Looking after children, especially youngsters on the autistic spectrum and those with special educational and developmental needs, is both challenging and enormously rewarding. One of the key challenges faced by those responsible for safety at schools, educational establishments and youth centres is how to make the premises as safe as possible.
Children Love to Climb
Children are naturally energetic, inquisitive and adventurous. If they see something that looks climbable, they will give it a try. And children in groups can be particularly bold. They like to try new things, show off to their friends and emulate the behaviour of older, bigger children.
Carrying out thorough risk assessment to identify all of the potentially dangerous areas where children might be tempted to climb is essential when assessing a children’s centre, school or other premises.
Aesthetic Considerations
While it’s possible to both discourage and prevent climbing onto rooftops and other structures using prominent, aggressive-looking metal spikes, this approach is entirely inappropriate for premises like this Children’s centre. A highly visible row of nasty-looking metal spikes along the front of any children’s establishment doesn’t present a very welcoming or re-assuring impression and could cause some children to experience anxiety and fear.
Children’s Centre Challenges
This UK children’s centre had a number of specific safety challenges that they needed to resolve.
Firstly, the buildings are a mix of single storey, flat-roof structures along with some pitched rooftops and multi-storey buildings. Low rooftops, especially flat roofs, are often attractive to adventurous youngsters who think they are spiderman. A single row Roller Barrier installation around the entire perimeter of these buildings has prevented easy access to the rooftops.
Another significant challenge at these premises were a number of exterior cages enclosing ventilation, air conditioning and metering equipment. These were naturally attractive to children who could potentially climb onto the housings and reach the roof. What’s more, some of these safety cages contain fast-moving ventilation fans so it’s essential that any potential for damage, which could expose the whizzing fans, was removed. Installing the Tri-guard Roller Barrier system on top of these cage housings immediately prevented children from climbing onto them and possibly causing dangerous damage.
The aesthetic appearance of the chosen anti-climb system was another primary consideration for this installation. One of the key features of Roller Barrier is that it’s no more obtrusive than the standard guttering that’s installed around most rooftops. It doesn’t look aggressive or frightening, which is vitally important for an establishment dealing with vulnerable and sensitive youngsters.
Low Cost - Easy Installation
Roller Barrier not only met all of safety and aesthetic needs for this establishment, it was also the most cost-effective solution. Installation was carried out quickly and easily by a professional installations team with minimal disruption or disturbance. The result is a children’s centre which is much safer for youngsters with barriers that don’t cause injury and don’t cause upset or disturbance due to their aggressive appearance.
Roller Barrier is manufactured in the UK by Insight Security.