Scaffold Access & Internal Crash Decks for RAAC Roof Replacement

Client: Confidential

Location: Tesco, Macclesfield

Scope of Works:

Internal and external scaffolding to support a full roof replacement at a live supermarket. The works involved both public-facing and back-of-house areas, with strict requirements to maintain store access and public safety throughout.

Challenges:

This was our largest project to date and involved working in a fully operational retail environment. The existing roof contained RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete), which posed structural concerns, making protection and safe access critical. We needed to keep customer entrances open, maintain internal store operations, and carry out works around opening hours all while ensuring safety for shoppers, staff, and contractors.

Our Solution:

Externally, we constructed a five-lift independent scaffold with beam work to span over projecting roof canopies. The base lift was designed as a walkthrough to preserve full access to the store entrance and was fitted with protective foam sleeves. Working lifts were netted with debris netting wherever there was a risk of falling materials.

Multiple Haki staircases were erected to allow safe and efficient access for operatives throughout the site. We also installed extensive roof edge protection handrails to create a safe working perimeter and a three-lift loading bay provided additional support for the movement of heavy materials, coordinated in line with site operations.

Internally, we built a series of 2.4m-high crash decks directly under sections of the roof to act as protective barriers during the replacement works. These internal decks ensured that areas of the store below remained safe and could continue to operate without interruption.

To minimise disruption, internal scaffold works were scheduled outside trading hours or during the quietest periods of the day, ensuring the store could operate as usual throughout the project.