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Installed facade ladders

Façade ladders are recommended at access heights or level changes between 5 and 8 metres.

Façade ladders over 4 metres shall have a means of serving as an anchoring device for personal fall protection. In order to guarantee an acceptable durability of the façade ladder, it is most often appropriate to interconnect the façade ladder with the roof ladder. This can be done with handrails and struts in against the roof/roof ladder.

Back guards are not considered to be fall protection according to directive AFS 1999:3.

Remember that

Back guards are not considered to be fall protection.

Back guards may be in place to increase safety when climbing ladders.

However, back guards are not considered to be fall protection in accordance with AFS 1999:3, which is why personal fall protection, e.g., step grapples, or personal fall protection and vertical fixed draglines or rail systems, must be used.

Fixed dragline or rail systems are recommended for ergonomic reasons.

Observe that the vertical ladders must withstand the use of personal fall protection.. Check the mounting to the façade or to the roof/roof ladder.

End approximately 3 m above the ground

The lower end of the façade ladder shall terminate approximately 3 metres above the ground in order to reduce the risk of unauthorised persons making their way up the façade ladder and onto the roof.

The accompanying loose ladder must be adapted to the façade ladder where there shall be a fixed slipguard for the loose ladder.

The loose ladder must be stored where unauthorised persons cannot use it. Within a fenced-in area, the façade ladder may reach all the way down to the ground. The lowest rung may in that case be 300 mm from the ground.

Increased safety at transitions

For increased safety at transition roof ladders, walkways or roofs, handrails must be put in place.

The horizontal clearance between these must be at least 600 mm.

Where a handrail is installed on the façade ladder, it must be connected with devices on the roof.

The façade ladder is installed so that

The façade ladder shall be installed so that its uppermost rung ends up approximately 30 mm over the edge of the roof or equivalent in order to obtain an acceptable support for the foot.

It must furthermore be positioned so that the transition to the roof ladder or other device can be made easily. The maximum allowable distance is 450 mm. Step measurement is a maximum of 600 mm.

Façade ladder requirements

The ladder must comply with SS 831340. Fall protection in the form of draglines or rail systems to the façade ladder must withstand a fall test in accordance with SS EN-516, as well as have a maximum distance between stop points of 300 mm.

The fixed vertical ladder must be fitted with 1-metre high handrails at the top with a distance between them of approximately 600 mm.

In order to guarantee an acceptable durability in the façade ladder, the façade ladder must be combined with the roof ladder.

What applies to existing façade ladders?

The ladder must comply with SS 831340 and can have a back guard that complies with the same standard. The back guard is not considered to be fall protection. The back guard cannot be combined with fall protection rails.

Existing older façade ladders are not designed to serve as anchoring devices for personal fall protection, for example, step grapples in double connection lines, which is why the procedure below is necessary.

It is allowed for one person, in as safe a manner as possible, to make his way up to the roof ladder or roof ridge and attach a permanent anchoring device to which one can then install a permanent or temporary anchor line or equivalent. The façade ladder is set up as soon as possible so that it can serve as an anchoring device for personal fall protection or that personal fall protection can be anchored to a particular device.

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