STR Scaffolding

Scaffolding · Surrey & South London

STR Scaffolding
Edge protection

Edge Protection & Fall Protection

Surrey & South London

What is edge protection and when is it legally required?

Edge protection is a physical barrier — guardrails, toe boards and mesh — fitted to any open edge where someone could fall. Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 you must prevent falls by collective measures like edge protection wherever it is reasonably practicable, before relying on harnesses or nets. In practice that means roof edges, flat roofs, open floor edges, stairwells, lift shafts, voids and excavations. STR Scaffolding designs and installs edge protection across Surrey and South London for roofers, solar installers, main contractors and facilities teams. Our scaffolders are CISRS-trained, we work to NASC standards and we are insured to £10 million.

Areas covered
Surrey & South London
Typical lead time
Quick-turnaround installs
Accreditation
CISRS-trained · NASC standards · £10m insured
Free quote
0203 962 1190

Edge protection is the cheapest part of a job and the part that stops it becoming a serious incident. It is also the thing HSE inspectors look at first. We install it as part of a full scaffold or as a standalone package where you already have access but need the edges made safe — a flat roof being re-covered, an open floor plate during a strip-out, or a roof where solar panels are going on.

What's included

Roof edge protection

Guardrails and toe boards to pitched and flat roof perimeters, free-standing or scaffold-tied.

Double guardrail and toe boards

Installed to the heights and spacings required by the Work at Height Regulations.

Brick guards and mesh

Stops tools and material falling through gaps onto people below.

Stairwell and void protection

Barriers to stairs, lift shafts, floor openings and excavations.

Crash decks and fans

Catch protection below overhead work and over entrances and walkways.

Inspection and certification

Handover documentation plus statutory inspections for the duration of the hire.

Where edge protection is needed

Any open edge with a fall risk needs protecting, and the regulations expect you to stop the fall happening rather than mitigate it after the fact. Collective protection — a guardrail that protects everyone on site, all the time, without them having to clip on — always comes before personal protection like harnesses. That is the test HSE applies, and it is why edge protection is a legal requirement rather than good practice.

  • Flat roof re-covering, repairs and plant installation
  • Solar PV installation on domestic and commercial roofs
  • Roofing works where full scaffold access is already in place
  • Open floor edges and slab edges during construction or strip-out
  • Stairwells, lift shafts, voids and floor openings
  • Roof-level maintenance access for facilities and managing agents
Edge protection FAQs

Yes. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require you to prevent falls using collective measures such as guardrails wherever reasonably practicable, in preference to personal fall protection. If someone can fall from an edge and you have not protected it, you are non-compliant — and it is one of the first things an HSE inspector checks.

Only where edge protection genuinely is not reasonably practicable. The regulations set a clear hierarchy: prevent the fall first with collective protection, and use harnesses and nets as a last resort. A harness relies on the worker clipping on correctly every time, which is why it sits below a guardrail that protects everyone automatically.

Yes. We regularly install standalone edge protection where you already have access — a free-standing or counterweighted system to a flat roof perimeter, or protection to open floor edges and stairwells. It is a quick install and often the only thing standing between a site and a stop notice.

The top guardrail must be at least 950mm above the edge, with no unprotected gap over 470mm — which in practice means a double guardrail — plus toe boards to stop material falling. We install to those requirements as standard and tag the installation on handover.

Yes, and it is one of our most common edge protection jobs. Solar installers need a safe working platform and a protected roof perimeter to work along the array. See our solar panel scaffolding page for how we set that up.

Standalone edge protection to a typical flat roof or perimeter is usually a same-day install, and we can often attend within a few days of your call. Larger sites and multi-level protection are programmed around your works.

Areas we cover
EpsomEwellAshteadLeatherheadBansteadTadworthSuttonCheamWorcester ParkKingston upon ThamesChessingtonSurbitonCobhamOxshottWalton-on-ThamesWeybridgeEsherPutneyFulhamWandsworthWimbledonRaynes Park
Other services
Domestic scaffoldingHomes, extensions and loft conversions.Commercial scaffoldingSites, business premises and developments.Roof & chimney scaffoldingSafe access for re-roofs and chimney work.Temporary roof scaffoldingKeep the weather out while you work.Solar panel scaffoldingRoof access built for solar PV installers.Scaffolding for flatsBlocks of flats, communal buildings and estates.

Need edges made safe?

Get a free, no-obligation quote. Call us or message us on WhatsApp — we typically reply within the hour.

0203 962 1190Get a Free Quote