Written by AIF member, the Edge Protection Federation – June 2025
For more information, visit the EPF website
Systemised Edge protection is a workers last line of defence when carry out high risk actives on a leading edge, therefore risks should not be taken by mixing components as you a playing Russian Roulette, not just the workers on a construction site but also with the public below.
The Mixing of System Edge Protection components is becoming common place within the construction industry in today’s world, however many of the associated risks are overlooked and ignored due to several factors. With the ever-growing costs and tighter margins available on projects people are choosing cost over safety.
Systemised Edge protection offers a complete solution mainly made up of an attachment to the structure, a post, and the Edge protection barrier. When a manufacturer designs and tests these components, they do it as a system and as such you get the reassurance that the solution has been designed and tests to the required standards (EN13374), Should they ever undertake a change to their system then you can continue to be reassured that the System will still comply to the standard and be strong enough to do its job when called upon.
When people start to mix the components from one manufacturer to another, they then take on the responsibility themselves of becoming the designer of a new system, as such they should be undertaking the same procedures that the manufactures has. The “new” solution should be fully tested to the standard (EN13374) along with having a suitable training program created for it, but of course the risks do not disappear. What happens when the original manufacture changes a components specification. The system will need to be tested once again and when systems are mixed you never know if the component being used is the new or the old one and was that part used in the testing?
Following on from several recorded near misses on sites across the UK, Several Tier 1 main contractors have reach out to us at the EPF for guidance as the risks of accidents or injury are growing by the day. Some of the reasons we are seeing for these near misses are poor product performance, no positive engagement between the barrier, posts, and attachment. No product training, poor inspection regimes.
Our stance at the EPF remains unchanged, do not take the risk and mix solutions as the consequences for both the persons it has been put in place to protect along with the untold damage it can do to your business and reputation could be catastrophic.
