BILCO UK LTD
PAVILION 7, FORNHAM BUSINESS CENTRE
HALL FARM, FORNHAM ST MARTIN
BURY ST EDMUNDS
SUFFOLK IP31 1SL
Tel: 01284 701696
Fax: 01284 702531
Suppliers of: access doors floor access doors roof access hatches roof access hatches roof fire vents roof smoke vents automatic roof smoke vents bs 7346 roof smoke vents bs 558 smoke vents en 12101
Bilco UK Ltd Supply a range of roof access hatches, smoke vents, floor doors, floor access covers, fall protection products and commercial escape & access ladders.
Based in Suffolk, Bilco can supply the construction trade with a range of standard roof hatches, smoke vents, and floor doors in various sizes and materials direct from stock, delivered by a nationwide pallet-line system or dedicated consignment. Bespoke items can also be undertaken with the assistance of our technical team.
NSHEV (Natural Smoke & Heat Exhaust Ventilators)
CE Marking: Bilco UK complies with all CE Marking legislation. See our website for our declaration of conformity.
Useful Resources:
- Bilco Assist: Use Bilco assist to identify the essential design considerations required to ensure safe access points onto flat roof areas
- BIM Models: Click Here
- NBS Specifications: Click Here
- CAD Drawings: Click Here
- Installation Videos: Click Here
- Find out more about the RIBA Accredited CPD: Safe Access All Areas Click Here
- View the Howe Green entry on BPi: Click Here
Bilco supply the following ranges:
Roof Access Hatches:
Roof access hatches provide access to the roof areas for routine maintenance and inspection as well as for servicing of HVAC systems and other roof mounted equipment. They are ideally suited for use in office buildings, flats, factories, warehouses, retail stores, shopping complexes, hotels, manufacturing plants, hospitals, schools, auditoria and sports facilities where roof access is a requirement.
Natural Smoke & Heat Exhaust Ventilators (NSHEV) - CE Marking Compliant:
Natural smoke vents help vent smoke and gases from burning buildings primarily to provide clearer means of escape for individuals within the building. They also aid firefighting visibility when entering the building to fight the fire and reduce the lateral spread of the fire. Used widely in stairwells, corridors, smoke shafts and on roof areas of factories, warehouses, auditoria and retail facilities. CE Marked Compliant.
Bilco natural smoke and heat exhaust ventilators are manufactured to comply with all the latest regulations including the Construction Products Regulation 305/2011. All standard vents are supplied CE marked and with a Declaration of Conformity and are manufactured to meet the demands of Building Regulations, Approved Document B, BS9999 and EN12101-2.
Safety Products:
Bilco can also supply a range of Safety Products to offer fall protection and safety in accessing roof and floor areas. Bilco can also supply intruder protection systems to safeguard against trespass.
Ladders / Step Over Ladders / Roof Mounted Walkways:
Bilco supply a comprehensive range of ladder and walkways for roof access. These include Fixed Vertical Ladders (with or without Safety Cages & Guardrails), retractable ladders and loft ladders; as well as a reange of roof mounted walkways to provide safe access to rooftops.
Floor Access Doors and Howe Green Access Covers:
Our range of floor access solutions includes through-floor doors and the industry standard for accessing underfloor services - Howe Green floor access covers.
Further technical information is available to download from the BPi download Library
Bilco - Three things to consider when specifying Roof Access Hatches
When choosing roof access hatches for commercial or residential projects, there are a number of factors that must be addressed at the initial design stages in order to not only achieve a successful specification, but also deliver safe and sufficient access for the entire lifecycle of the building. Here Tony Stevens, Technical Estimator at Bilco UK, discusses which factors should be taken into consideration when selecting Roof Access Hatches:
1) Purpose for access
Whether for the education, healthcare, leisure or commercial sectors, roof access hatches are required to provide permanent and secure access to the roof area. In order to make sure you’re choosing the correct system to meet your project’s unique requirements, you must first identify the main reason for requiring access to the roof.
Is it purely for maintenance reasons? Or will a safe means of access also be required for the regular installation or removal of equipment from the roof?
Here you should also identify what tools and equipment will need to be transferred through the access hatch, or whether it will just be the individual themselves that is conducting the necessary work.
2) Frequency and product specification
Once you have established your reason for requiring safe access to the roof, you will then be able to make an informed choice regarding which roof access hatch and corresponding ladder system is best suited to meet the needs of your project.
It is important to specify the correct Roof Access Hatch and Ladder combination to ensure that access from the ladder, through the roof access hatch, is as safe as possible.
For example ,a small roof access hatch should be accessed via a fixed vertical ladder, which is also the most suitable option for projects where space is limited. Alternatively, if you use a companionway ladder or a retractable ladder, the roof access hatch length must be extended to around 1500 mm in order to provide for easy and safe access.
However, here it should be noted that a minimum head clearance of 120mm is required and that the maximum single climb is no more than three metres, in accordance with BS4211-7.2.
Regardless of the size of the roof access hatch, the system should be operated easily and safely with one hand, in accordance with the requirements outlined within the Manual Handling Regulations, enabling the individual to maintain three points of contact with the fixed ladder.
During the installation process, the ladder must be positioned opposite the hinge to ensure safe and unobstructed access.
If access to the roof is required on a regular basis for professionals that will have to transfer tools and equipment through the hatch, a Fixed Staircase Roof Access Hatch, also known as a Service Stair Roof Access Hatch, should be specified with a Companionway Ladder or a Fixed Staircase.
It should here be noted that the roof hatch must be sufficient to maintain a head clearance of 2000mm, as detailed in Building Regulations Part K.
3) Bespoke requirements
To ensure all the criteria are successfully met, you should also consider whether a custom made roof access hatch should be chosen to ensure each of these areas is adequately fulfilled.
This includes options such as Bilco UK’s SKY Flatglass, which functions as both a Roof Access Hatch or a Smoke Ventilator, and is supplied with a clear, translucent lid to enable natural daylight into specific areas of the building, without impeding the functionality and accessibility of the hatch.
Increased access opening sizes or double leaf configurations should also be explored where access is required for larger items of equipment or tools. Motorised options also allow the individual to safely maintain contact with the ladder when entering or exiting the hatch.
By working closely with a manufacturer at the initial stages of a project, you can ensure that each of these important factors have been adequately considered and catered for.
Regardless of the project type, all installations should be subject to individual Risk Assessments. Comprehensive training should also be provided for all professionals, supported by Method Statements regarding safe and correct use of the access solutions installed.
For further information on Bilco UK’s complete range of roof access solutions, visit www.bilcouk.co.uk or call 01284 701696.
For advice on how to specify the correct ladder, visit: https://www.bilcouk.co.uk/news/specifying-ladders
For further information on specifying the right roof access hatch for your upcoming project, download Bilco UK’s free guide:
https://www.bilcouk.co.uk/files/downloads/choosing-the-right-access-hatch-bilco.pdf
Bilco - How to Select the Proper Sound Rating for Automatic Smoke Vents
Bilco - How to Select the Proper Sound Rating for Automatic Smoke Vents
Diving into the world of acoustical ratings is like opening a can of alphabet soup. You are unsure which letters will float to the top, what their significance is and how to unscramble and define the mishmash of letters staring at you.
While there is a jumble of letters, the critical ratings for determining the acoustical quality of building products fall into two groups: Sound Transmission Class (STC) and Outdoor-Indoor Transmission Class (OITC). Depending upon the structure being built and the application of the products, the difference in the ratings is essential for architects, designers and construction teams to understand.
STC measures the extent to which sound is prevented from being transferred from one area to another. The higher the STC value, the less that sound can be transferred through a building product. STC is typically used to measure sound transmission loss over a frequency range from 125 to 4000 hertz and is most applicable for interior areas that experience mid to high frequency noises, such as conversation, television, telephones, and office equipment. A product with a high STC value, ranging from 50-60, indicates that loud speech is barely heard, if at all. A low STC rating, 20-25, indicates that loud speech is audible.
OITC rates the transmission sound between outdoor spaces and indoor spaces in a structure. Like the STC rating, OITC measures sound intensity loss in decibels. The OITC rating was developed in 1990 and is typically used to measure sound transmission loss over a frequency range from 80 to 4000 hertz. It is most applicable for measuring the prevention of low frequency exterior sounds such as automotive traffic, construction, and low-flying airplanes through exterior building surfaces.
How does this apply to automatic smoke vents? It is essential that building designers understand the source of noise, and how they can best diminish its impact.
“OITC is the preferred rating when addressing sound insulation from exterior noise – especially when transportation noise sources are impacting a building facade with significant low-frequency (bass) sound,” says Harold Merck, principal and acoustician for Merck & Hill Consultants of Atlanta. “While STC ratings may be fine for typical interior noise sources such as voices, STC does not adequately address the extended low-frequency noise contribution of aircraft, traffic or even large roof-top equipment. This also applies to large roof-top equipment noise sources as well. The OITC better addresses low-frequency noise impacts and is the more applicable sound rating for roof mounted automatic smoke vents.”
Like automatic smoke vents, the same theory holds true for exterior building windows. “Windows might have an excellent STC rating, but without a high OITC rating, low-frequency sounds can be intrusive,’’ Merck said. “Windows with a high STC rating typically have the same OITC rating as windows with a lesser STC rating, which can be a bit misleading. Ratings that include the OITC are more useful to assess how well a window will isolate environmental noise.”
Automatic smoke vents are life safety products that are generally used in large one-story buildings per National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. In the event of a fire, the vents exhaust smoke, heat and burning gases from the building to improve visibility and to protect the building structure. This provides safe egress for building occupants and allows fire fighters to enter the building and contain the fire. When specifying automatic smoke vents, it is important to consider a product with an acoustical sound rating for applications such as theatres and concert halls, or projects located near highways, airports, or railroad lines.
