Camway Facilities
See how we created a bespoke horizontal wire system for Camway Facilities.
Client brief
Camway Facilities Maintenance Limited requested that Arco Professional Safety Services carry out a survey of floors 10 & 11 balconies at Beaufort House located in central London with a view to recommending suitable safety provisions in order to facilitate a safe method of working for both planned and reactive maintenance operations.
To minimise disruption to the numerous business tenants on floors 10 and 11 of Beaufort House, Camway Facilities Maintenance Limited specified at the tender stage that all surveying and installation works must be carried out outside normal working hours.
Our solution
To minimise work-at-height risks and ensure controlled access along the balconies, Arco Professional Safety Services first assessed suitable safety systems in accordance with the HSE hierarchy of fall protection. As the client required both planned and reactive maintenance, working at height could not be eliminated. Arco therefore initially considered collective fall prevention through perimeter guardrails, providing a passive barrier for multiple users. However, the client deemed this option unfeasible, leading Arco to specify personal protection systems instead.
Given the limited balcony width and restricted fixing points, a fall restraint system was not viable. Consequently, Arco specified horizontal cable-based fall arrest systems on all eight balconies to minimise fall distance and consequences. Each system was mounted on bespoke posts fixed to the structural concrete beneath the aluminium cladding using chemical resin, delivering a robust and aesthetically pleasing finish.
To ensure safe installation, Arco conducted a full risk assessment and implemented temporary restraint lines anchored to internal structural columns, supplemented by pre-tested fixed posts.
Benefits of our solution
When used in conjunction with the relevant proprietary transfastener, the cable system provides a hands-free fall protection solution for up to two users, enabling safe execution of all future planned and reactive maintenance tasks required by the building.
The system was engineered to limit end loads to below 19 kN. To achieve this, each installation incorporates shock absorbers to control potential fall arrest forces. In line with the Work at Height Regulations (WAHR), maintenance personnel can now perform all elevated activities safely using appropriate fall protection equipment.