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Bagging off a decommissioned or damaged street lighting column without the right equipment means ladders, working at height, and significant risk of injury — all of which are avoidable. This guide covers the correct approach for UK councils and highways contractors: the legal requirements, best practice for covering broken or cut-down columns, and how the CoverMe system from IRSS UK eliminates working at height entirely.
What You Need to Know About Bagging Off Street Lighting Columns
Street lighting columns across the UK range from 5 metres to 12 metres in height. When a column is decommissioned, damaged, or has a missing or broken access panel, it must be safely covered. Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, where it is reasonably practicable to carry out work without going to height, you must do so, and in the case of covering a street lighting column, it is entirely practicable to do so from ground level.
The traditional approach, wrapping a column in hazard tape or covering it with a single-use bin bag using a ladder, creates three compounding problems. First, it puts an operative at height unnecessarily. Second, single-use plastic bags and hazard tape go directly to landfill. Third, tape and bin bags do not seal the column access opening securely, leaving exposed rough edges, cables, and electrical equipment accessible to the public, particularly children.
IRSS UK developed the CoverMe Street Lighting Cover and CoverMe Street Lighting Wrap specifically to solve all three problems, after a direct approach from the London Borough of Bexley, where these exact issues were being experienced on decommissioned columns across the borough.
UK Legal Requirements for Covering Street Lighting Columns
The purpose of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 is to prevent death and injury caused by a fall from height. Employers and those in control of any work at height activity must ensure work is properly planned, supervised, and carried out by competent people using the right type of equipment.
Falls from height remain the leading cause of fatal workplace injury in the UK. In the year to March 2024, 50 fatal injuries were attributable to falls from height, accounting for 36% of all work-related deaths, the highest proportion recorded in recent years. For local authorities and highways contractors managing street lighting columns, the legal exposure is clear: if ladder-based access is used when a ground-level alternative exists, and an incident occurs, the employer may face significant liability.
The regulations require a three-step hierarchy: first, avoid working at height entirely where reasonably practicable; second, if unavoidable, prevent falls using collective protective measures; third, minimise the consequences of a fall if prevention is not fully practicable. Using a ground-level covering system like CoverMe satisfies the first step, elimination, which is the highest level of control under the hierarchy.
How the CoverMe Street Lighting System Works
IRSS UK offers two distinct products for street lighting columns, each designed for a different situation.
The CoverMe Street Lighting Cover fully encloses a broken or exposed access panel on a street lighting column, instantly sealing it from public access. It carries clear warning and hazard information, alerts the public to the danger, and can be deployed in seconds from ground level. It is manufactured from recyclable material and is fully reusable across multiple schemes.
The CoverMe Street Lighting Wrap is designed for situations where the column access door itself needs securing, using a magnetic fixing to seal the opening in seconds without tools or ladders. Both products were developed following a request from the London Borough of Bexley, whose highways team identified three specific requirements: a reusable solution to replace single-use plastic, a product that fully seals the column opening to protect the public from exposed edges and cabling, and a design that carries visible hazard information.
Both products are installed by a single operative from ground level, no ladder training required, no working at height risk. CoverMe street lighting products are now used by councils and contractors including Doncaster Council, Kier, Balfour Beatty, Enerveo, Cheshire East Council, and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.
Common Questions About Street Lighting Column Safety Covers
What is the legal requirement for covering a decommissioned street lighting column in the UK?
Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, employers must avoid working at height where it is reasonably practicable to do so. Since ground-level covering solutions exist for street lighting columns, using ladders is difficult to justify legally. Councils and contractors also have a duty of care to protect the public from exposed columns, which can present electrical and physical hazards.
What is the difference between the CoverMe Street Lighting Cover and the Street Lighting Wrap?
The CoverMe Street Lighting Cover encloses the full access panel opening on a decommissioned or damaged column, sealing it completely and displaying hazard warnings. The CoverMe Street Lighting Wrap uses a magnetic fixing to secure the access door on a column where the door is present but unsecured. Both are installed from ground level in seconds, with no ladders required.
Are single-use bin bags and hazard tape acceptable for covering street lighting columns?
No, not from a safety, legal, or environmental standpoint. Hazard tape and bin bags do not fully seal the column access opening, leaving rough edges and cables exposed. They are not sufficiently opaque to serve as a clear visual warning. They create single-use plastic waste that goes to landfill. And their use on a column at height still requires ladder access, which is avoidable under WAHR.
Can CoverMe street lighting products be customised with council branding?
Yes. All CoverMe street lighting products are available with bespoke branding, including your local authority logo and specific hazard or warning wording. This provides a professional, on-brand appearance in public locations.
Why Getting Street Lighting Column Safety Right Matters
Damaged or unsecured street lighting columns are a public liability risk. An exposed access panel on a busy pavement invites intervention, particularly from children, and can present live electrical hazards. The ARTSM guidance on bagging off is clear that covers must be sufficiently opaque and must seal the equipment from public access. Single-use bin bags and hazard tape fail both tests.
Beyond compliance, the environmental case is clear. Single-use plastic bags and hazard tape generate waste on every deployment. CoverMe products are manufactured from recyclable materials and designed to be reused across multiple schemes, directly reducing single-use plastic waste. Doncaster Council has already reduced its reliance on single-use plastics by switching to CoverMe reusable street lighting covers.
The Ground-Level Solution for UK Street Lighting Teams
CoverMe Street Lighting Covers and Wraps are the only purpose-built, reusable, ground-level solution for covering decommissioned and damaged street lighting columns in the UK. Developed by Peter Hoban, inventor and founder of IRSS UK, following a direct brief from the London Borough of Bexley, the range is now trusted by councils and contractors across England.
To find the right product for your street lighting stock, or to request a free sample or demonstration, visit the CoverMe Street Lighting Covers page or contact IRSS UK directly.
