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Roof Edge Protection

Simply Safer Handrails manufactures roof edge protection systems in Mildura, Victoria, and sells them direct to builders, roofers, solar installers and tradespeople across Australia. Every system is Australian made, engineer certified and built to be installed, stripped and reused on the next job.

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We sell our systems outright. We don't hire them. Most customers find the system pays for itself inside a year on scaffold hire savings alone, and after that it's an asset on the truck rather than a line item on every job. Kits start at $115 plus GST, and we deliver anywhere in Australia. Request a quote or call Maurie on 0408 596 303.

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What Is Roof Edge Protection?

Roof edge protection is a temporary guardrail fitted around the perimeter of a roof to stop people and materials falling from the edge. You'll also hear it called edge protection, roof guardrail, roof handrail, perimeter fall protection or a temporary safety barrier — they all describe the same thing.

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A typical system has three parts: a bracket that fixes to the building's structure, a post that rises from that bracket, and rails that run between the posts to form a continuous barrier along the edge. 

 

The important distinction: guardrail systems don't require a harness. Edge protection is what's known as a collective control — it protects everyone on the roof at once, without each worker needing to be individually attached to anything. That's different from a fall arrest system, where every person wears a harness clipped to an anchor point or static line.

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That difference matters more than it sounds. Under the hierarchy of controls used across Australian work health and safety law, collective controls sit above personal protective equipment. A guardrail stops the fall from happening. A harness catches you after it has already started. Edge protection is also faster to work behind — no clipping on and off, no restricted movement, and no need to train every worker in harness use before they can get on the roof.

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Roof Edge Protection Requirements in Australia

Temporary edge protection in Australia and New Zealand is governed by the AS/NZS 4994 series. Two parts of it matter to anyone buying or installing a system.

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AS/NZS 4994.1 — Temporary edge protection, Part 1: General requirements covers the design, manufacture and testing of the equipment itself. This is the part that determines whether the gear you've bought is compliant.

 

AS/NZS 4994.2 — Temporary edge protection, Part 2: Roof edge protection, Installation and dismantling covers how the system is selected, installed and taken down on site. This is the part that determines whether you've put it up correctly.

 

The distinction catches people out. You can buy a fully compliant system and still end up non-compliant on site if it hasn't been installed to Part 2. Compliant equipment and compliant installation are two separate obligations, and a site inspection can pull you up on either.

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Roof Pitch Limits


The AS/NZS 4994 series covers roofs pitched at up to 35 degrees. Above that, edge protection has to be specifically designed for the roof it's going on the standard guardrail configurations aren't assumed to hold on a steeper pitch, and in some cases a different form of fall protection is the appropriate answer.

Most residential roofs sit well inside that range. A typical tile or metal roof on a project home runs somewhere between 15 and 25 degrees, so the pitch limit rarely comes up on standard housing work. Where it does matter is steep architectural roofs, some heritage and church work, and the occasional steep-pitched extension.

If your roof is steeper than 35 degrees, call us before you order. We'll tell you what we can and can't certify for that pitch rather than sell you a kit that isn't right for the job.

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Which States Does This Apply In?

Work health and safety law is harmonised across most of Australia, and the duty to prevent falls applies nationally. New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory operate under harmonised WHS legislation. Victoria and Western Australia have their own arrangements, though the practical obligation to protect workers from falls is the same.

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As a general rule, fall protection is required for work at height above two metres, though the exact trigger and the controls expected vary by state and by the nature of the work. If you're unsure what applies to your job, check with your state regulator:

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When Is Roof Edge Protection Required?

You'll generally need edge protection whenever people are working near an unprotected roof edge and a fall is possible. In practice, that covers:

 

  • New home construction, from frame stage through to roof completion

  • Reroofing and roof restoration on existing homes

  • Solar panel installation and servicing

  • Gutter, fascia and barge board work

  • Roof plumbing, flashing and downpipe installation

  • Air conditioning and antenna installation

  • Shed and outbuilding construction

  • Commercial and tilt panel construction

  • Roof inspections and maintenance access

 

It applies whether you're on the roof for three hours or three weeks. The obligation is triggered by the risk of a fall, not by the length of the job — which is exactly why a system you own beats one you hire for short jobs.

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Roof Edge Protection Systems We Manufacture

We build fifteen systems, each designed for a different roof type, building stage or trade. All are manufactured in our Mildura workshop, and all are field tested on our own jobs before they go on sale.

 

Core Residential Systems

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Clamp-On and Roof-Mounted

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Restoration and Installation

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Specialty and Commercial

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How the System Goes Together

The systems are designed to be installed by the people using them, without specialist trades or hire company scheduling.

Posts slide into the 90-degree rail holder on the frame. Rails slide into the clamps, get lifted into position, and drop into the matching clamp on the next frame — upper, middle or lower. Tighten each clamp until the rail won't move easily, but don't overtighten, as that damages the locking clamp.

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Frames go up no more than three metres apart. At corners, frames need to be within one metre of the corner, with the supplied corner posts locking the rails together. Locking corners are required when you're protecting a patio or similar area.

Before anyone gets on the roof, run the final check: frames secured and no more than three metres apart, corner posts and locks installed, and every rail clamp tightened.

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Stripping is the reverse  corner clamps, rails and corner posts off, then the posts out of the frames, then the clamp kit unscrewed from the building. If your next job is a similar roof, the frames don't need to come apart. The T-piece and extension bar stay assembled and go on the truck ready to go.

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Installation on site is covered by AS/NZS 4994.2. Full instructions are supplied with every system, and if anything isn't clear, call us before you install it rather than after.

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How Much Does Roof Edge Protection Cost?

We publish our prices, which not everyone in this industry does. Kits start at $115 plus GST and run to $265 plus GST depending on the system.

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  • $115 — Tile Roof Safety System

  • $135 — Under Roof System, Solar Panel Handrail System

  • $165 — Clamp System, Small Handrail, Tilt Panel Handrail System

  • $175 — Pole System, Barge Gable System, Shed System, Our Plank System, Flapper Handrail on Pole, Shed Under Purlin System

  • $230 — Handrail System (600 all-thread)

  • $265 — Plank System, Double Storey Plank System

 

All prices exclude GST. Minimum order is six kits, which covers roughly 15 lineal metres — enough for a typical residential perimeter. Delivery is available Australia-wide, and freight is quoted separately based on your location.

Set against scaffold hire, the numbers work out quickly. Most customers find the system has paid for itself within a year on hire charges alone, and every job after that is running on equipment they already own.

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Buy Direct — We Don't Hire

We get asked about hire often enough that it's worth being clear: we sell our systems, we don't rent them out.

That's a deliberate choice, and it works out better for most trades. When you own your edge protection you're not waiting on a hire company's schedule to start a job or finish one. You're not paying standby charges when weather stops work for three days. You're not arguing about damage on return, and you're not building hire costs into every quote for the rest of your working life.

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Simply Safer Handrails came out of exactly this frustration. Maurie was hiring scaffold for his own jobs, got tired of the cost and the waiting, and built a system he could own instead. That was 2012. We've been manufacturing and selling them from Mildura ever since.

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Buying direct from the manufacturer also means you're talking to the people who made it. Request a quote or call 0408 596 303.

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Frequently Asked Questions​

What is roof edge protection?

A temporary guardrail fitted around a roof perimeter to prevent falls. It's made up of brackets fixed to the building, posts, and rails running between them to form a continuous barrier along the edge.

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Is roof edge protection a legal requirement in Australia?

Fall protection is required whenever there's a risk of a fall from height, and the specific trigger height and controls vary by state. Edge protection is one of the most commonly used ways of meeting that obligation because it protects everyone on the roof without individual harnesses. Check with your state regulator for what applies to your job.

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What Australian Standard applies to roof edge protection?

AS/NZS 4994.1 covers the design, manufacture and testing of the equipment. AS/NZS 4994.2 covers how it's selected, installed and dismantled on site. 

 

Do workers need a harness when using a guardrail system?

No. Guardrail edge protection is a collective control — it protects everyone working on the roof without each person being individually attached. That's one of the main practical advantages over harness-based fall arrest systems.

 

How much does roof edge protection cost?

Our kits run from $115 to $265 plus GST depending on the system, with a minimum order of six kits covering about 15 lineal metres. Delivery is quoted separately.

 

Do you hire out roof edge protection?

No — we sell only. For most trades, buying works out cheaper within about a year compared to ongoing hire charges, and you're not tied to a hire company's availability.

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Do you deliver outside Victoria?

Yes. We manufacture in Mildura and deliver Australia-wide. Freight is quoted based on your location and order size.

 

Get a Quote on Roof Edge Protection

Australian made, engineer certified, delivered nationwide. Talk to the people who manufacture it.

Call Maurie on 0408 596 303
Email maurie@simplysaferhandrails.com
Request a quote

Open 7 days, 8:00am – 5:30pm

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