Institute4Safety
2010 — 2026

Think 4 Safety First

From 2010 to 2026: from advice to application

For more than fifteen years, Institute 4 Safety was the consultancy for safe work at height. That knowledge lives on, but in a new place. On this page you can read why, and where to find us now.

To the Protector knowledge base Contact Rik

Before: Tied off with PPE

Guardrail is the new standard

Before Tied off with PPENo longer recommended

Guardrail is the new standard Collective protection first

01 — History

Timeline 2010–2026

  1. Institute 4 Safety

    I founded Institute 4 Safety as an independent consultancy for safe work at height. We delivered projects in the Netherlands and abroad, provided training, and contributed to standards at NEN, CEN and ISO.

  2. Collective protection comes first

    I wrote that back then, and it has been my guiding principle ever since.

  3. The roof has changed

    Solar panels, heat pumps, building services and green roofs have turned the roof into a workplace that people access more and more often. Laws and standards have followed. At the same time, the new European Construction Products Regulation (CPR) and sustainability reporting (CSRD) are changing what clients expect from a product: demonstrably safe, and demonstrably sustainable.

  4. From anchor point to guardrail

    In 2010, an anchor point with harness and lanyard was the standard solution on a roof. Institute 4 Safety itself provided training in it: selection and use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

    Those days are over. European law has always been clear on the order of protection: the EU Framework Directive on safety and health at work requires collective protective measures to take priority over individual ones. National rules, guidance and case law now apply that principle strictly: an individual solution is only defensible where collective protection is not reasonably practicable. On a roof that is accessed often, by people who do not work with a harness every day, an anchor point falls short.

    That is why I no longer recommend PPE products for roofs. Where a guardrail is possible, a guardrail belongs. It protects everyone, at all times, without anyone having to put anything on or remember anything.

  5. Protector Guardrail

    I have chosen to put my knowledge to work where it makes the biggest difference: on the roof itself. As Sales Director of Protector Guardrail, I bring together the path from standard, to product, to safe application.

02 — Commitments

Honest and transparent

  • This website remains online as a record of more than fifteen years of Institute 4 Safety.

  • My work in NEN and CEN is carried out on behalf of Protector Guardrail. So everyone knows where I stand.

  • Current laws and regulations are kept up to date on the Protector Guardrail website. There you will find the standards, sources and background, so you can check everything yourself.

To the Protector knowledge base

03 — Contact

Were you a client or partner of Institute 4 Safety?

Please feel free to get in touch. I will gladly help you, or connect you with the right person.

Rik Zwama

Sales Director, Protector Guardrail

My goal is the same as in 2010: making work at height safer. Only the route has changed.