Posted By Glyn Atkinson Could any of this work be safely accessed by use of a cherry picker, or similar MEWP device, depending on the chimney location on the building? What weight is a typical flue liner?

Posted By The toecap Its working for a housing association. The flue liner cant be pushed up because it is concertina type. I think its called Kopex. A cherry picker would be out of the question due to the front garden and the slopes on the foot path. I have considered this

Posted By Robert. Toecap Agree about KOPEX. However if you have enough slack and there no excessive bends in the stack the flue should be able to be pulled / eased up. The first couple of feet coming out of the stack would be knackered. Just cut off.

Posted By Alexander Falconer Our guys normally attach harnesses to the chimney breasts where possible, however this might not be the case where these are not available. In this case we would fit eyebolts to the external walls and remove upon completion of the task in hand.

Posted By Robert Skinner Hi. We had this problem some years ago and came up with a safer system than ‘cat ladders’. First issue to consider is how many do you expect to install in any one year? If only one or two then sub contract it to a company that has already geared up. If you intend to carry out this type of work then the risks will vary dependant on the position of the chimney and the pitch of the roof. A solution is to purchase/hire a device manufactured by Easi-Dec (tel: 01 767 697 812) It provides a quick and safe working platform which allows safe installation and access to the crawler/roof ladder. This can then be secured to the platform before ascending. Please note:- This is after you have secured your self to the crawler via a proprietary fall restraint/arrest system. On reaching the chimney you may then need to secure a strap, properly designed and fit for the purpose of course, around the stack. This provides a means to attach the operatives harness (double lanyard!) Which allows them to stand up in order to feed the liner down the flue; and stops them falling over the other side of the roof! Other risks and training requirements will need to be addressed etc but at least it provides a system which prevents falls from the ridge when fitting the liner and when trying to climb onto a crawler from a ladder or even getting onto the roof. It is of course a two person task. Drop me an e-mail if you need some advice/detail on the fall arrest system and training we arranged. Regards Robert Skinner