Zoontjens Biboblock® Fall Arrest System
BIBOBLOCK® FALL ARREST SYSTEM
BIBOBLOCK®
The BiboBlock® is a permanent fall arrest system for people working on flat roofs.
On flat roofs, the zone within four metres of the roof edge is generally considered to be unsafe. A good safety system is therefore necessary and a legal requirement.
Zoontjens’ patented BiboBlock® fall arrest system makes it possible to create comfortable and safe working environments on all flat roofs.
The BiboBlock® fall arrest system is a permanent system for people working on flat roofs The basis of the system is the BiboBlock®, a 192-kg concrete slab, 900 x 900 x 110 mm, with an integrated 12-mm thick stainless steel ring.
A BiboBlock® has four rubber slab carriers, and optional bituminous adhesive pads, on which the BiboBlock® is placed on the roof. A major advantage is that there is no need to bore through the roof covering and the substructure.
FEATURES
BIBOBLOCK®
FALL ARREST SYSTEM FOR FLAT ROOFS
Despite the great risk of falling when people work on flat roofs, these spaces have to be accessed regularly for maintenance and inspection. Zoontjens, a specialist in fall arrest systems, recognises safety and convenience as two essential criteria when working on roofs. Zoontjens patented BiboBlock® fall arrest system makes it possible to create comfortable and safe working environments on all flat roofs, without the need to penetrate the roof covering.
RISK
Without an excellent safety system that provides confidence to the user, there is a significant risk of falling when people work on flat roofs. The zone within 2.5 metres of the roof edge is generally considered to be unsafe. Nevertheless, flat roofs must be accessed quite frequently for inspection and maintenance work to the roof or to service items such as chimneys, satellite dishes, solar panels and façade/window cleaning systems.
RESPONSIBILITY
The employer of the people carrying out the work has an obligation to have the necessary safety facilities installed. The owners of buildings, who commission works at height, are held jointly accountable for the consequences of people falling from the roof during maintenance work. These parties become increasingly aware of their accountability and have permanent safety facilities fitted to save on the recurring costs of temporary fall-arrest measures.
SAFETY AND CONVENIENCE
Zoontjens considers safety and convenience to be essential preconditions for working on flat roofs. But the various professionals who access the roof all have their own requirements as regards safety and setting up their work environment. They all benefit from a fall arrest system which can be used rapidly and efficiently.
NO NEED TO PENETRATE THE ROOF COVERING
The BiboBlock® fall arrest system can be fitted rapidly and easily. A major advantage is that there is no need to penetrate the roof covering and its substructure, thereby avoiding the possibility of unnecessary leaks and additional maintenance. Less roof maintenance means less exposure to risk and therefore increased safety at work.
THE BIBOBLOCK® FALL ARREST SYSTEM
The BiboBlock® fall arrest system is a permanent fall arrest system for working on flat roofs. The basis of the system is the BiboBlock®, a 192‑kg concrete slab, sized 900 x 900 x 110 mm, with an embedded 12 mm thick stainless steel ring. The slab has four integral rubber carriers which may be provided with bituminous adhesive pads, on which the slab is placed on the roof, preventing the roof covering from being penetrated. The multifunctional BiboBlock® can be used to install different fall arrest facilities on the roof. Zoontjens delivers the system complete with personal safety equipment such as lanyards and safety harnesses.
INFORMATION
SECTIONAL VIEW
- Slab dimensions : 900 x 900 mm
- Material : B45 concrete
- Slab thickness : 110 mm
- Colour : Yellow
- Surface treatment : Diamond pattern
- Weight : Approx. 192 kg
RING DIMENSIONS
- Diameter : 800 x 12 mm
- Material : Stainless steel 316
DOWNLOAD
SLAB CARRIER DIMENSIONS
- Diameter : 270 x 35 mm (20 mm effective)
- Drainage clearance under the slab : Minimum 15 mm
- Material : Vulcanised rubber granulate with (or without) modified bituminous adhesive pad
INSTALLATION
The roof on which the BiboBlock® fall arrest system is to be installed, must comply with a number of design, construction, roofing and insulation requirements. Zoontjens is happy to help you determine whether a roof is eligible for the use of the BiboBlock® fall arrest system. As a rule, roofs with ballast layers have sufficient load-carrying strength. In principle, all common types of roof covering for flat roofs are suitable.
INSTALLING THE BIBOBLOCKS® ON DIFFERENT KINDS OF ROOFING
Bitumen: the rubber slab carriers under the BiboBlocks® have bituminous adhesive pads. To install the slabs the roof surface first have to be heated with a small blowtorch or a hair dryer.
PVC and EPDM: the rubber slab carriers have been impregnated with a primer. The BiboBlock® is bonded to the cleaned surface using Bibo-Fix.
RISK ASSESSMENT
Every employer is required by law to carry out a risk assessment to determine the risks run by their employees while at work.They then have to take tangible measures to eliminate these risks. Zoontjens can have a Risk Assessment drawn up for all works that have to be carried out on flat roofs.A Risk Assessment offers some starting points to determine the best application of the BiboBlock® fall arrest system.
THREE SYSTEMS
THE BIBOBLOCK® FALL ARREST SYSTEMS
The need for safety facilities on a flat roof depends on the extent to which the roof is accessed. Zoontjens has developed several BiboBlock® fall arrest systems to offer appropriate solutions for all situations.
BIBOBLOCK® ANCHOR SYSTEM
With the BiboBlock® Anchor System, the user (maximum 3), wearing a safety harness, is secured to a BiboBlock® by means of the lanyard. Whenever work has to be carried out elsewhere on the roof, the user first returns to the BiboBlock®, removes the lanyard from the BiboBlock® and walks to the next BiboBlock® to which the lanyard is secured again. The BiboBlock® Anchor System is particularly suited to situations where the roof is accessed infrequently to frequently.
BIBOBLOCK® CABLE SYSTEM
With the BiboBlock® Cable System a maximum of three users attach their safety harnesses and lanyards to a permanent horizontal steel cable system, enabling them to access all parts of the roof without having to disconnect their lanyards. To use this system, a galvanised steel adapter is installed on every BiboBlock® and a stainless steel cable is attached to the adapter.
A shuttle runs along this cable, without being obstructed by the intermediate supports. The personal lanyard is attached to the shuttle to provide optimum freedom to move. With this system the BiboBlocks® can be put maximum twelve metres apart. The BiboBlock® Cable System is excellently suited to flat roofs which have to be accessed for maintenance very frequently.
BIBOBLOCK® LIFELINE SYSTEM
The BiboBlock® Lifeline System involves a temporary mobile lifeline being attached between two BiboBlocks®. Maximum three users attach their personal lanyards to this lifeline. By choosing the BiboBlock® Lifeline System users opt for more freedom to move than with the BiboBlock® Anchor System.
There is no need to disconnect lanyards to carry out work safely on another part of the roof, one only needs to re-attach the lifeline. With this system, the BiboBlocks® can be placed up to twenty metres apart. This depends on the height of the roof and/or height differences in the roof. This makes the BiboBlock® Lifeline System an economic system which is mainly suitable for situations where the roof is accessed rarely to regularly. The Lifeline system can only be used on Bitumen and EPDM roofs.
COMBINATION
Three different systems can be used in combination with the BiboBlock®. The Bibo Anchor and the Bibo Lifeline are intended for occasional to medium-intensity use and the Bibo Cable for intensive use.
BIBO OCTO
The Bibo Octo is the divisible version of the BiboBlock. The Bibo Octo was developed specifically for those locations where cranes cannot be used to lift a BiboBlock onto the roof. The Bibo Octo consists of eight elements and is very easy and quick to assemble.
