Why safety netting matters

Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, collective protection comes before personal protection. Safety nets protect everyone working above them at once, so people can move freely instead of being clipped on for every task.

FASET, the Fall Arrest Safety Equipment Training organisation, sets the UK standard for who can install nets and how. Nets have to be installed by trained operatives to BS EN 1263-1 and 2, the standards that cover the nets themselves and how they’re positioned.

Rope access and netting, together

Most netting is rigged from MEWPs or scaffold towers. That works on simple structures, but not on steep roofs, soft or uneven ground, live buildings, or structures full of machinery or livestock. Our FASET-trained operatives work on IRATA rope access, rigging nets from anchor points above, so the floor below stays in use.

Where we install nets

  • Construction sites, for steel erectors, roofers and other trades at height
  • Solar installations on commercial and agricultural roofs (see below)
  • Agricultural barns and large-span rural buildings
  • Warehouses and industrial units, without shutting down the floor
  • Heritage buildings, where scaffold contact isn’t allowed

Solar panel safety netting

Solar work on commercial and farm roofs means fragile roof sheets, rooflights and open edges. Safety netting sits just below the roof as a collective fall arrest system, so installers can move freely across the roof instead of relying only on harnesses and lanyards.

Solar panels covering large commercial roofs
Large solar roofs like these need collective fall protection while the panels go in.

How we install for solar

  1. Survey and plan: we check the roof structure to find the right rigging points and net sizes.
  2. Rig on rope: our FASET-trained operatives rig the nets from the roof structure using IRATA rope access, usually without any MEWPs.
  3. Hand over: nets are tagged and a handover certificate is issued before your installers start work.

Keeping it safe during the job

  • Identify fragile sections, rooflights and leading edges before any panels go up
  • Install netting before teams go onto the roof
  • Have nets inspected by a competent person every 7 days while the job runs

What’s included

  • A site assessment to confirm anchor points and net layout
  • A site-specific RAMS before any work starts
  • Installation to BS EN 1263-1 & 2 by FASET-trained operatives
  • IRATA Level 3 supervision throughout
  • LOLER and PUWER equipment records
  • A handover certificate for your site records and CDM file
  • Removal at the end of the job

Scaffolding company? See our netting partnership.