Installing guardrail and toe board

Guardrails against falls are required at a fall height of more than 2 m. If the fall height is 2 m or less, the knee rail and toe board may be omitted — but a top rail should still be considered. Above 2 m, all three elements must be in place before the deck is put into use.

The top handrail is 1.00 m above deck level. It is the primary guardrail you lean on and are caught by. Use the system's approved guardrail components so that the height is correct and the locking holds.

The knee rail (intermediate rail) sits approx. 0.50 m above the deck and closes the open space between the handrail and the deck, so that a person cannot slide out or fall through under the handrail. It is mandatory where the fall height exceeds 2 m.

The toe board must be at least 0.15 m high and stops tools and materials from being kicked over the edge and hitting people below. The gap between toe board and deck is kept small — as a guide max. approx. 0.03 m — so small items cannot slide underneath.

The guardrail must be able to withstand someone falling into it. It must resist a horizontal load of at least 0.30 kN and a vertical load of at least 1.25 kN in the least favourable position. That is why you must never replace a guardrail component with rope or loose tubes that have not been tested for these forces.

If the gap between the deck and the facade is greater than 0.30 m (max. 0.10 m for bricklaying and rendering work), there is effectively a fall edge on the facade side too. An inner guardrail must then be fitted, or the gap must be reduced — e.g. with a bracket that closes the gap.

Only approved guardrail elements with correct locking count as collective fall protection. A guardrail fitted with rope, wire or a loose bar does not meet the requirements and gives a false sense of security. Check that all elements are engaged and that no parts have been knocked loose during other work.

Rope and loose tubes are not guardrails — only approved, locked components count.

Guardrails are among the things most often damaged: hit by a vehicle, removed to get materials in and then forgotten. At every inspection, check that the top rail, knee rail and toe board are complete, correctly locked and without missing parts — also after other trades have worked on the scaffold.