“WEB Deck™ - The Suspended Decking Solution for Tricky Roof Access Issues
If you are the maintenance manager of a factory, call centre, stadium or aircraft hangar (to mention but a few), the last thing you want to hear is that there is a problem with the roof. In even larger, industrial-type settings, like steel plants or petrochemical facilities, roof maintenance is vital if catastrophic roof collapses are to be avoided, and such disasters do happen. A build-up of dust or sand on a roof, combined with rainwater – and given a few years without attention - can bring a roof down, without warning.
A smarter roof systems and maintenance technologies, like deluge systems, are assisting in reducing the number of accidents connected with roof collapses - but they are only part of the story. Inevitably, there will be occasions when roof panels need replacing or reglazed – or internal structural needs inspected or repaired.
Traditionally, if such a replacement required to be undertaken from inside the building then access to the roof would mean a shutdown of whatever activities were taking place at ground level.
Traditional access methods, like scaffolding, were the order of the day. Even now, scaffolding is seen by many as the ‘go-to’ solution for dealing with problems in roofing. However available scaffolding is, it comes with a dilemma for any maintenance manager considering its use. The big question being asked is this: how will my company’s productivity be affected by a shutdown? In a factory, a shutdown is often unavoidable if scaffolding has to be erected internally. The same goes for stadia and auditoria. In all cases, this loss of productivity or revenue can be expensive to the business.
WEB Deck™, seen recently at the Roof India 2022 Exhibition in Mumbai, is an excellent breakthrough solution that doesn’t rely on the ‘ground-upwards’ installation methods of traditional alternatives. Instead, WEB Deck™ - a fully engineered suspended decking system - is installed from above by trained rope-access technicians, and then left in place there until the maintenance work is complete and the system can be removed. Complete with side-containment netting, or a half-height handrail, WEB Deck™ is supremely safe for the operatives working from it.
In addition to roofing projects, WEB Deck™ has an extensive track record of success as an access system of choice for bridges, jetties and conveyors across a wide variety of industries worldwide.
Speaking at Roof India 2022, WEB Systems International Chairman, Mr Gopal Modi, said:
“WEB Deck has not to be seen as a competitor product to scaffolding. WEB Deck complements the traditional methods of access and can be a very useful ‘tool’ in a roofing – or scaffolding – companies’ toolbox. There will always be situations where scaffolding will be the correct choice. The same goes for rope access. We use a network of IRATA approved companies around the world to install WEB Deck at height. End-user customers are becoming more and more familiar with, and confident in, the benefits offered by our system. At Roof India 2022, we have been able to invite visitors to walk on the system and feel how stable it is. In my opinion, it is quite remarkable in terms of the stability it offers. Every project is individually engineered to take into account all factors that can have a bearing on the design.”
If you didn’t manage to get to Roof India, click here to can get in touch with WEB Systems International directly.