard Railing
KeeGuard railing provided the high quality and non-penetrating, permanent solution that Flag Waterproofing was looking for. The counter-weight, non-penetrating design provided ultimate strength and permanent protection without any roof damage making KeeGuard the optimal solution.
KeeGuard's standard galvanized finish is corrosion-resistant, does not require additional powder coating. KeeGuard's base fitting also allowed the railing to be set back away from the edge of the roof to reduce visibility from ground level and virtually eliminate it from the sight of pedestrians.
When Flag Waterproofing was on-site and started installing the railing system, they also noticed more variance in the slope of the rooftop than was initially specified. They could quickly work around this thanks to KeeGuard's simple design and modular components by placing spacers between the base fittings and the rooftop's surface to make up the difference. In the end, KeeGuard was simple to install, and they were able to install each section in a matter of hours.
Results: Looking Back
After installation, a Fall Protection Specialist from the Simplified Safety team traveled to the site to certify the installation. The certification gave the building owner and Flag Waterproofing & Restoration the confidence and peace of mind knowing that the installation was done correctly and to the manufacturer's specifications.
