Safety Considerations for Balconies

Invented over 2000 years ago in ancient Greece, the balcony remains as popular and important today as it did when it was first used. The structural beauty and importance of balconies has seen them remain common within architecture today. However, despite their beauty, balconies can be dangerous and falls from them often cause serious injury and death. In this blog, we will be talking about some safety considerations you should think about for your balcony. 

The Dangers of Balconies 

Given their positions are often elevated at some height from the ground, falls from balconies can cause serious injuries and even death. A variety of other injuries can occur on balconies that don’t involve falls. One of the other biggest risks is slips and trips. Balconies tiled with unsuitable tiling are often the cause of these injuries, with the tiles becoming slippery when wet.

Steps to Take to Make Your Balcony Safer 

Here are some of the safety considerations you should use to improve the safety of your balcony:

• Anti-slip walkways – We can supply you with interlocking anti-slip rubber tiles from Germany, which will reduce the risks of slips completely. These come with a 25-year guarantee and will significantly improve the safety of your balcony.
  
• Reinforced skylights – Skylights are common features on balconies that are built over roofs. Having heavy duty glass installed on your skylights or sun tunnels is one way to improve the safety of your balcony. The ones we install are so strong that they can be safely stood on.
  
• Barriers – A strong and tall barrier is vital for balcony safety. If you have a balcony it should have a barrier, which you should frequently check for damage. Ideally, the barrier would be above waist height for the average adult and made from strong and sturdy materials in order to stop falls occurring.
  

How We Can Help

Here at RG Leverett, we have over 20 years of experience in the roofing industry. In our time, we have worked on countless balconies and have seen first hand the risks that poorly maintained balconies can pose. This was further highlighted earlier this week when a poorly maintained walkway in Jakarta’s stock exchange collapsed, injuring 72 people. 

We recommend that you check your balcony regularly and if you do find any damage, call us immediately. We are highly experienced in working on balconies and we can supply you with a completely new and safe balcony system, guaranteed to last for 25 years. 

Noticed damage on your balcony or want to improve its safety? Call us on 01603 418818 or email us on enquiries@roofsuk.co.uk.

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