Snohomish County Public Utility District (SnoPUD), located in Everett, Washington, installed a new rooftop Air Handling Unit (AHU). Facilities personnel needed safe access to the AHU for inspections, servicing, and repair. In addition to ingress and egress, maintenance crews needed room on the platform walkways to bring equipment and tools and to work on the AHU itself. Work Safe Access was awarded the project and provided OSHA-compliant customized access systems for Snohomish County PUD. While it is standard to design for cost, it was a requirement to provide a solution with multiple exits for flow and ease of use. Other areas on the roof needed to be avoided, such as an electrical panel yet the system had to be designed to meet the electrical accessibility code. The access system also needed to be designed and installed in such a way that the newer rubberized roof would not sustain any punctures. The modular access system saved Snohomish County PUD the cost of renting a crane and the labor to operate it. Materials were hauled up via the elevator to the rooftop where installers received and assembled the system with expedience. Work Safe Access provided a site survey and recommendations. Special considerations for existing equipment, ingress and egress, workspace, and roof composition were addressed. The installation was completed within 4 hours.
