Irish Enterprise Awards 2026 Allenkey Fittings has been a leader in fall protection and the design, supply, and installation of guardrails in Ireland for more than 45 years. Opening its doors in 1981, the company has been Irish owned and family run ever since, managed by the founding Gaynor Family until 2002 and by Niamh and Niall Power from then through to today. It is in these last 25 years in particular that Allenkey Fittings has blossomed into the innovative, award-winning company it has become known as, driven by steady year-on-year growth. Based in Ballymount, Dublin, Allenkey Fittings enjoys a central location and two dedicated workshops, from which it can assist with all of its clients’ safety-at-height needs. This includes offering nationwide survey, supply, and installation services, and even delivering its products worldwide. Some of those it supports include building owners, main contractors, public bodies, government departments, and individual builders, with industries catered for including construction, healthcare, and the public sector. Central to the company’s success is its installation discipline, which sees it operate on the level of a main contractor, and the structured inspection, certification, and recertification process it executes using the leading Procore Construction Management Software. Things do not end at installation, however, as the team offer clients system selection, documentation, inspection planning, and ongoing compliance support. The full suite of access and safety-at-height solutions it provides immediately sets Allenkey Fittings apart, as many other companies in this space have to sub-contract at least some elements of their work. Thanks to its factory in Ballymount, where 45 years of experience across design, manufacturing, supply, and installation come together, meaning clients can come to it confident that the right solution Best Safety-at-Height Equipment Company 2026 It goes without saying that working at height or on roofs requires extra safety precautions to be taken, and for those who want to ensure the best protection of people moving, working, or maintaining assets at height, there is no better partner than Allenkey Fittings Limited. An Irish-owned specialist subcontractor providing access systems, pedestrian handrails, machinery guardrails, and other such safety-at-height solutions, the company has been recognised as the best in its field. On the back of this, we caught up with Niamh Power, its co-owner, for more. will be found for all of the unique requirements their site has. Exploring these solutions in more detail, Allenkey Fittings provides everything from AllenkeyGuard®, its independently tested permanent, temporary, collapsible counterweighted freestanding guardrail systems, through to AllenkeyClamp, its fixed handrail solution. A range of fabricated ladders, stairs, platforms, and walkways are also available, alongside fall prevention systems, self-closing access gates, and more. All of these offerings align with the increased awareness the team are seeing amongst duty holders (building owners, employers, property managers, facilities management companies) when it comes to their responsibility to ensure the people working in or on their building are protected. Compliance is helped by having a competent provider like Allenkey Fittings install, inspect, and maintain equipment, helping duty holders assess hazards and manage risks around the area of construction work that leads to the largest proportion of fatal accidents in Irish construction – falls from a height. It is perhaps due to this that the safetyat-height industry is set to undergo significant developments next year, with IS EN 17235:2024 – a harmonised standard relating to permanent anchor devices and safety hooks – coming into force. Whilst an official date is not yet confirmed, preparing for the day when it arrives is vital, as it is will significantly change how safety-at-height systems are both tested by Manufacturers and supplied to market, with manufacturers required to carry out far more demanding testing across devices and components than before and introducing CE Marking. Explaining the impact this will have, Niamh told us: “Because the type of testing set out in the standard requires specialist facilities and investment, only manufacturers with the correct testing capability and certification processes in place will be able to supply compliant components and systems once the standard is adopted. As a result, some systems currently installed may face difficulty finding compliance replacement components under the new rules. Similarly, the legislation means systems can only be approved as complete assemblies, so if an existing system becomes damaged, the duty holder may find replacement parts are no longer permitted for use.” This is putting duty holders in a position where they need to reassess all of their equipment, as well as their inspection and maintenance regimes. Allenkey Fittings is, of course, on hand to help with this, and as the only installer of its kind in the Republic of Ireland to be on the Approved SFS Installer Network, the company is working closely with its lifeline system manufacturer SFS on EN 17235 and how its implementation will affect them as installers and their diverse client base as discerning duty holders. The unique ability the company has to offer this kind of expert guidance across lifeline systems starts with its team, and the culture that comes from this being a business that is owned and run as a family operation. Many more senior members have been in the team now for more than 20 years, meaning they boast a deep practical knowledge of the systems, clients, and standards that the company works with. With this kind of experience in tow, Allenkey Fittings boasts a culture centred around teamwork and shared responsibility, where people solve problems together rather than on their own. As Niamh commented: “Everyone’s experience and opinions are valued, whether on site or in the office,
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