Whenever height safety manager Felipe Suto steps onto an apartment rooftop – he is dreading what he may see.
After so many years working on high rise buildings, Felipe is an expert on anchor points and what they mean to an apartment building and its community.
“Most new builds come with Fallaccess which is to prevent falls over the edge, but very few come with the equipment which is needed to scale the building,” Felipe said.
“What ideally you want on your rooftop is anchor points as well, as these are used by all different trades for the likes of window cleaning, balcony soffit repairs, painting and the like.”
But Felipe warns that before allowing a variety of trades to install anchor points at various locations on the rooftop there are a number of checks that need to be done first.
“The rooftop in most occasions is protected by a waterproofing membrane so you if you penetrated the roof then you want to ensure that the waterproofing repairs are undertaken and your warranty not voided,” Felipe said.
“But furthermore, the anchor points that are chosen should be Australian Standard as a minimum.
“We see a number of buildings where the developer has chosen not to install anchor points as it is not required, and this leaves the cost to the Body Corporate.
“New buyers should be asking about the rooftop and access, as the builder is required to hand all records to the Body Corporate Manager at practical completion.
“Ultimately you will need anchor points at some point in order to maintain your building’s façade and we would rather they were installed from the onset.”
For those BC’s located in South East Queensland, Felipe can organise an audit of your anchor points and can be reached on 0477 016 954 (AccessPro Solutions) to arrange an appointment.
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