Read our article to help you choose the right roof anchor for your requirements.
Roof anchor types & fixing methods
Roof anchor points can consist of Rope Access / Abseil Anchor Points & Fall Arrest Anchor Points. They form part of a complete working at height system, which includes Personal Protective Equipment such as Safety Harnesses, Lanyards and Inertia Reels. Where a permanent anchor point is not available, Temporary Roof Anchors may be used instead.
The main types of Anchor Point fixings are Surface Mounted (Directly to the metal roof using screws or rivets), Purlin Mounted (Directly into the Purlin Itself), Concrete Mounted (Glue in or Friction Fixed) and Steel Fixed.
Choosing a roof anchor for your roof type
The roof decides the anchor. Every product below is rated for a specific fixing method, and fitting the wrong one to the wrong substrate is the most common mistake in this category.
Metal and corrugated roofs. The most common roof in Australia and the widest choice here. Surface mounted anchors such as the Ferno Hi Safe RA10 from $119 and the Ferno SURFACElok at $229 fix directly to the roof sheet with screws or rivets. Purlin mounted anchors such as the Kattsafe Purlin Mount Anchor at $99 and the B-Safe Low Profile Purlin Roof Anchor at $123.44 pass through the sheet and fix into the purlin below, which is the stronger fixing where the purlin can be located. The SafetyLink RetroLink range at $196.85 covers flat and raised purlin profiles.
Tile roofs. Tiled roofs need an anchor designed to fix into the batten or rafter beneath the tile without loading the tile itself. The Skylotec Dafix Roof Tile Anchor Point at $200 is the option in this range.
Concrete. Concrete anchors fix either chemically or mechanically. The BTS Concrete Anchor Point with a 360 degree swivel eye at $66.36 and the Ferno Concrete Anchor Point Kit at $209 cover most fixings, and the SpanSet Anchor Point CT04 at $254.96 is the permanent concrete option. Glue in and friction fixed anchors carry additional test requirements at inspection, so check the manufacturer's documentation before you specify one.
Steel and structural. Where there is structural steel, a weld on or bolt on anchor is the simplest permanent fixing. The B-Safe Weld On Anchor Point at $69.93 and the BTS Bolt On Anchor Point at $67 are the entry options. For steel beams, the Skylotec Beamtac 2.0 at $485 and the Ferno Fixed Beam Anchor range from $492 clamp to the beam without any modification to the structure.
If you are not sure what your roof is built from, send us a photo of the roof sheet and the fixing point and we will tell you which anchors suit it.
Permanent and temporary roof anchors
The second decision is whether the anchor stays on the building.
A permanent anchor is fixed once and left in place. It suits any building where roof access is planned and repeated: solar maintenance, air conditioning plant, gutter cleaning, telecommunications. Permanent anchors in this range start at $66.36 and cover metal, tile, concrete and steel fixings. Once installed, permanent anchors must be inspected and recertified at the interval set out in AS/NZS 1891.4, which is currently twelve months, by a competent person.
A temporary anchor goes on with the job and comes off with it. It suits contractors working across many sites and any situation where the roof cannot be permanently modified. The range covers ten temporary options from the Ferno EDGE LOK from $74 through the Kattsafe Spyda at $248 and the SpanSet FastLink at $425 to the Skylotec Jambtac mobile door anchor at $1,350. For static line and multi point temporary systems, see our temporary anchor range, or browse our anchor slings and tie-off adaptors for other temporary options.
Most contractors carry both. The permanent anchors go on the buildings they maintain and the temporary anchors travel in the van.
