Internal railings around a window

My loft conversion now has the insulation in place therefore I called in the BCO to give the ok to fit plasterboard. Unfortunately the usual BCO did not come. The lady BCO who arrived had a new idea that was not mentioned before which is to fit internal railings around a window that opens on to a flat roof.

An image of the window is here:

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outside the window is a raised flat roof with promenade tiles fitted. Beyond is the main flat roof with felt and gravel.

BCO says that although the window is the means of escape for the room it is a safety hazard because someone could fall through the open window onto the raised flat roof.

My response is that someone like my wife could not climb over the

1.1mt high railings that BCO requires therefore is in much greater danger of death by fire than damage from a fall.

It seems crazy to me to put up internal railings. Does anyone have a suggestion apart from put them up and take them down later?

Brian

Reply to
briandotdrury
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could you make the windows only open a few inches, but with a release to get them to open fully for use as an emergancy escape?

or put a catch net outside the window, build a balcony, wait for the usual BCO to be available and see waht he says.

Reply to
gazz

AIUI your new BCO is quite correct. Part K, protection from falling is very specific about the height of guard rails to the exterior of a building.

Reply to
dom

Doesn't the height of the possible fall come into it? What is drop from the window ledge to the surface below the window? Hard to tell from the picture but the level of the paving looks to be more or less the same as the interior floor.

I can see "them" insisting on railings around the flat roof if you don't restrict the access. But what do they mean by railings? Wouldn't a bar at the requiste height above floor level suffice. Have that just a drop fit into a couple of brackets each side. Surely the railing is there to stop accidental falling through the window and with that high cill presenting a trip hazard that is quite likely, not to prevent fairly easy egress if required.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Yes. I think guard rails are required when the drop exceeds 600mm on domestic spaces. However the BR's treat *external* fall hazards differently - and I can't recall the ins and outs without reading up. I certainly recall that the minimum height for guard rails is different (from memory 1000mm internal, 1100mm external).

No - must "not allow a 100mm diameter sphere to pass through".

I think you're correct about the adequately guarding the balcony as an alternative. If the OP has planned to do this all well and good, if not it may significantly more work than guarding the window.

Another potential problem though, is that a window guard rail of the correct height may reduce the open area below that acceptable for a means of escape window (which specifies a minimum width, minimum height and a minimum area greater than the product of the first two).

Reply to
dom

So a child safety gate as used top and bottom of stairs sort of thing is required. That might be a reasonable option for the OP, if such gates are available wide enough. I suspect that window reveal is about 4' wide so it might be tricky. IIRC from when we had littlies some gates had optional extension pieces for wider openings.

Make the guard rail removable or isn't that allowed? Stupid "safety" regulations tieing themselves in knots and making the situation worse.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

I doubt a child safety gate would do it, the one's I've seen simply couldn't withstand an adult falling against them. It would also have to be a "fixture", as the BCO will be thinking about years hence when the property may have been sold on.

As far as the dimensions for a means of escape window, I will have to modify a window that meets the requirements for width and height - but not area.

Reply to
dom

Things were different when I were a lad. Beneath my bedroom window was a re-inforced glass canopy that conveniently lead onto the flat roof where my ball had lodged - OK, so out the window, retrieve ball, back into window. Unfortunately my mother saw me, told my father and instead of just saying that's stupid because...., I got my arse tanned. Never did it again but was it necessary to use brute force to educate an intelligent 6 year old?

Rob

Reply to
robgraham

robgraham wibbled on Monday 30 November 2009 17:03

As you say, you never did it again... And from a parent's perspective, never underestimate the potential Darwinism entrained in a small boy(!)

Reply to
Tim W

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