Safety ladders and roof rails can allow safe and secure access to green roofs – which could be essential during periods of high temperatures or little rainfall.
Research carried out in the US recently looked at how plants might cope with extreme weather conditions, such as the heat and low rainfall seen in south-western Ohio.
The University of Cincinnati pilot study found plants including lanced-leaved loosestrife, flowering spurge, and heath aster, did not survive on rainfall alone.
In contrast, all of the plants used in the pilot study were able to thrive with regular watering.
The study is a further reminder that roof access is likely to become increasingly necessary as roofs become more commonly used to improve the sustainability of a structure.
As well as green roofs, safety ladders and roof rails can provide a route up to maintain solar panels and solar hot water systems, which may also be fitted to the exterior of a building.
By having such precautions already in place, the temptation to scale the building with an unsecured ladder can be removed – and the safety of maintenance workers ensured.