Anyone working on the roof of a tram stands more than three metres above the street, next to an open edge. Buitink Technology developed an inflatable roof edge protection for this: lightweight panels that the technician places along the roof edge, and that form a sturdy wall up to 1 metre above the roof once inflated.

How it works

• Two inflatable panels per side, 2.5 × 1.7 metres and 300 mm thick, made of drop-stitch fabric at 500 mbar.
• Each panel hangs from eyes on the roof edge with carabiners and extends 0.7 metres down the side wall, where it bears against the wall.
• An aluminium tube in the top hem spreads a push or impact over the whole panel.
• The valves are on the roof side. The panels are linked for air and are inflated together from the ladder.
• Deflated, a set for a complete tram fits in two bags that travel in a service van.

Two ways of fixing

On brackets on the roof, which can stay in place on trams where roof work is frequent. Or as a saddle with straps over the roof: then nothing needs to be mounted on the tram.

The panels have been calculated for a person falling against the edge and for wind. The forces on the fixing points are known, so the brackets can be designed for them.

View it in 3D

Rotate the model and click through the steps: from folded package to working safely on the roof. (The step texts in the viewer are in Dutch.)