Electrical, gas, heating and ventilation ducting and supplies are typically located within the roof void above a suspended ceiling in most buildings. Safely accessing them for routine maintenance is always a challenge, as the spaces themselves are congested.
When this task is above a Hospital Sterilisation Decontamination Unit (HSDU), where any breach of the ceiling has the potential to close the unit and delay operations, the job becomes even more critical.
Working with the Maintenance Engineers at a Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Planet Platforms designed, manufactured, and installed a roof void walkway system that ensured personnel were always working safely.
There were many challenges along the way before the project could be fully handed over.
There was a rigid schedule of works consisting of three site surveys from 5am-8am, and a 5 day install between the times of 6am-9am, when the hospital closed the HSDU for these work to be carried out.
Additionally, access to roof void through 1000mm x 1000mm hatch, so all materials had to
pass through this aperture. Furthermore, ambient temperature within parts of the roof void were 50°C around certain pipes, giving an environment that was difficult to work in for long periods of time.
In total 70 linear metres of walkway were installed in 8 specific areas above the HSDU. These works to be carried out were fitted with radiused handrails and decking in 9mm non-slip plywood to reduce the overall weight, giving the Maintenance Engineers a completely safe platform to carry out their periodic inspections.
