Fall protection designed with builders in mind

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Designed by builders with builders’ safety in mind, Chippy Catcher is a strong knitted polyethylene fabric which is fixed to the top of any residential wall frame.

Once spread across the top of the wall frames, the fabric is pulled tight and stapled down. The top plate is then fixed into position and the building progress can then proceed as normal.

Chippy Catcher is ideally suited for under any roof areas where trusses are fitted, or where the builder needs to work from above rather than from underneath.

Tested and certified to AS/NZ4389:1996 Safety Mesh standard, the product is designed to catch a falling person from above wall height, and stop them from hitting the floor below. It can be used on timber or steel framed buildings alike, although slightly different fixing methods are required.

Chippy Catcher protects those who work above wall height from landing on the floor, should they fall. The system has also been designed so it doesn’t impede on traditional building methods or timing, and can be simply installed between standing of the wall frames and the erection of trusses.

Another advantage is the ability to re-use any large undamaged “cut-outs” once fall-through protection is no longer required — simply cut out the larger rooms with a sharp knife and save these larger pieces for the next building job.

It also offers the added advantage of catching overhead debris and falling tools that would ordinarily fall onto the floor below and possibly injure those below on the way down.

It is very easy to install, with full comprehensive instructions provided with each order. Chippy Catcher is extremely strong, carries a seven-year UV rating, and is fully recyclable.

The product was developed by Craig Lipscombe, a qualified builder who, after 14 years on the tools, traded his apron in on a desk job running a design and build business.

He was concerned for his building staff always being at risk of falling and was unhappy with other systems on the market, or with the certified installers to fit them — who never seemed to turn up when they were needed. 

He offers an obligation-free quote where builders can email their house plans and receive a proposed layout with an associated cost delivered to their location of choice within 12 hours — and any orders made will be dispatched within 24 hours.

“Once builders have used the Chippy Catcher on a couple of houses, they will then be able to work out where they can re-use previous cut-outs themselves, and place a new order for the remainder,” he says.

Chippy Catcher is currently available in nine sizes — 8x7m, 8x10m, 8x12m, 8x14m, 8x16m, 12x10m, 12x14m, 12x16m and 12x18m, and comes in easy to handle packs of approximately 1.1 metres square.

To purchase, either ask for it by name at your preferred building supplier, phone 0800 30 40 30, or email your plans to [email protected]. Otherwise, visit www.chippycatcher.co.nz for more information.

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