Freestanding Roof Edge Protection
Freestanding, counterweighted roof edge protection for flat roofs up to 3°. No drilling. Free design service and a quote within one hour.
Not Sure What You Need?
Send a sketch, a photo or your measurements. We draw it up free and quote within one hour.
Freestanding Roof Edge Protection: What It Is and Who It Is For
Our freestanding roof edge protection is the Defender system: a counterweighted, collective guardrail that sits on a flat roof with no drilling, no fixings through the membrane and no repair to the roof afterwards. It suits flat or nearly flat roofs up to 3° pitch, uses 1100mm factory preassembled uprights with open cradle fittings, and can be configured to satisfy the requirements of BS EN 13374 Class A.
It is built for building owners, facilities teams, maintenance contractors and installers who need a permanent barrier along a roof edge, around plant or along a walkway. We hold it in stock with next-day delivery on stock orders, cut the rail tube to length free, quote within one hour in working hours and offer a free design service if you need a layout drawn up.
Economy, Standard and Plus: The Three Systems
All three share the same feet and rail tube. They differ in counterweight arm length, counterweight spacing and number of rails.
| System | Uprights and rails | Counterweights | Choose it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 1100mm uprights, top rail and mid rail | 2000mm counterweight tubes, a counterweight at up to 4000mm centres | A simple, cost effective way to protect a roof edge where there is room behind it |
| Standard | 1100mm uprights, top rail and mid rail | Shorter 1000mm counterweight tubes, fitted on every upright, at up to 2000mm centres | Restricted roof areas where a long counterweight arm will not fit |
| Plus | 1100mm curved uprights, three rails | Shorter 1000mm counterweight tubes, fitted on every other upright, at up to 4000mm centres | Added security from a third rail, a neater look, and restricted roof areas |
On all three, uprights are spaced at no more than 2000mm centres. The same system is used inside buildings on cold store and plant room roofs: see internal edge protection.
How Counterweighted Roof Edge Protection Works
Each upright stands on a galvanised malleable iron foot with a protective rubber base. A tube runs back from the foot to a curved PVC counterweight moulded from recycled material. The counterweights sit on the roof behind the edge. Each is slim and is deemed a low trip hazard. Nothing is fixed into the roof, so there are no holes to seal and no membrane repair.
At a free end, where the run stops in open roof, a heavier run end counterweight goes on the first or last upright, with a standard counterweight on the next upright along. A closed run, one with no free ends, does not need run end counterweights. A run can also be finished with a D return, formed with 90° elbows so the tube does not need bending.
Rails are 48.3mm (size 8) galvanised tube, dropped into the open cradles and locked with a setscrew. Key clamp fittings join and finish the rails: A8 external connectors for in-line joints, A6 90° elbows for square corners and D returns, A27 variable elbows for other angles, A10 wall flanges to end a run at a wall, and A68 end caps. On Economy and Standard systems, top and mid rail joints go in separate bays at least 2000mm apart. On Plus, the top and bottom rails can be joined in the same bay, with the mid rail joint in a separate bay at least 2000mm away. The base fitting lets you set uprights up to 11° from vertical.
The foot has an integral toeplate facility, a fundamental requirement where the roof edge has no upstand.
Not Sure What You Need?
Send a sketch, a photo or your measurements. We draw it up free and quote within one hour.
Specification and Component Weights
Figures from the manufacturer's manual. Use them to check the roof can carry the system plus its users.
| Component | Detail | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Economy and Standard upright | 1100mm, factory assembled with two cradles, base and end cap | 12kg each |
| Plus upright | 1100mm curved, factory assembled with three cradles, base and end cap | 16kg each |
| Counterweight, 2000mm | Economy system | 32kg each |
| Counterweight, 1000mm | Standard and Plus systems | 29kg each |
| Run end counterweight | Two counterweights, locking collars, short tee, 2000mm tube and solid bar | 68kg each |
| Rail tube | 48.3mm galvanised | 3.6kg per metre |
| Design load | Maximum horizontal load applied perpendicular to the top rail | 300 N/m without deflecting more than 30mm |
How to Choose the Right System
- Space behind the edge. Economy needs room for a 2000mm counterweight arm. If there is less, price Standard or Plus.
- Free ends or a closed run. Every free end needs a run end counterweight. A run that meets itself, or finishes at walls, does not.
- Upstands and parapets. The manual requires an upstand or parapet wall at least 150mm high within 2000mm of any intended Defender location. Where the edge itself has no upstand, add toeplate.
- Roof surface and pitch. Maximum 3° pitch. The manufacturer's documents list asphalt (the manual specifies Spartan tiles), coated steel sheeted, concrete, mineral felt and PVC membrane roofs.
Where It Can Be Used
- Permanent edge protection that can be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere on the roof, if reinstalled to the instructions.
- Guarded walkways across a roof, and guarding around skylights and air conditioning units.
- Around plant and access points. Combine it with self-closing gates at ladder tops, step-over platforms across pipes and cables, and skylight guardrails or rooflight covers for fragile rooflights on the same roof.
At the Runnymede on Thames, around 80 linear metres for a new flat roof were quoted the same day and delivered the next working day. On a job with two roofs full of corners and acute angles, we replied in under an hour, and the components were packed separately with tube bundled and labelled for each roof area to suit a tight crane window.
Before you order, check that the roof structure can take the weight of the system plus the people using it. If there is any doubt, have a structural engineer inspect it. The roof surface must be clear of stones, debris, snow, ice and anything else that could affect the system. Defender must never be used as an anchor point for PPE or for lowering or securing loads.
Standards and the Duty Holder
- BS EN 13374 Class A. The system can be configured to satisfy its requirements.
- BS EN ISO 14122 Part 3. The Defender leaflet states the systems satisfy its requirements, supported by CERAM certification: test report BT0777TJB for Economy and Standard, and BT07505TJB for Plus.
- HSG 33. A bolt-on toeplate is available to comply with it.
The manual says installers should be familiar with EN ISO 14122 Part 3, HSG 33 (Health and safety in roof work) and HSE INDG 284 (Working on flat roofs). It puts a duty of care on the building owner or manager: use the system only as intended, check it regularly, allow only trained and authorised users, keep the manual next to the installation and, where possible, link it into the building's lightning protection. Whether a finished installation complies depends on how it is installed and used, which sits with the installer and the duty holder.
Materials, Finish and Service Life
Fittings and tube are hot-dip galvanised to BS EN ISO 1461; counterweights are recycled PVC. No welding, bending or special tools: setscrews tighten with a hex key.
- Metalwork: generally indefinite service life, though it may deteriorate with time and weather.
- PVC counterweights and rubber pads: 20 years at -10°C to +40°C.
- End of life: apart from the PVC weights and rubber mats, the system is mostly ferrous metal and can go to a scrap metal facility.
How to Measure Your Roof
Take these from a drawing, a sketch or a photo with dimensions marked.
- Length of edge. Measure every straight run in metres. The length sets the number of uprights.
- Free ends. Count the places where a run stops in open roof, and say whether each run is free at both ends, at one end, or closed. Tell us if you want a D return at an open end.
- Corners. Note each corner and whether it is 90° (A6 elbow) or another angle (A27 variable elbow).
- Walls and upstands. Note where a run finishes against a wall (A10 wall flange), the height of any upstand or parapet, and where there is none, so we can add toeplate.
- Roof surface, pitch and space behind the edge. Tell us the surface, confirm the pitch is no more than 3°, and measure the clear space behind the edge.
How to Order
- Send the measurements with a drawing or photo through get a quote, or call 01905 779944, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
- We reply within one hour in working hours with a component list and price. If you need a layout drawn up, our free design service will do it.
- Once the list is agreed, rail tube is cut to length free and the uprights arrive preassembled, delivered to your premises or direct to site. Stock orders go out for next-day delivery.
- Fit the system to the manufacturer's instructions, by trained and competent people.
Inspection and Maintenance
- Inspect at least once every 12 months. A designated competent person should check for movement, tightness of setscrews, corrosion, damage, and the condition of the roof next to the system. Record each inspection and any action in the inspection log.
- Stop in high wind. Installation and use should stop when the average wind speed reaches 23mph, or gusts reach 35mph or more.
- Keep it clean. Clean water and a light detergent, hosed or wiped.
- Treat any rust. The galvanised finish makes the system close to maintenance free. Lightly wire brush any signs of rust and apply two coats of zinc rich paint. Replace any fixing that shows deterioration straight away.
Why Buy Roof Edge Protection from Fisher Alvin
- Preassembled uprights. Drop the rail into the cradles and tighten.
- In stock, with next-day delivery on stock orders.
- Tube cut to length, free, so rails arrive ready to drop into the cradles.
- Quote within one hour in working hours.
- Free design service. Send a drawing or photo and we list every component.
- Founded in Birmingham in 1912.
Roof Edge Protection Questions
Does freestanding roof edge protection damage the roof?
No fixings or drilling are needed, so there is no repair to the roof membrane. Each upright stands on a galvanised foot with a protective rubber base, held by recycled PVC counterweights.
What standard does Defender meet?
Defender can be configured to satisfy the requirements of BS EN 13374 Class A. The Defender leaflet also states it satisfies BS EN ISO 14122 Part 3, supported by CERAM certification, and a bolt-on toeplate is available to comply with HSG 33.
What roof pitch can it be used on?
Flat or nearly flat roofs up to 3° pitch. For a steeper roof, talk to us before ordering.
How high is the guardrail?
All systems use 1100mm tall uprights. Economy and Standard have a top rail and mid rail; Plus has three rails on curved uprights.
Which system should I choose?
Economy where there is room behind the edge for 2000mm counterweight tubes. Standard or Plus where space is restricted, as both use shorter 1000mm counterweight tubes. Choose Plus if you want a third rail.
How often does it need inspecting?
At least once every 12 months by a designated competent person, with the result recorded in the inspection log.
Roof Edge Protection Guides and Related Ranges
Read before you measure up: our complete guide to freestanding edge protection, how counterbalanced systems avoid roof damage, why modular guardrail costs less than welded, rooftop safety compliance and key clamp handrails in edge protection. See the system on site at the Runnymede on Thames and on a roof full of corners and acute angles, or browse all projects.
Related ranges: internal edge protection, skylight fall protection, step-over platforms, self-closing gates and key clamp handrail kits. Every run is joined with the same key clamp fittings and galvanised tube we hold in stock.
Recent projects
A few of the jobs we have supplied. Every one was quoted, drawn up and delivered by the Fisher Alvin team.
Fisher Alvin Freestanding Roof Edge Protection
is a counterbalanced guardrail system configurable to BS EN 13374 Class A, that provides protection for worker safety at height. With no penetration or damage to the roof, the freestanding system is easy and quick to install and can be used on virtually any flat roof with a pitch of up to 3°.
Our counterbalanced Edge Protection System operates on a curved PVC weight, which does not damage the integrity of the roof surface. A galvanised malleable iron foot, with protective rubber base, supports the handrail post.
For more information about our Freestanding Roof Edge Protection solutions, read our brochure by clicking the adjacent image.
Edge Protection Brochure
Tell Us the Job. We Quote Within One Hour.
In working hours, with a free design service if you need the layout drawn up. Or call 01905 779944.