AU2011100248B4 - Safety Barrier - Google Patents

Abstract

A safety barrier that can be erected and dismantled on a site, comprising a plurality of posts temporarily fixed to 5 a ground surface by base plates and at least two spaced substantially horizontal rails fixed to and spanning across the posts, a first one of the rails being positioned at approximately between 350mm and 600mm from the ground, wherein the barrier is free standing and at 10 least 1.4 m high from the ground. 2572867_2 (GHMatters) 3103/11

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Innovation Patent Applicant: Mr Jadran DELIC and Mr Stan Papayianneris Invention Title: Safety Barrier The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method for performing it known to us: - 2 SAFETY BARRIER The present invention relates to a safety barrier and safety barrier system that can be temporarily erected 5 where safety barriers are required. Background of Invention Particularly on building sites, stringent safety standards 10 are heavily enforced to ensure the safety of the workers. For example, in multi storey buildings, the floors and internal support structures are often built before any external walls are built or windows are installed. To ensure the safety of the workers on the site and to 15 prevent any falls off an open edge of the building, a handrail is required. However, handrails are considered to offer inadequate protection on building sites so the trend recently has 20 been to provide scaffolding systems typically erected around the entire building and spanning between floors. Scaffold sections are fixed by jacking the scaffold between one floor and the floor above it and are supported by the floors to provide a barrier. 25 The present safety barrier and system provides an improvement over systems presently used to ensure the safety of workers on building sites. It is however understood that the use of the present safety barrier is 30 not restricted to use on building sites but may be temporarily erected at other sites that may require safety barriers such as at sporting or music events, or any other public or private events where the safety of persons is compromised by open spaces. 35 25728672 (GHMatters) 3/03/11 - 3 Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a safety barrier that can be erected and dismantled on a 5 site, comprising a plurality of posts temporarily fixed to a ground surface by base plates and at least two spaced horizontal rails fixed to and spanning across the posts, a first one of the rails being positioned at approximately between 350mm and 600mm from the ground, wherein the 10 barrier is unsupported at an upper end thereof and is at least 1.4 m high from the ground. According to a safety barrier described herein, the barrier can be erected and dismantled on a site, and 15 comprises a plurality of posts temporarily fixed to a ground surface by base plates and at least two spaced horizontal rails fixed to and spanning across the posts, the barrier being free standing and at least 1.4m high from the ground, wherein each post is fixed to a base 20 plate, the base plate having two opposing bearing edges and fasteners positioned on opposite sides of the post and located orthogonally to the bearing edges on the base plate, so that the bearing edges and fasteners provide resistance to base plate movement. 25 Brief Description of the Drawings Embodiments of the present invention will now be described 30 with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a temporary safety barrier in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 35 Figure 2 is a side sectional view of the barrier illustrated in Figure 1; 2958754_1 (GHMatters) P83543.AU.1 l6fil1i - 4 Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the safety barrier illustrated in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a plan view of the safety barrier at one post; 5 Figure 5 is a plan view of the safety barrier at a corner; Figure 6 is an elevation schematic view of a multi storey building illustrating an installation of the temporary io safety barrier system according to an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 7 is an isometric view of a base plate and lower part of a post of the safety barrier. 15 Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment The drawings illustrate a temporary safety barrier 10 and a system comprising parts to assemble the safety barrier. 20 While the description of the drawings specifically refer to safety barrier 10 erected on a building site, it is understood that the safety barrier may be erected in any space where a barrier, fence or barrier is required. 25 The safety barrier 10 illustrated in the drawings includes posts 12, or stanchions, and rails 14 that can be assembled and dismantled repeatedly in order to repeatedly erect the safety barrier on a temporary basis. Welded at the bottom of each post 12 is a base plate 16 which is 30 adapted to be fixed to the ground 11 using bolts or any other suitable fastening means of temporary fixing. The safety barrier can be at least 1.4 metres in height. Even more preferably the height of the safety barrier can 35 be between 1.5 and 3.0 metres in height, and around 2 metres in height. 25728672 (GHMatters) 3/03/11 - 5 The safety barrier 10 has an advantage of being a free standing structure and is designed to be sufficiently strong to be able to withstand impact loading such as the force caused by the weight of a falling person. 5 Unlike known scaffolds, the barrier 10 does not need to be fixed to both the ground and the floor above the ground but it is sufficient to fix the barrier to the ground only (see Figure 6). This is also useful during construction of 10 multi storey buildings because the safety barrier can be erected before the floor above it is constructed, which is not possible with known barrier systems. The posts and rails are made of metal rectangular hollow is sections that are provided in a variety of standard lengths. The posts are typically approximately 2 metres in length but may be provided anywhere between 1.4 metres to 3 metres, or higher, in length. Solid metal base plates 18 are welded to the bottom of each post. The 20 rails may be provided, for example, in lengths of 2.5m, 5.5m and 8m lengths. The safety barrier abides by all Australian building safety standards and additionally includes a horizontal 25 rail 20 spaced at between 350mm and 600mm, and approximately 450mm, from the ground which can double as a handrail. Rail 20 is positioned with respect to the safety barrier on an 'inside' of the barrier to provide access to persons to use the rail 20 as a handrail. This therefore 30 satisfies the requirement imposed by Australian building safety standards to have a handrail along every open edge of a building. In effect, the present safety barrier doubles as a barrier and a hand rail on buildings. 35 The horizontal rails are received in sleeves 18 fixed to each post, usually by welding, and as illustrated in the drawings. Each sleeve can receive two adjacently 2572867_2 (GHMatters) 3/03/11 - 6 positioned horizontal rails 14, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, to therefore accommodate overlapping rails where one assembly of posts/rails integrates with another. This integration of overlapping rails 14 is illustrated at 5 juncture 21 in Figure 1. To increase stability and strength of the structure the horizontal rail can be fixed further against the post by screws or other fixing means. Figure 2 illustrates a post 12 supporting overlapping 10 rails 14 mounted on base plate 16. A kick plate 22 made of timber or metal is mounted along the lowest vertical section of the barrier to prevent escape of items rolling along the floor. Kick plate 22 is fixed to the base plate 16 by any conventional means such as by angle brackets is screwed to both the kick plate and base plate. As illustrated in Figure 4 post 12 is fixed off-centre to base plate 16 in order to accommodate kick plate 22. Post 12 is arranged with respect to base plate 16 to 20 maximise stability of the safety barrier 10 by resisting moments created by impact loads on the rails or posts. This resistance is achieved by providing a larger, or longer, base plate relative to the post than usually required by a design that is for merely bolting a post to 25 the ground. Furthermore, the position of the bolts on the base plate also resists movement and increases strength of the safety barrier. In the embodiment of the safety barrier 10 illustrated, 30 (see Figures 4 and 7) the base plate has opposing bearing edges 24 along two side edges spaced furthest from each other, and namely separated by a longer edge 25 of the base plate. In the embodiment shown the base plate is rectangular although it is understood that the plate could 35 be alternatively shaped, such as a true square, hexagonal or substantially rectangular but including cut-outs and other shaped features. Upon an impact load on the rail or 2572867_2 (GHMatters) 3/03/11 -7 post, as indicated by Arrow L in Figure 7, bearing edges 24 will resist the moment created by the impact load L about a first axis, X-axis, on the base plate. Arrows M show the resistance to the moment by one bearing edge 24. 5 This resistance thereby prevents the base plate from dislodging and detaching from the ground. For maximum effect, bearing edges 24 are aligned parallel to rails 14. Furthermore, fasteners 27 are used to anchor the base 10 plate to the ground and the fasteners are located on opposite sides of the post 12 and will resist a moment created by impact loads about a second axis, Y-axis, to thereby prevent removal of the base plate from the ground. Fasteners are typically any known means of fastening 15 timber or metal to a surface, including a concrete surface. One example of fasteners is anchor bolts. Only one fastener is required on each side of the post, although more can be used. Three bolt holes are provided 20 on each side of the post to give option in fastener location. Together the opposing bearing edges 24 and opposing fasteners 27 provide stability and resistance to base 25 plate movement in two directions, namely about the X and Y axis as identified in the Figures. Fasteners 27 are aligned along the longer edge 25 of base plate 16 and in the embodiment shown the distance between 30 the post 12 and the bearing edges 24 is greater than the distance between the post 12 and the fasteners 27. Fasteners 27 rely on tension to prevent movement of base plate 16 and hence are not required to be positioned as far from the post as the bearing edges 24, where the 35 greater the distance of bearing edges 24 from the post, the greater the resistance achieved. 25728672 (GHMatters) 3103/11 - 8 To maximise resistance to loads on the safety barrier, the rectangular post is positioned on base plate 16 so that short sides 30 of the post 12 are aligned parallel to the bearing edges 24, while long sides 32 of the post are 5 aligned adjacent the fasteners 27. In the embodiment shown the base plate 16 is 250mm x 180mm in size (area of 450cm 2 ) to support a post having a rectangular section of 65mm x 35mm and length of between 10 1.5m and 3.0m. The safety barrier 10 provides a higher level of safety on construction sites than known barriers. For example, in the installation of window panes in a window opening the is barrier would be erected across the length window opening and spaced from the opening by the maximum distance allowed by building regulations, which in Australia is 150mm. Persons are thus adequately protected against falling through the window opening. To install a pane of 20 glass, the pane is slid in the 150mm gap between the barrier 10 and wall nearest the window opening, and the installation process can then take place with the installer safely behind the barrier. 25 The safety barrier 10 can be adjusted for erection at corners, where the rails intersecting perpendicularly can remain free or can be screwed to the nearest post to create a rigid corner structure. Figure 5 illustrates a plan view of the safety barrier arranged at a corner with 30 unfixed overlapping rail ends. Where the barrier is required to span across unlevel ground, as illustrated in Figure 1, there are several options of rail positioning. one option is that shown in 35 Figure 1 where one set of rails 14 are positioned at an inclination that follows the drop or rise in the ground. Another option is to keep the rails horizontal but to 25728672 (GHMatters) 3/03/11 - 9 insert each rail in a higher sleeve on a lower post than the previous higher post. Alternatively, the free ends of the rails may be left cantilevered, provided the gap between free rail ends on in adjacent barrier units 5 (namely one set of posts and rails) is less than that stipulated by regulations, e.g. 150mm. The safety barrier could be used in applications other than construction sites, including any place that requires 10 the demarcation of areas and/or safety of people. For example, the safety barrier could be used where large crowds of people gather, such as outdoor shows and concerts. It is understood that a barrier for this application would also need to be rated to withstand large is lateral loads such as those experienced by overcrowding. In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary 20 implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention. 25 It will be understood to persons skilled in the art of the invention that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 2572867_2 (GHMatters) 3/0311

Claims (5)

1. A safety barrier that can be erected and dismantled on a site, comprising a plurality of posts 5 temporarily fixed to a ground surface by base plates and at least two spaced substantially horizontal rails fixed to and spanning across the posts, a first one of the rails being positioned at approximately between 350mm and 600nn from the ground, wherein the 10 barrier is unsupported at an upper end thereof and is at least 1.4 m high from the ground.

2. The safety barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein each post is fixed to a base plate so that a distance 15 between the post and two opposing bearing edges of the base plate is greater than a distance between the post and fasteners, wherein the fasteners are positioned on opposite sides of the post and orthogonally to the bearing edges on the base plate. 20

3. The safety barrier as claimed in claim 2, wherein the post is a rectangular section having two opposing long sides and two opposing short sides, and the base plate is rectangular in shape, wherein the post is 25 arranged on the base plate so that the short sides are parallel to the bearing edges, and the long sides are adjacent to the fasteners.

4. The safety barrier as claimed in any one of the 30 preceding claims wherein the first rail is spaced at approximately 450mm above the ground and is positioned to function as a hand rail.

5. The safety barrier as claimed in any one of the 35 preceding claims wherein the posts are provided with sleeves to receive the horizontal rails. 29587541 (GHMatters) P83543.AU.I 16/11/11