AU2014277614A1 - Riser safety arrangement for open stairs - Google Patents

Abstract

A riser safety arrangement for providing a barrier between steps on open stairs is provided. The riser safety arrangement includes a riser which positionable between an upper step and a lower step of the stairs. The riser includes an upper portion and a lower portion and the riser, upper step and lower step include one or more apertures for receiving one or more removable fasteners. The one or more removable fasteners extend through the apertures in the upper and lower portions of the riser and the upper and lower steps respectively to secure the riser in place.

Description

WO 2014/194359 PCT/AU2014/000581 1 RISER SAFETY ARRANGEMENT FOR OPEN STAIRS Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a riser safety arrangement for open stairs. 5 Background of the Invention Worksites often engage the use of metal platforms and stair cases for use in extreme environments such as in mining. Safety barriers exist between the hand rails and the 10 stairs in these environments so as to prevent or alleviate the possibility of materials falling from the stairs to the ground and possibly injuring an employee walking underneath. However, in many situations there is a gap between the steps on the stairs; that is; 15 there is no riser between upper and lower steps. This can result in rubble or other material falling or being kicked by an employee from the stairs and through the gap between the upper and lower steps, possibly injuring an employee working below. Alternatively it is possible that a tool could be dropped and slip through the gap between the upper and lower steps. 20 In order to attempt to overcome this problem, stairs exist which have a riser in place but this does not alleviate the problem of existing stairs which do not have a riser. Systems exist which allow retrofitting of a riser to open stairs but these systems are difficult and expensive to install and cannot be removed easily. 25 It would be desirable to provide an alternative to the above or ameliorate or at least alleviate one of the problems with the above mentioned systems. A reference herein to a patent document or other matter which is given as prior art is 30 not to be taken as an admission or a suggestion that the document or matter was known or that the information it contains was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of any of the claims.

WO 2014/194359 PCT/AU2014/000581 2 Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a riser safety arrangement for providing a barrier between steps on open stairs. The arrangement includes a riser which is positionable between an upper step and a lower step. The riser 5 includes an upper portion and a lower portion and the riser, the upper step and the lower step also include one or more apertures for receiving one or more removable fasteners to secure the riser between the steps. The one or more removable fasteners extend through the apertures in the upper and lower portions of the riser and extend through the upper and lower steps respectively to secure the riser in 10 place. Preferably, the riser is made from a material such that it is flexible along its length. Preferably, the material is nylon, for example a type 6 nylon graft copolymer which is both flexible and is preferably yellow in colour allowing the riser to have high visibility. 15 It will be appreciated that any colour may be applied. Preferably the riser is made of a nylon which includes a UV additive (for example 2%) so as to protect the riser from the elements. In an alternative, the material may include polyethylene which is flexible and the 20 polyethylene is yellow in colour allowing the riser to have high visibility. Preferably the riser is made of a polyethylene that includes a UV additive so as to protect the riser from the elements. Preferably, the polyethylene is a high-density polyethylene. The material may also include polypropylene which is flexible and includes a UV additive so as to protect the riser from the elements. It will be appreciated that the riser may 25 be made from any suitable flexible material such as, plastic, synthetic or semisynthetic materials that can be moulded into a shape, galvanised iron mesh, monofilament or braided cordage formed or woven into a net, stainless steel, mild steel plate or canvas. 30 Advantageously, the flexible nature of the riser allows it to be positioned between sets of steps of varying heights; that is, the riser can be flat (i.e. at full height) for a particular set of steps or for set of steps with a lower height riser, the riser may still be placed between the steps but bent or flexed so as to fit between the steps.

WO 2014/194359 PCT/AU2014/000581 3 In a further advantage, the flexible nature of the riser ensures that a user of the stairs when climbing the stairs is not surprised or shocked if their foot engages the riser since touching the riser with their foot will, due to the flexible nature of the riser and the material of which it is made from, will have some flexibility or "give". 5 Preferably, the riser includes display indicia. Advantageously the provision of indicia alerts the user of the stairs to the presence of the riser and therefore to proceed with caution. Preferably, riser is coloured with indicia in the colours of yellow and black stripes. The stripes may be painted or may be the colour of the material that the riser 10 is made from, which will obviate the need to paint (and repaint) the riser over time. According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a removable fastener for securing a riser to a step. The removable fastener includes an upper jaw and a lower jaw connected together at a first end by an intermediate portion. The upper and 15 lower jaw is biased with respect to one another such that the removable fastener is moveable between an unlocked state and a locked state. A first interlocking portion is provided at a second end of the upper jaw and a second interlocking portion at the second end of the lower jaw. The first and second interlocking portions are adapted to retain the removable fastener in the locked state when interlocked. 20 Preferably the lower jaw includes a channel adapted to engage with a portion of a riser. Advantageously, the removable fastener allows engagement the riser to a more suitable area of the step (such as the middle of the horizontal step member rather than the bottom). 25 The following description refers in more detail to the various features and steps of the present invention. To facilitate and understanding of the invention, reference is made in the description to the accompanying drawings where the invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment. It is to be understood however that the invention is not limited 30 to the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a riser for use with the arrangement of the present invention, WO 2014/194359 PCT/AU2014/000581 4 Figure 2a is a side view of the riser of Figure 1; Figure 2b is a plan view of the riser of Figure 1; Figure 2c is a side view of the riser of Figure 1; Figure 2d is a cross-section of the riser of Figure 2b taken along the line AA; 5 Figure 3 is an alternative embodiment of the riser including indicia; Figure 4a is a perspective view of a removable fastener for use with the arrangement of the present invention in an locked state; Figure 4b is a perspective view a removable fastener for use with the arrangement of the present invention in a unlocked state; 10 Figure 4c is a side view of Figure 4b; Figure 5 is a side view of an alternative removable fastener for use with the arrangement of the present invention in a locked state; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the present invention in operation; 15 Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the present invention in operation using the removable fastener of Figure 5. Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention 20 Figure 1 illustrates a riser 100 for providing a barrier between steps [not shown] on open stairs. The riser 100 includes one or more vertical riser members 110 and one or more horizontal riser members 105 forming the riser 100. The intersection of the vertical riser members 110 and the horizontal riser members 105 create riser apertures 125 which are adapted to receive one or more removable fasteners to 25 removably secure the riser 100 to an upper and lower step as will be further described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. The riser 100 preferably includes one or more apertures 125 so as to allow the removable fasteners (further described with reference to Figures 4 and 5) to be 30 engaged between the step and the riser 100 to secure the riser 100 in place. The apertures 125 also allow a user of the stairs to see through the riser and down to the ground below. Alternatively, the riser may simply include apertures for the removable fasteners only.

WO 2014/194359 PCT/AU2014/000581 5 The apertures 125 are sized such that a piece of debris small enough not to cause harm to those below is may pass through the apertures 125 but a larger piece of debris is prevented from falling through the apertures 125. At the same time the apertures 125 provide the ability to see through the riser 100 for safety reasons so 5 that the user of the stair case can see down below them to the ground. The riser 100 may be made out of any suitable material but is preferably made from nylon, for example a type 6 nylon graft copolymer which is both flexible and is preferably yellow in colour allowing the riser to have high visibility. It will be 10 appreciated that any colour may be applied. Preferably the riser is made of a nylon which includes a UV additive (for example 2%) so as to protect the riser from the elements. In an alternative, the riser 100 may be formed from yellow polyethylene. 15 Advantageously the polyethylene is flexible and the colour allows the riser 100 to have high visibility. Preferably the riser 100 made of a polyethylene that includes a UV additive so as to protect the riser 100 from the elements. Preferably, the polyethylene is high-density. The riser may be made out of any other suitable material such as plastic, synthetic or semisynthetic materials that can be moulded into this shape, 20 galvanised iron mesh, monofilament or braided cordage formed or woven into a net, stainless steel, mild steel plate or canvas. Advantageously, the flexible nature of the riser 100 allows it to be positioned between sets of steps of varying heights; that is, the riser can be flat (i.e. at full height) for a 25 particular set of steps or for set of steps with a lower height, the riser 100 may still be placed between the steps but bent or flexed so as to fit between the steps. Figures 2a to 2d are schematic diagrams showing example dimensions of the riser 100 of Figure 1. It will be appreciated that these dimensions are not binding and any 30 dimensions may be used suitable for the particular set of steps. However, it has been found that steps may have a riser height of 150mm to 305mm. Preferably, the riser 100 is 245mm in height so as to fit between most steps and form a concave surface. As will be appreciated, the riser height may vary with the different types of steps. For example, in Australia, steps and stairs should comply with the Building Code of WO 2014/194359 PCT/AU2014/000581 6 Australia as well as the Australian Standard AS 1657-1992: Fixed platforms, walkways, stairways and ladders - Design, construction and installation. Further, due to the flexible nature of the riser 100, it may also fit sets of stairs which have a shorter riser height than 150mm (for example). 5 As shown in Figure 2a the thickness of the vertical riser members 110 is preferably 5mm. As shown in Figure 2a, the horizontal member 105 may protrude 1mm into the vertical riser member 110 and vice versa. This gives a cross cut dimension of each vertical riser member 110 and horizontal member 105 of 5x3mm, and 5x5mm 10 respectively, along the top and bottom of the complete unit (for extra strength when bending into position). Preferably, the side edges may remain the same as the middle members (5x3mm) for easy bending of the riser 100. When cross cutting the sections where the vertical and horizontal members 105, 110 meet, 5x2mm of single volume for each member and 5x1 mm of shared volume may be provided for each. 15 As shown in Figure 2b, the apertures are preferably 40.5mm by 25mm and the height of the riser 100 is 245mm. The height of the riser 100 is designed to fit larger gaps between steps as well as smaller sized gaps. The flexible nature of the riser 100 allows it to be bent into a concave shape on smaller sized gaps which 20 advantageously reduces the chance of a foot protruding through the back of the step and into the mesh itself. Figure 3 shows a plan view of the riser 100 of Figure 1 but having indicia 125 applied along the length of the riser 100. The indicia in this case is in the form of black angled 25 lines inclined at 450 having a width of 40mm along the length of the riser 100. Advantageously the provision of indicia 125 alerts the user of the stairs to the presence of the riser 100. It will be appreciated that indicia 125 may include words or other colours or patterns. 30 In a further advantage, the flexible nature of the riser 100 ensures that a user of the stairs when climbing the stairs is not surprised or shocked if their foot engages the riser 100 since touching the riser 100 with their foot will, due to the nature of the riser and the material of which it is made from, will have some flexibility or "give". This is advantageous since the user is climbing stairs and should not be distracted if their WO 2014/194359 PCT/AU2014/000581 7 foot engages the riser 100. This is in contrast to existing risers in which a user of the stairs may hit the toe of their shoe against the riser which may cause surprise which in turn may cause them to fall from the stairs. The indicia and/or the flexible nature of the riser advantageously alleviates this problem. 5 Figure 4a is a removable fastener 200 for use with the riser 100 in open stairs. The removable fastener 200 includes an upper jaw 205 a lower jaw 215 and an intermediate portion 220 connecting the upper jaw 205 and lower jaw 215 at a first end 210. The second end 225 of the removable fastener 200 includes a first 10 interlocking portion 230 of the upper jaw 205 and a second interlocking portion 235 at the lower jaw 215. As shown in Figure 4b, the upper jaw 205 and lower jaw 215 are biased in a direction B. Figure 4a shows the removable fastener in its locked state while Figure 4b shows 15 the removable fastener in its unlocked state. The removable fastener may be put into its locked state by applying pressure to the upper jaw 205 and lower jaw 215 so as to engage the first interlocking portion 230 with the second interlocking portion 235. Advantageously, the removable fastener 200 is secured in place around the stairs and the riser 100 as will be further described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. In a 20 further advantage, the clip 200 and therefore riser 105 time is removable by applying pressure to the upper jaw 205 and the lower jaw 215 and pulling in a direction A on the upper jaw so as to disengage the first interlocking portion 225 from the second interlocking portion 235. Preferably, the removable fastener withstands impact from components, tools and products in a working environment. In order to unfix the 25 removable fastener a lever [not shown] must be placed into the removable fastener and be used to pry the first and second interlocking portions 230, 235 apart. Figure 5 is an alternative embodiment illustrating a removable fastener 240 which operates in the same way as Figure 4a but further includes a channel 245 in the lower 30 jaw 215 so as to allow engagement the riser in an alternative location on a step For example, some steps include extra support beams under them making it difficult to fix the riser 100 under the step. The removable fastener design in Figure 5 allows movement of the fixing location of the riser 100 to a more suitable area of the step (such as the middle of the horizontal step members 605 rather than the bottom) The WO 2014/194359 PCT/AU2014/000581 8 operation of the removable fastener in Figure 5 will be further described with reference to Figure 7. Preferably, the removable fasteners are 10mm in width and the thickness of the 5 material of the removable fastener is 0.7 to 0.9mm so as to provide flex in the action of the fastener between the locked state and the unlocked state. The fastener may be made from stainless steel 316 so as to provide a level of longevity in outdoor environments such as a mining environment. Alternatively, the fasteners may be made from plastic, synthetic or semisynthetic materials that can be moulded into this 10 shape, galvanised iron/steel, stainless steel or mild steel sheet. Figure 6 is a schematic drawing of the riser system 100 of the present invention installed between an upper step 600 and a lower step 615. The upper step 600 includes one or more apertures 625 so as to allow the removable fasteners 200 15 (described with reference to Figures 4 and 5) to be engaged between the upper step 600 and the riser 100 to secure the riser 100 in place. The upper step 600 includes one or more vertical step members 610 and one or more horizontal step members 605 forming the step 600. The intersection of the vertical step members 610 and the horizontal step members 605 create step apertures 625 which are adapted to receive 20 one or more of the removable fasteners 200 to removably secure the riser 100 to the upper step 600. The lower step 615 also includes vertical step members 610 and horizontal step members 605 which form step apertures 625 again adapted to receive one or more removable fasteners 200 to removably secure the riser 100 to the lower step. 25 As can be seen in Figure 6, four fasteners 200 are secured to horizontal step member 605 on the upper step 600 and on the lower step 615 in order to secure the riser 100 in place. The distance "d" between the upper step 600 and the lower step 615 is less than the height of the riser 100 and so the riser, being flexible in nature, is bent 30 between the upper step 600 and the lower step 615 in a concave manner. Advantageously this concave arrangement ensures that the person using the stairs is unlikely to engage the riser 100 with their foot. Even if the user does engage the riser 100 with their foot, the flexible nature of the material of which the riser 100 is made ensures that the user is not surprised if their foot engages the riser 100. As can be WO 2014/194359 PCT/AU2014/000581 9 seen in Figure 6, apertures 625 in the riser 100 allow the user of the stairs to see through the riser for safety reasons but at the same time prevents egress of materials through the apertures and down to the floor below. 5 Figure 7 shows operation of the riser 100 in side view using the fastener of Figure 5. The upper step 600 includes horizontal step member 605 and vertical step members 610 and apertures 625 (as does the lower step 615). Surrounding or affixed to one or more of the horizontal step members 605 is removable fastener 240 which includes a channel 245 in which one of the horizontal riser members is engaged to secure the 10 riser 100 via a horizontal riser member 605. Advantageously, the removable fastener 240 allows engagement the riser 100 to a more suitable area of the step (such as the middle of the horizontal step members 605 rather than the bottom). Although these exemplary embodiments of the invention have been disclosed for 15 illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above described embodiments but is defined by the following claims.

Claims (5)

1. A riser safety arrangement for providing a barrier between steps on open stairs, including: 5 a riser positionable between an upper step and a lower step; the riser including an upper portion and a lower portion; the riser, upper step and lower step including one or more apertures for receiving one or more removable fasteners; the one or more removable fasteners extending through the apertures in the 10 upper and lower portions of the riser and the upper and lower steps respectively to secure the riser in place.

2. The riser safety arrangement of claim 1, wherein the riser is made from a material such that it is flexible along its length. 15

3. The riser safety arrangement of claim 1, wherein the riser includes display indicia.

4. A removable fastener for securing a riser to a step, the removable fastener 20 including: an upper jaw and a lower jaw connected together at a first end by an intermediate portion; the upper and lower jaw biased with respect to one another such that the removable fastener is moveable between an unlocked state and a locked state; 25 a first interlocking portion at a second end of the upper jaw and a second interlocking portion at the second end of the lower jaw; the first and second interlocking portions adapted to retain the removable fastener in the locked state when interlocked. 30

5. The removable fastener of claim 4, wherein the lower jaw includes a channel adapted to engage with a portion of the riser.