AU2011202064A1 - Safety barrier for overhead use - Google Patents

Abstract

-8 A personnel barrier for mezzanine floors in storage buildings where floors are supplied from a forklift on the ground floor, has a pair of outer panels separated from a centre 5 panel by a pair of slots. The slots admit the forks ofthe forklift allowing the load to clear the barrier and then to be lowered to floor level, whereupon the forks withdraw. Thereafter the load is transferred to a trolley but personnel using the trolley are safe because the slots are too narrow to allow a person to fall through and are at least waist high. 2011-05-05,H:\Rpoificationsfysh.cap1476.wpd.8 542_ 16 42 1 .....12 24-- 40 --- 26 32 2836-6 28-32 56 I 34|

Description

Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT (ORIGINAL) Name of Applicants: DAVID FYSH and DANIEL FYSH Actual Inventors: DAVID FYSH and DANIEL FYSH Address for Service: SANDERCOCK & COWIE 180B SLADEN STREET CRANBOURNE VICTORIA 3977 Invention Title: SAFETY BARRIER FOR OVERHEAD USE Details of Associated Provisional Application(s): No(s): Australian Provisional Application No. 2010901913 Filed: 5 May, 2010 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 5 May, 2011,H:\Filing\fysh.fi1e.wpd.1 - la TITLE: SAFETY BARRIER FOR OVERHEAD USE FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 This invention concerns safety barriers for overhead use, particularly in multi-storey buildings and those with mezzanine floors. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 10 Many warehouses and factories have a floor above ground level which is supplied with 2011-05-05,H:\Spec1ficaionsfysap]476.wpd,I -2 goods from a forklift on the ground floor. The edge of the floor is skirted by a personnel barrier and a gap in the barrier defined by the loading station at which the forklift puts up and puts down pallets. The gap is protected by a tilting guard which is the subject of factory regulations. Once the pallet is at the mezzanine loading station, the gap proposes 5 no danger to personnel. When the pallet is taken down to the ground floor, the gap re appears and the guard must descend and extend across the gap. Biassing the guard to return to the safe position is desirable. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 10 The apparatus aspect of the invention provides a safety barrier for overhead use comprising a generally planar fence made of a pair of portions separated from an intermediate portion by a pair of upright slots which allow the passage and fall of forklift forks but which prevent the passage of a person. 15 The portions may be panels standing on and attached to a common member at floor level. The panels may be straight or L-shaped. The paired portions may have means to fix them to the superstructure of the building 20 where the barrier is installed. Commonly this is the steelwork or pillars supporting the storage floor or mezzanine of the building. The means may be flanges, brackets or mechanical equivalents. These clamp the barrier in a stable position at the floor perimeter so as to be accessible from below to a forklift. 25 Usually the barriers will be somewhat longer in length than the width of a trolley of the type used to wheel palleted loads from one aisle to another. 2650-2700mm is a customary width for the passage of such a trolley. The barrier may be made of three steel frames spanned by steel mesh, or other see 30 through, personnel proof sheet material which allows the forklift operator to watch the movement of the load as it passes over the barrier and overlies the floor area on which the load is to be set down. 201 1.0Oi-5,H:\Speciiclonsfyshap476,wpd,2 -3 The frame may overlap the front of the mezzanine whose perimeter they guard that is the member to which they are commonly attached may be attached to the rear face of the frames in planar array as long as the top of the barrier meets regulation height. Usually the barrier will be 985-1000mm above the floor and the spacing between the centres of 5 the slots will be standard, namely 665mm. The entry to the slots may diverge in order to ease any misalignment of the forks. Alternatively the slots may diverge instead of being parallel with tapered entries. The centre portion may be 390-400mr wide and the slots themselves of a width which is too 10 narrow to allow a person to walk through it unintentionally or intentionally. As the barrier extends to pelvic height the barrier arrests the persons movement even in darkness as in a power failure or in the dense smoke of a fire. A slot width of 130-140mm suffices. 15 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a front view of the barrier on the mezzanine floor of a warehouse. Figure 2 is a sectional view of a barrier with an L-shape side indicating the manner of 20 fixing the superstructure. Figure 3 is a side diagrammatic view of the progress of a forklift negotiating the barrier. DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH RESPECT TO THE DRAWINGS 25 Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2, the warehouse has a ground floor 2, a mezzanine floor 4 and a roof spanned by sloping rafters 6. The floor beams 8 are laced and support floor sheets 10. Square steel posts 12 support the floor beams and divide the floor space into aisles 14. 30 Partitions 16 divide the space into shelving bays. Loads are transferred between floors by forklifts (see Figure 3). The gap 18 between partitions 16 is available for pallet 20]11-05-05,H:\Specifications\fysb capl470.wpd,3 -4 transfer but barrier 20 prevents personnel on floor 4 from falling from the floor or to the one below. Barrier20 consists of beam 22 (75x5Omm) which extends 2700mm between posts 12 and 5 rectangular panels 24 and 26 (50 x 50mm), each made of two styles 28, top rail 30 and mid rail 32 are welded to beam 22. Between panels 24 and 26 is intermediate panel 34 made of styles 36 top rail and mid rail. Styles 36 are braced by welded gussets 38. Slots 40,135mm wide, separate the intermediate panel 1000 x 395mm from the panels 24 and 26 which are about 1m 2 . The upper ends of the styles which define the slots are inclined 10 as shown in order to created a diverging mouth 42 for descending forklift forks 44. As the floor sheets 10 project about 450mm in front of the posts 12 and a fascia board 46 closes in the floor beams 8, the barrier is fitted such that the panels overlie the fascia 46 such that the top of the beam 22 lies flush with floor sheet 10. The floor sheets are 15 incised to admit gussets 38. Side panel 48 (one shown) about 1000x 450mm are welded at 900 to each panel 24, 26. The side panels have connector plates 50 which are welded to the posts. Where the barriers are to be mounted on proprietary shelving or partitioning systems such 20 as those sold as DEXIONTM, they may have brackets or connectors which join the barrier to such a system. DEXIONTM posts have lugs with undercut parts enabling a barrier with complementary lugs to drop in to said parts thereby locking the barrier in position. No welding is needed. 25 In use the forklift 52 in Figure 3 picks up pallet load 4 and drives to a position directly beneath the centre of the barrier. The mast 56 is extended to almost roof height which allows the forks 44 to raise the load above the top rails of the barrier. The position ofthe forklift is finally adjusted so that the forks register with the slots 40. The load is lowered, the forks projecting through slots 40, until the load rests on floor 10. The forklift drives 30 backwards and forks retract from the pallet and pass through the slots to stand clear of the barrier. The reverse procedure allows the load to be picked up and lowered to ground level. 201105-05,H %pecficatioasfysh.cap14%,wpdA -5 Another operator picks up the pallet with a hydraulic trolley and takes it to its destination. A person inside the barrier can see through it to the floor below and can lean against the barrier but cannot fall through it. 5 We have found the advantages of the above embodiment to be: 1. No moving parts. 2. A constant visual presence. 10 3. Economical to construct and install. It is to be understood that the word "comprising" as used throughout the specification is to be interpreted in its inclusive form, ie. use of the word "comprising" does not exclude 15 the addition of other elements. It is to be understood that various modifications of and/or additions to the invention can be made without departing from the basic nature of the invention. These modifications and/or additions are therefore considered to fall within the scope of the invention. 20 2011-5-O,H:\Specificationsfyshcap147&wpd,5

Claims (12)

1. A safety barrier for overhead use comprising a generally planar fence made of a pair of outer portions separated from an intermediate portion by a pair of upright 5 slots which allow the passage and fall of forklift forks but which prevent the passage of a person.

2. A safety barrier as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the portions are panels which extend from a common member at floor level. 10

3. A safety barrier as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the panels are planar or L-shaped in plan.

4. A safety barrier as claimed in Claims 2 or 3, wherein the paired portions have 15 means to fix them to the superstructure of the building where the barrier is installed.

5. A safety barrier as claimed in any one of Claims 1-4, wherein the barriers length exceeds the width of a trolley ofthe type used to wheel palleted loads along aisles 20 in a storage building.

6. A safety barrier as claimed in any one of Claims 2-5, wherein the panels are metal frames spanned by metal mesh or transparent, personnel proof sheet material. 25

7. A safety barrier as claimed in any one of Claims 1-6, wherein the spacing between the slot centres is 665mm.

S. A safety barrier as claimed in any one of Claims 1-7, wherein the slots are parallel with diverging entrances. 30

9. A safety barrier as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the slots are 130-140mm wide. 2Cll .05.C5,H:\!pecificationfysh.cap476.wpdf -7

10. A safety barrier as claimed in any one of Claims 2-9, wherein the intermediate panel is 390-400mm wide.

11. A safety barrier as claimed in any one of Claims 2-10, wherein the panels are 5 985-1000mm high.

12. A safety barrier substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 2D11-l05-,H:\Spcifiaio..\fy.h.cap1476.wpd,7