Posted By Emyr Evans Happy new year to you all, Has anyone any advice on where I could get guidance for working in / and above suspended ceilings. It needs to be simple - a lot of our engineers are called to install fire detection / suppression systems into client buildings and are frequently expected to work "at height" - the clients do not always have safe systems in place to sufficently address the hazards - and we do not have enough managers to assess the risks pre-agreement, so the engineers who arrive on site have to make their own assessment / safe systems. We operate across Europe, which adds to the complex nature of training our engineers.

Posted By Catman Hi Emyr I implemented exactly what Merv states above for a building services engineering company. The most important thing is ensuring the engineers have a very, very clear set of options in each case. They must have the confidence to say, 'no, none of my safe options fit here' and the managers must be trained to back them up when they get the 'i've stopped work' phone call. From experience, some of the smoke detector heads can be 6 metres above the 2.4m ceiling tiles, options are limited and a call to the clients safety department often helps persuade the client to assist you, we often had ceiling sections taken down and towers built/telescopic platforms used. We did not condone the use of the A Frame type ladder with one short section supporting a long extension ladder (looks like an upside down lower case y), yes it gets you through the tiles and up to height, but is not a safe working platform for this application. Oh and one more thing.....when the client gives you a new installation to do above a suspended ceiling, ask them how it will be maintained! Cheers TW