BS 6180:2011
Parapet Guardrail
A strong, adjustable guardrail providing collective fall prevention in residential and commercial settings. Galvanised steel posts and anchor bolts fix to the top of a wall or parapet to create a secure barrier.
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Roof edge protection
Kee Guard® Rooftop Guardrail
Protect everyone on your roof from day one. A Kee Guard® rooftop guardrail puts a permanent barrier between your team and falls from the roof edge: collective fall protection around the rooftop perimeter, working every hour of every day without harnesses, clip-on procedures or supervision.
- BS EN 13374 Class A
- BS EN ISO 14122-3
- Fixing
- None. Counterweighted bases, no roof penetration
- Roof types
- Flat and low-slope, up to around 10°
- Rail height
- 1100 mm permanent guardrail
- Installation
- Typically one to three days, no hot work
- Aftercare
- Annual testing by a competent person
Freestanding by design
These guardrails are fully freestanding. Counterweighted bases hold the rooftop guardrail system in place through mass and footprint alone, so nothing is drilled through the roof surface. That makes Kee Guard the standard roof edge protection for flat and low-slope commercial rooftops, and the first choice where penetrative fixings would void the roof warranty.
Collective protection, the way UK regulations prefer it
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 set a clear hierarchy for preventing falls from height: collective protection comes before personal protective equipment. Rooftop guardrails sit at the top of that hierarchy because they protect passively. Once installed, a single guardrail system protects every worker, surveyor and contractor on the rooftop at once, and safety stops depending on individual behaviour. For everyday rooftop access, maintenance rounds, HVAC inspection, solar work and gutter clearing, roof guardrail systems deliver continuous edge protection with minimal effort.
Freestanding, non-penetrative and low maintenance
Kee Guard guardrails resist wind and impact loads through counterweighted bases, keeping fall protection in place without a single fixing. The roof membrane stays intact, the roof warranty stays valid, and the installation completes without involving the roofing manufacturer. The modular design pairs galvanised steel rails and uprights with recycled PVC counterweights, built for coastal, urban and industrial environments, so these guardrail systems need very little maintenance across a long service life. More than 50,000 Kee Guard installations are in service worldwide, preventing falls on roofs in every climate.
Rooftop guardrail systems for every roof type
Rooftops vary, and the Kee Guard range covers the variations so roof edge protection runs continuously around the building: Mantech surveys the whole rooftop, matches each guardrail system to its area and specifies one coherent scheme across all the roof types on the building.
- Parapet guardrail, built from galvanised Kee Klamp® fittings, bolts to existing parapets and raises them to a compliant 1.1 metre height.
- Kee Guard for Metal Roofs uses the roof-fixed Kee Guard Top Fix system for standing seam and profiled metal roofs up to 45 degrees.
- Kee Guard for Narrow Spaces uses a compact counterweighted base for tight rooftop walkways and plant enclosures.
How it's built
Anatomy of a Kee Guard system
Four components, no fixings. Select a number to see what each part does.
Specifications
Performance & standards
- Edge protection standard
- BS EN 13374 Class A
- Permanent means of access
- BS EN ISO 14122-3
- Wind load
- BS 13700:2021, calculated for your site's height, exposure and design wind speed
- Top rail height
- 1100 mm
Construction
- Rails & uprights
- Galvanised steel
- Counterweights
- Recycled PVC
- Fixing method
- Freestanding, non-penetrative
- Accessories
- Mid rail, toe boards, self-closing gates, raked (11°) and radiused sections, corner and level-change fittings.
- Finish options
- Galvanised to BS EN ISO 1461 as standard. Powder coating in any RAL colour at extra cost.
Application
- Roof pitch
- Flat and low-slope, up to around 10°
- Roof surfaces
- Single-ply membrane (PVC, TPO, EPDM), built-up felt, composite, concrete
- Typical install
- One to three days
- Inspection
- Annually, by a competent person
Standards
Testing, standards and compliance
Kee Guard guardrails are tested and certified to BS EN 13374 Class A, the standard for roof edge protection, and to BS EN ISO 14122 Part 3 for permanent means of access. Guardrail testing continues after installation: falls at the roof edge remain a leading cause of serious injury in UK roof work, and annual testing checks counterweights, fixings and rails against the original specification, so the guardrails comply and the records prove it.
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BS EN 13374
Class A
The standard for roof edge protection
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BS EN ISO 14122-3
Permanent access
Covering routine rooftop use
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BS 13700:2021
Counterweighted guardrails
Tested against your site's height, exposure and design wind speed
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WAHR 2005
Annual testing
Condition, structural integrity, counterweights, fixings and rails
Your handover pack
Ready to hand straight to an HSE inspector or insurer.
- Certification
- Wind-load calculation
- Competent-person sign-off
- Installation diagram
- 12-month inspection schedule
Not sure it suits your roof?
Book a survey and get the wind-load calculation included in your quote.
How it works
From survey to handover
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01 · SURVEY
FreeSite visit and wind-load calculation
Every project starts with a survey of the roof and the wind-load calculation for your building.
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02 · QUOTE
Fixed priceA fixed price for your roof
The calculation and the measured edge length give an exact quote, not an estimate.
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03 · INSTALL
No hot workOne to three days
Installation is modular and tool-light, so a typical rooftop guardrail system goes in without hot work or downtime.
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04 · HANDOVER
Audit-readyCertification and the paperwork
You receive the certification, the calculation, a competent-person sign-off, an install diagram and the 12-month inspection schedule — ready to hand straight to an HSE inspector or insurer.
Recent work
Distribution centre, South West
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420 m
freestanding guardrail
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2 roofs
walkways + skylight protection
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< 1 month
survey to handover
Surveyed, quoted and installed within a month — and the handover pack made our HSE audit painless.
Is freestanding right for your roof?
A good fit when
- Your roof is flat or pitched under 10°
- You can not (or do not want to) penetrate the membrane
- The roof is accessed for maintenance, plant or gutters
- You need protection installed quickly, on a live site
Consider instead
- Fixed guardrail — parapets and plant platforms with solid fixing points
- Folding guardrail — street-visible edges on listed or landmark buildings
- Horizontal lifeline — steep pitches or roofs accessed only rarely
30-second check
Which guardrail does your roof need?
Answer two questions and we'll point you to the right system. Your survey confirms it on site.
What does the roof edge look like?
Is the edge visible from the street on a listed or landmark building?
Right system for your roof?
Book your site survey today. We will measure the roof, run the wind-load calculation and quote the exact guardrail scheme your building needs.
FAQs
Questions about rooftop guardrails
Can't see yours? Our team answers on the phone, no sales pitch.
What is the railing around the edge of a roof called?
A rooftop guardrail, also called roof edge protection or a roof safety railing. Where the barrier forms part of the building structure it is a parapet, and where parapets are too low a parapet guardrail raises them to a compliant height. All of these are forms of collective fall protection that prevent falls from the rooftop.
What are the rules for guardrails on UK roofs?
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require edge protection wherever falls are possible, and Regulation 7 puts collective protection first. Schedule 2 sets a 950mm minimum top rail for construction work, covered by BS EN 13374. Permanent rooftop guardrail systems are designed to 1100mm under BS EN ISO 14122 Part 3 and BS 13700:2021, with a mid rail and toe boards where needed and the guardrail system inspected annually by a competent person.
Does a Kee Guard rooftop guardrail need roof penetration?
No. The counterweighted bases hold the guardrail system in place through mass and footprint, so the rooftop surface stays intact and the roof warranty stays valid. This non-penetrative approach is the standard specification on single-ply membrane (PVC, TPO, EPDM), built-up felt and composite roofs.
What roof types suit rooftop guardrail systems?
Flat and low-slope rooftops up to around 10 degrees, across membrane, felt, composite and concrete surfaces, including roofs with low parapets. Standing seam and profiled metal roofs with pitches up to 45 degrees use the Kee Guard for Metal Roofs variant, and narrow rooftop walkways use the compact base version. A survey confirms the configuration, so the guardrails cover the risk of falls across the whole roof.
How often should rooftop guardrails be tested?
Annual testing of the guardrail system by a competent person is the baseline, covering visual condition, structural integrity, counterweights and fixings, with records kept. Quick visual checks before each rooftop visit are good practice. Mantech runs scheduled guardrail testing through our inspection service.
Can guardrails be combined with a lifeline?
Yes, and many rooftops use both. The guardrail system protects the main perimeter, and a Kee Line® lifeline covers work areas where a barrier is impractical, such as gutter runs or rooflight zones. The regulations support this layered approach to fall protection, with collective protection first, so the risk of falls is managed across the whole roof.
Related systems
Other guardrail systems for edges this one does not suit.
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BS EN 13374
Fixed Guardrail
Bolted to the structure for parapets, walkways and plant areas where a permanent rail is right.
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BS 13700:2021
Folding Guardrail
Folds flat when not in use — for listed buildings and facades where sightlines matter.
Get a fixed quote for your roof
Mantech has surveyed, installed and recertified Kee Guard guardrails across UK retail, warehousing, healthcare and public sector estates for over 25 years. Our teams hold Safe Contractor accreditation, one team handles survey, installation and annual testing, and our Kee Safety certification keeps the manufacturer warranty intact. Where guardrails are impractical, we add a Kee Line® lifeline so the whole rooftop gets fall protection from a single design brief. Book your site survey today. We will measure the roof, run the wind-load calculation and quote the exact guardrail scheme your building needs.