AU2019205014A1 - Modular barrier system - Google Patents

Abstract

A modular safety barrier for protecting workmen at elevated levels on a building from falling over an unprotected live edge includes a flooring cassette (10) and a barrier (30) consisting of vertical posts (32) and transversely extending horizontal upper and lower handrails (60, 64) spanning between the multiple posts at about waist/chest height and at about foot/knee height. The advantage of the modular barrier is the barrier (30) can be attached to the flooring cassette (10) at ground level and the combined barrier and cassette hoisted into position at the elevated level as a single combined integral. A coupling is disclosed (figs 10-11) for connecting rails (60 or 64) to one another or to the posts including a swivel coupling comprising two interconnected releasably securable rings in which the tubes are received, the two rings being movably or pivotally interconnected to each other. 5/10 0N c co%\ \ ( vio= /7 (0 ---

Description

MODULAR BARRIER SYSTEM

FIELD

The present description relates to protection systems for protecting workmen when working on building sites at elevated locations, such as during construction and/or renovation of a building structure.

In one form the present description relates to a barrier module which provides protection at an elevated location within a building structure having an unprotected edge or void, which barrier module can be assembled at ground level.

In one form the present description relates to a modular barrier system comprising individual barrier modules interconnectable to one another to extend along the length of an unprotected edge at an elevated level of a building structure to provide protection against workmen inadvertently falling over the unprotected edge, or tools and/or equipment inadvertently or accidentally falling from the elevated level over the unprotected edge. Forms of the modular barrier are predominantly used to protect tradespersons against injury from stepping off or falling over the unprotected edge at the side of the building structure, and enabling the installation of the first floor framework of the building structure by the installers or other tradespersons, rather than using the services of outside contractors or completion crews to provide protection. The barrier system also provides added safety as it can be installed whilst workmen remain on the ground as the combined floor cassette and barrier module or modules are craned into position so that there is no need for workers to be near to the outer edge or unprotected edge during installation as required conventionally.

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019

In one form the present description relates to a modular barrier system comprising individual barrier modules which can be located at elevated locations prior to the commencement of work by workmen required to work at the elevated locations, so that fall protection is in place prior to workmen commencing working at the elevated locations, thereby reducing or preventing the chances of inadvertently or accidentally falling from the elevated location.

In one form the present description relates to barrier protection systems which are installed at the required location simultaneously with the installation of other 15 building products or assemblies so that the barrier system does not require workmen working unprotected at an elevated height to install the barrier systems at the elevated locations .

Embodiments of the modular barrier system of the present description find particular application as barrier modules which are connected to prefabricated building products or assemblies prior to installation of the prefabricated products and assemblies into place at the elevated locations on the building structures under construction, so that the barrier modules are installed simultaneously with the installation of the building products or assemblies so as to provide protection at the elevated locations simultaneously with or prior to workmen commencing work operations at the elevated locations.

Although the present description relates to embodiments of the modular barrier system and individual barrier modules, including components therefore, it is to be noted that the scope of protection is not restricted to the described embodiments, but rather the scope of protection is more extensive so as to include other forms and variations of

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 the system, modules and components and their use in applications other than specifically described.

BACKGROUND

Safety for workmen working at elevated levels is of paramount importance within the building and construction industries. Whilst working at elevated heights, workmen are exposed to the risk of injury, sometimes fatally, by inadvertently or accidentally falling from an elevated height, such as for example, at a height greater than about 2m to 3m, over an exposed edge or unprotected edge at the perimeter of a building structure, or over the edge of an opening or void located within an upper floor internally within the building structure, such as for example, the opening for a stairs.

In the past, many systems have been proposed for providing protection to workmen against accidental death or injury due to falls from elevated positions. However, not all systems have provided adequate protection in many circumstances. Some systems provide protection in some circumstances but not in others, whilst other systems are not universally applicable in all situations. Some systems are too expensive for use in lower cost building structures, such as for example, residential homes, lowrise units, or similar.

One of the reasons that adequate protection systems are not adopted is the added expense to the cost of the construction of the building structure, particularly when the building structure is a relatively low cost construction, such as for example, domestic dwellings of 2 or 3 stories or other low rise building structures, such as for example, residential or commercial buildings of up to about 5 floors having multiple separate dwelling units in the form of units, apartments, flats and similar. The

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 use of expensive protection systems providing more comprehensive protection cannot be absorbed readily into the cost of construction of relatively low cost building structures so that less expensive systems are used instead which often provide inferior protection.

Less expensive systems often have the disadvantage of not protecting workmen actually installing the protection systems itself so that workmen actually engaged at the time of installing the protection systems are exposed to the risk of injury by inadvertently or accidentally falling from the upper level or levels of the building structure as the protection system is being installed and before the protection system is completed and put in place during the installation of the protection system.

In the past, protection systems for lower cost building structures have been installed at elevated locations only after the building structure has attained the height of the elevated location at which protection is required, necessitating workmen at the elevated location working without benefit of the protection system, even if only for a short time to enable the protection system itself to be installed at the elevated location. In some instances, currently available protection systems are installed, typically by outside contractors or suppliers other than the workmen actually constructing the building structure, by fixing parts of the protection system to the top of the existing ground floor building structure. However, to install such protection systems the contractors or suppliers must, of necessity, work unprotected at an elevation above ground level, typically corresponding to about the height of the upper story of the building structure so that there is a possibility of an inadvertent or accidental fall from this height whilst installing the protection, which can result in injury, sometimes serious or fatal injury. Furthermore, the use of such specialised

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 crews installing the protection system adds to the cost of constructing the building.

Often there is a delay due to the outside contractors or 5 suppliers not being immediately available to install the protection system when required, so that continuing construction of the building structure is delayed until the outside contractors or suppliers are available to install the protection system. If there were a protection system that could be installed safely when required at the appropriate stage of construction of the building structure, delays and hence cost would be reduced. Therefore, there is a need to provide a protection system which can be installed safely without undue delay, such as for example, installed by existing workmen constructing the building structure, thereby obviating the need for the workmen to wait for outside contractors or suppliers to become available to install the protection system before construction work on the building structure can o recommence.

Another disadvantage of existing protection systems is that when the upper floor or first floor frames for the walls of the building structure have been installed, the contractors or suppliers are required to return to the worksite and dismantle the protection system. Not only is there the possibility of further delay while waiting for the contractors to be available to dismantle the protection system before construction work can proceed on the building structure, but also, there is a chance of injury caused by falling from an unprotected elevated height while dismantling the protection system. The reason for this is that the contractors are required to dismantle the protection system from outside of the building structure, again working at an elevation corresponding to about the height of the upper story, so that there is a further chance of injury through inadvertently or

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 accidentally falling from the elevated position, particularly if an external ladder or other temporary external support is used by the contractors to stand upon while dismantling the protection system. An added advantage is also obviating the need for external scaffolding which is the current process for some builders .

Thus, there is a need for a protection system which 10 provides improved protection for workmen when working at an elevated height, which protection system can be installed prior to workmen actually commencing work at the elevated height, and removed while still providing protection, so as to reduce or eliminate the risk of injury if a workman should fall from the elevated location whilst working at an elevated location on a building structure or similar.

Therefore there is a need for a relatively low cost protection system which can be installed and removed without requiring the services of a workman working close to an unprotected edge or void at an elevated location within the building structure under construction.

5 SUMMARY

According to one form of the present invention there is provided a post for supporting at least part of a barrier module to protect a workman working at a worksite located at or on an elevated part of a building structure under construction from falling over an unprotected edge of the building structure, the barrier module being capable of being located in position at the worksite to provide protection for the unprotected edge to the workman, the post comprising a base having fixing elements for fixedly mounting

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 the post to a building product at one location of the building product, the building product being locatable within the worksite in close proximity to the unprotected edge of the building structure, an upper holder for releasably securing an upper rail to the post, and a lower holder for releasably securing a lower rail to the post, the upper holder and lower holder being located in axial spaced apart relationship to one another on the post, wherein when the upper rail is secured to the post by the upper holder, the upper rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the post to provide protection for the unprotected edge at an upper level, and when the lower rail is secured to the lower holder, the lower rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the post to provide protection for the unprotected edge at a lower level, the upper rail and lower rail being in substantially spaced apart parallel relationship to one another in which the spacing apart of the upper and lower rail is in accordance with the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder, and the upper rail and lower rail when secured to the post form part of the barrier for providing protection of the unprotected edge, wherein when the building product is installed at the 30 elevated location, the barrier module comprising the post, the upper rail and the lower rail is positioned at the worksite substantially simultaneously.

According to one form of the present invention there is 35 provided a barrier module for protecting a workman working at or on an elevated part of a building structure under construction at a work site, from falling over an

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 unprotected edge of the building structure, the barrier module comprising a first post including a base having fixing elements for fixedly mounting 5 the first post to a building product at a first location within the worksite when the building product is installed in close proximity to the unprotected edge of the building structure, an upper holder for securing a first part of an upper 10 rail to the first post, and a lower holder for securing a first part of a lower rail to the first post, the upper holder and lower holder being located in axial spaced apart locations to one another on the first post, and a second post including a base having fixing elements for fixedly mounting the second post to the building product at a second location within the worksite in close proximity to the unprotected edge of the building structure when the building product is installed at the elevated location, the first post and the second post being in substantially parallel spaced apart relationship to one another to extend in a first direction, an upper holder for securing a second part of the upper rail to the second post, and a lower holder for securing a second part of the lower rail to the second post, the upper holder and the lower holder of the second post being located in axial spaced apart locations to one another on the second post, wherein the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder of the first post corresponds to the spacing apart of the upper holder and the lower holder of the second post in the axial direction of the first post and second post, and the first post is located in spaced apart location to the second post,

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 wherein when the first part of the upper rail is secured to the first post by the upper holder of the first post and the second part of the upper rail is secured to the second post by the upper holder of the second post, the upper rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the first post and of the second post to at least span between the first post and the second post to provide protection for the unprotected edge at an upper level, and when the first part of the lower rail is secured to io the lower holder of the first post and the second part of the lower rail is secured to the lower holder of the second post, the lower rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the first post and second post to span between the first post and the second post to provide protection for the unprotected edge at a lower level, the upper rail and lower rail being in substantially spaced apart parallel relationship to one another in which the spacing apart of the upper rail and the lower rail is in accordance with the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder of each of the first and second posts, the upper rail and lower rail when secured to the first and second posts forming part of the barrier of the unprotected edge when the building product is installed at the elevated location.

According to one form of the present invention there is provided a barrier for protecting a workman working at a work site located at or on an elevated part of a building structure under construction from falling over an unprotected edge of the building structure, the barrier comprising at least a first barrier module and a second barrier module interconnected to one another to extend substantially the length of the unprotected edge, at least one of the first barrier module or the second barrier module comprising a first post having

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 a base member for fixedly mounting the first post at a first location to a building product for location at or within the worksite in close proximity to the unprotected edge of the building structure, an upper holder for securing a first part of an upper rail to the first post, and a lower holder for securing a first part of a lower rail to the first post, the upper holder and lower holder being located in io axial spaced apart locations to one another on the first post, and a second post having a base member for fixedly mounting the second post at a second location within the worksite in close proximity to the unprotected edge of the building structure, an upper holder for securing a second part of the upper rail to the second post, and a lower holder for securing a second part of the lower rail to the second post, the upper holder and the 20 lower holder of the second post being located in axial spaced apart locations to one another on the second post, wherein the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder of the first post corresponds to the spacing apart of the upper holder and the lower holder of the second post in axial directions of the first post and second post, and the first post is located in spaced apart location to the second post, wherein when the first part of the upper rail is 30 secured to the first post by the upper holder of the first post and the second part of the upper rail is secured to the second post by the upper holder of the second post, the upper rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the first post and of the second post to at least span between the first post and the second post in the second direction to provide protection for the unprotected edge at an upper level, and

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 when the first part of the lower rail is secured to the lower holder of the first post and the second part of the lower rail is secured to the lower holder of the second post, the lower rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the first post and second post to span between the first post and the second post in the second direction to provide protection for the unprotected edge at a lower level, the upper rail and lower rail being in substantially 10 spaced apart parallel relationship to one another in which the spacing apart of the upper rail and the lower rail is in accordance with the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder of each of the first and second posts, the upper rail and lower rail when secured to the 15 first and second posts connected to the building product forming part of the barrier of the unprotected edge, and wherein each of the first barrier module and the second barrier module is capable of being connected to the building product for installation at the worksite.

According to one form of the present invention there is provided a barrier for protecting a workman working at a work site located at or on an elevated part of a building structure under construction from falling over an unprotected edge of the building structure, the barrier comprising a building product in the form of a flooring assembly, at least a first barrier module and a second barrier module securely mounted to the flooring assembly, at least one of the first barrier module or the second barrier module comprising a first post having a base member fixedly mounted to the flooring assembly at a first location, an upper holder for securing a first part of an upper rail to the first post, and a lower holder for securing a first part of a lower

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 rail to the first post, the upper holder and lower holder being located in axial spaced apart locations to one another on the first post, and a second post having a base member fixedly mounted to the flooring assembly at a second location, an upper holder for securing a second part of the upper rail to the second post, and 10 a lower holder for securing a second part of the lower rail to the second post, the upper holder and the lower holder of the second post being located in axial spaced apart locations to one another on the second post, wherein the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder of the first post corresponds to the spacing apart of the upper holder and the lower holder of the second post in axial directions of the first post and second post, and the first post is located in spaced apart location to the second post, wherein when the first part of the upper rail is secured to the first post by the upper holder of the first post and the second part of the upper rail is secured to the second post by the upper holder of the second post, the upper rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the first post and of the second post to at least span between the first post and the second post in the second direction to provide protection for the unprotected edge at an upper level, and when the first part of the lower rail is secured to the lower holder of the first post and the second part of the lower rail is secured to the lower holder of the second post, the lower rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the first post and second post to span between the first post and the second post in the second direction to provide protection for the unprotected edge

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 at a lower level, the upper rail and lower rail being in substantially spaced apart parallel relationship to one another in which the spacing apart of the upper rail and the lower rail is in accordance with the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder of each of the first and second posts, wherein when the flooring assembly is located at the elevated location within the building structure the barrier is located along the unprotected edge of the io elevated location.

According to one form of the present invention there is provided a method of installing a barrier module at an elevated location within a building structure, the method comprising the steps of securely mounting a first post to a building product in the form of a flooring assembly, securely mounting a second post to the building product, the first post and a second post being in spaced 20 apart relationship to one another located at or towards one side of the building product, locating an upper rail to span between the first post and the second post at an upper level of the posts, locating a lower rail to span between the first post and the second post at a lower level of the posts, the upper level being spaced apart from the lower level, the upper rail and lower rail protecting the unprotected edge at the elevated location within the building structure, lifting the combined building product and barrier module into position at the elevated location of the building structure so that the barrier module is installed simultaneously with the installation of the flooring assembly within the building structure to provide protection to a workman working at the elevated location prior to the workman commencing work at the elevated location.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In one form the building product is a collection, group, set, kit or assembly of individual components which are interconnected to one another. Typically, the building product is a flooring product including one or more floor members or floor elements interconnected to one another to form a flooring assembly or floor, more typically, the upper floor of a building structure.

In one form the flooring assembly is a flooring cassette, typically a prefabricated flooring cassette or similar, typically made in an off-site manufacturing facility, such as for example a factory for transportation to the building site.

It is to be noted that the flooring assembly or flooring cassette can have any suitable or convenient form, shape, size, type, style, profile or the like. Forms of the flooring cassette have a substantially planar upper surface for forming the floor or flooring at the elevated location, such as for example, the floor of a room located at an upper level of the building structure, and optionally a substantially planar lower surface, such as for example, for forming the ceiling of a room located at a lower level of the building structure. In one form the flooring cassette is for location adjacent the unprotected edge or void at the elevated location of an upper level of the building structure.

Forms of the flooring cassette include support members or elements, typically located intermediate the upper planar surface and lower planar surface. Forms of the support members or elements include braces, studs, stabilisers, noggins, battens, trusses, webbing or similar, typically, angularly inclined to one another. In forms, the flooring cassettes are 90mm thick floor trusses, which will allow a

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 minimum of 2 bugle/screw anchors to be directly inserted into the structural joist. In forms, once the flooring cassettes have received the posts, blocks , trimmers , shims , washers, webbing, bracing or the like are attached for added support. In one form the post having braced webbing attached at the base is adequate for the bracing of the post. Also when producing the floor cassette layout at the design stage, drawings also show the placement of each post and their connections with the length of rail required, including the upper rail, the lower rail, or both the upper and lower rails.

In one form the barrier comprises a single barrier module or two or more interconnected or interconnectable barrier modules, including three, four or more individual barrier modules interconnected together to form a single unit either collinearly connected or angularly connected to adjacent modules and having a combined length corresponding to the length of the unprotected edge.

In one form the entire barrier module is located on the same flooring cassette, whereas in other forms a first part of the barrier module is attached to one flooring cassette and a second part of the barrier module is attached to a second flooring cassette in which the two flooring cassettes are located in abutting side-by-side relationship to form part of the flooring at the upper level of the building structure, typically, the edge of the flooring at the upper level. In forms, the cassettes can also be joined length ways along the building on large spans .

In forms, the barrier module or barrier system may extend across two or more individual flooring cassettes.

In one form the barrier module or two or more interconnected barrier modules extend collinearly with one

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 another or other barriers, whereas in other forms the barrier module or two or more interconnected barrier modules are angularly inclined to one another, or with other barriers, such as for example, being arranged to extend substantially at right angles to one another so as to provide protection for the corner of an unprotected edge at the perimeter of the building construction or around an internal void in the form of an opening, aperture, cutout or space on the floor of an upper level of the building structure.

In one form the barrier module forms a guard rail for protecting an open edge of a level of a building or an open edge of a void, typically in the form of an opening, aperture, cutout, space or similar, such as for example, the opening of a stair case for providing access between different levels of a multi-level building structure, or a shaft extending between two or more adjacent levels of the building structure.

Forms of the barrier module include vertical members or elements, such as for example, columns stanchions, posts, poles, stakes, uprights, pickets, struts, pillars, piling, staves, rods, newels, balusters, jambs, bollards, masts or similar, typically two or more posts et cetera arranged in spaced apart relationship to one another.

It is to be noted that although the post can have any suitable or convenient length, typical lengths are in the range of from about 600 mm to about 2 m or more, more typically from about 800 mm to about 1500 mm, preferably from about 950 mm to about 1350 mm, more preferably from about 1000 mm to about 1200 mm, most preferably about 1100 mm. Typically, lengths are from about at least 1050 mm, with no more than about 500 mm gap or space between adjacent hand rails.

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In one form the post is cylindrical and/or square and has a diameter of from about 45 to 55 mm, preferably about 48.4 mm. Forms of the post are metal, typically made from aluminium, an aluminium alloy or a material containing aluminium, preferably aluminium grade T6061. Typically, the holder is provided with a receiver or receiving portion for receiving the rail therein, and maintaining the rail in position. In one form the receiver is provided with a depression, typically in the form of a groove, channel, recess, slot, or the like. In one form the holder is a U-shaped holder in which the depression or recess is you-shaped, curved, arcuate or similar. In one form the fixed U-shape holder allows the hand rail to be lifted upwards in lieu of threading side to side as the walls sit outside the proposed location of the rail. Webbing in the form of bracing webbing is provided at the base to stiffen lateral movement and to obtain certification of the barrier in accordance with the relevant regulations. Holes are drilled at the base for ease of screwing to floor member. In forms the barrier system includes locking pins such as, removable locking pins. In forms locking pins are fixed in place to allow rails to join (lapping) over each other and being locked into position.

In one form the post has two spaced apart holders whereas in other forms the post as three or more spaced apart holders .

In one form the holder or holders of one post each securely retains a single rail. In one form the holder or holders each securely retains two rails in end to end relationship. However, in other forms the holder is deep enough to allow lapping of two different rails in abutting relationship so that one end of one rail is received in one part of the holder and one end of the other rail is received in an adjacent part of the holder so that the two

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 rails are arranged to extend collinearly from either side of the holder to allow extended and minimal rail lengths to be used without having to be sized to accurate length. In one form the holder is deep enough to allow lapping of rail in off-centred side to side abutting relationship on either side of the holder to allow extended and minimal rail lengths to be used without having to be too accurate in selecting the length of the rail. This arrangement also avoids having to cut rails to length resulting in io increased wastage when the barrier is reemployed at different work sites for different building structures.

In one form the holder securely retains two rails in abutting stacked relationship one above the other in which the two rails extend in opposite directions. In one form the two stacked rails can extend in different directions, such as for example, being angularly arranged to each other at the corner of an unprotected edge or void.

In one form the barrier module has two transversely extending substantially parallel rails in spaced apart relationship to each other, being an upper rail or top rail and a lower rail or bottom rail. In one form the barrier has three transversely extending rails, being a top rail, a middle rail and a bottom rail.

The holder can have any convenient or suitable form, size, shape or be of any suitable type, style, profile or the like. In one form the holder is provided with a receiver for receiving therein the rail or two rails in side by side relationship to one another or juxtaposed to each other within the holder, such as for example, one on top of the other in which one rail extends in one direction and the other rail extends in the opposite direction.

In one form the receiver has an opening for receiving the rail therethrough or therein, typically one or more open

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 ends or open faces. More typically, the rail, particularly the end of the rail, can be inserted through the open end or open face so that the rail can be dropped into the receiver rather than having to slide the rail through a closed loop or similar into and from the holder.

In one form the receiver is generally U-shaped, L-shaped, W-shaped or the like, in which the open end or open face is directed upwardly enabling the rail to be inserted into io the holder through the upwardly directed open end or face by dropping or lifting the rail straight down or up.

Forms of the holder are provided with a retainer. One form of the retainer is a locking element or member, typically a locking pin, peg, clamp, finger, arm, clip, clasp, hasp or similar for cooperatively engaging with the receiver to lock or retain securely the rail or rails within the receiver of the holder. In one form the locking retainer closes the open end, base or side of the U-shaped receiver or similar by bridging between the body of the post and the side of the retainer, typically the outer side of the retainer.

Although the upper holder and lower holder are located at any suitable or convenient positions along the length of the post, in one preferred form the upper holder, in the form of a generally U-shaped or L-shaped bracket, is located at about at least 1050mm, but not less than 900 mm from the base of the post or the upper surface of the flooring cassette so as to be at most about 200 mm from the top of the post, more typically in the range of from about 950 mm to about 1050 mm from the base of the post which is from about 50 mm to about 150 mm from the top of the post.

Forms of the post have the upper holder and lower holder spaced apart from one another at any suitable or

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 convenient distance. Typically, the upper and lower holder are spaced apart in the range from about 350 mm to about 650 mm apart, more typically from about 400 mm to about 600 mm, preferably in the range from about 450 mm to 550 mm, most preferably at about 500 mm spacing.

In one form the base of the post is a foot or other support, typically a substantially planar support, such as for example, a base plate or base platen or similar. In one form the base plate is a substantially square or rectangular base plate. In one form the post is fixedly connected to the base plate to extend substantially perpendicularly therefrom, typically by welding or other similar means. Forms of the post have a gusset plate, typically multiple gusset plates, more typically four gusset plates, or similar extending between the body of the post and the base plate.

In one form the base plate has fixing elements for use in mounting the post to the flooring cassette. Forms of the fixing elements include apertures for receiving therethrough suitable fasteners, such as for example anchors, Dyna bolts, Tek screws, or the like.

In forms, certified anchors and lengths of rail are used. Coach screws or bugle screws having a minimum length of about 70 mm are used to securely anchor the post to the flooring cassette.

In one form the base plate is provided with at least two apertures, typically four apertures for receiving therethrough suitable fasteners. It is to be noted that the post can be mounted to the flooring cassette in any suitable or convenient manner using any suitable or convenient fitting, typically fixed not to the flooring sheet but the structural element, being the floor truss.

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In one form the barrier module has two transversely extending substantially parallel rails in spaced apart relationship to each other. In one form the barrier has three transversely extending rails, being a top rail, a middle rail and a bottom rail.

In other forms the barrier module has additional components for providing protection, such as for example a door, gate, hatch, or similar allowing authorised access io to and through the barrier module at selected locations of the unprotected edge or void.

In one form the barrier modules are angularly inclined to one another in a substantially vertical direction, typically to form a barrier along the open edge or unprotected edge of a ramp or driveway or inclined access path extending between two adjacent levels of the building structure, such as for example, a ramp joining two levels of a car park or similar.

In one form the upper rail is a hand rail or similar, and typically is located at a height corresponding to the height of the upper part of the body of a workman. More typically, the handrail is located at a height above the floor or level of the building structure in the range of from about 1000mm to about 1200mm, preferably in the range from about 1050mm to about 1100mm.

It is to be noted that the length of the upper rail can be any suitable or convenient length. Typically, the length of the upper rail is up to about 6m or more, preferably in the range of greater than about 600mm, more preferably in the range of from about 1800mm to about 2400mm. More typically, with posts located at predetermined centres of from about 1800mm to 2400mm, the rail can span from 600mm to more than about 6m and is not limited to being in any multiple of 6 meters.

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It is to be noted that the upper rail or handrail can have any suitable or convenient cross-section, profile or shape. However, it is preferred that one form the cross5 section of the rail is substantially circular.

Aluminium which is used for lightness of weight for ease of lifting the floor cassette has a diameter in the range from about 30mm to over 50mm, preferably being in the range of about 40-50mm.

The size, including the diameter or cross-section, of the upper rail and/or lower rail is in the range from about 20 mm to about 100 mm, typically in the range from about 30 mm to about 80 mm, more typically in the range from about 40 mm to about 60 mm, preferably in the range from about 45 mm to about 55 mm, most preferably nominally about 48 mm.

Typically, the upper rail or handrail is made from a suitable metal or alloy, such as for example, a lightweight alloy, typically being or containing aluminium or similar. Preferably, the aluminium is T6160 grade or the like.

In one form the lower rail is a knee rail, foot rail, toe rail, toe step, kick board or similar. Typically, the lower rail is located at a height above the floor or level in any suitable or convenient range. Typically, the rail comprises two rails of no more than 500-550mm apart with top rail at a minimum height of 1050.

It is to be noted that the lower rail or knee rail can have any suitable or convenient cross-section, profile or shape. In one form the cross-section of the rail is substantially circular. However, the kick rail may be of a square or rectangular profile depending upon requirements.

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In forms, the top rail and the lower rail act as edge protection. In one form both rails are the same whereas in other forms the rails may be different.

Forms of the barrier have one or more additional rails, such as for example, a third rail or a fourth rail depending upon factors such as the size of the barrier, the location of the barrier within the building structure, the type of building structure, the height of the elevated location above ground level, the amount of protection required to be provided by the modular barrier, the magnitude of any deforming force to impact the barrier by man or machine, and similar. In forms the height is determined by the height of the post, and the maximum spacing between rails is about 500mm.

Forms of the barrier module optionally have additional fittings for connecting the rails to one another or to the posts and/or holders. One form of the additional fitting is a coupling for joining two cylindrical tubes together, such as for example, a tubular rail to another tubular rail or a tubular rail to a tubular post. Typically, one form of the coupling is a swivel coupling, more typically a Swivel Cuplor type coupling or similar coupling, comprising two interconnected releasably securable rings in which one tube is received in one ring and the other tube in the other ring, the two rings being interconnected to each other through the coupling. The optional additional fitting enhances the strength and rigidity of the barrier module. Typically, the fitting can be as described above and/or join rails at an internal/external corner to limit the need for a post.

In one form the barrier module is assembled from the various components forming the module at ground-level, either in a manufacturing facility located off-site, such

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 as for example at a factory or other manufacturing/ assembly location, or at the building site, either at a dedicated location within the building site or out in the open on the ground of the building site, such as for example on-site adjacent the building structure.

Assembling the barrier module to the building product at ground level obviates the need for workmen to be at an elevated height to install and/or remove the barrier modules .

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Individual components of a barrier module or individual barrier modules are mounted on the building product, typically in the form of a flooring assembly, such as a flooring cassette, at ground level, such as for example, being located beside the building structure. In one form the barrier module is preformed and mounted on the flooring cassette as a single unit by attaching the posts directly to the flooring cassette using the fixing elements in the base plate to mount the module.

In other forms, individual components of the barrier module are mounted in sequence to the flooring cassette and to each other to form the module, such as for example, firstly, the posts are fixed in predetermined spaced apart positions on the flooring cassette to extend upwardly from the upper surface of the flooring cassette, and then, the upper and lower rails inserted into the respective holders and securely clamped thereto by the retainers in the form of locking pins to enable the combined flooring cassette and module to be lifted as a single integral unit and placed into position at the upper level of the building structure using a suitable lifting device such as a hoist, crane, or similar. Thus, there is no need for workmen to be located at the elevated position to install the protection system because the protection system is installed simultaneously with the floor of the upper level.

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019

Once assembled, the combined flooring cassette and barrier module are lifted simultaneously as a single integrated unit into place at the elevated location using a suitable lifting device, such as for example a crane, a hoist, a lift, or similar. Typically, the lifting device is stabilised at ground level. Typically, the lifting device is provided with stabilisers, typically in the form of outriggers or similar.

It is to be noted that the lifting device needs to be able to carry a sufficient load and distance to travel.

As the barrier module is securely mounted to the flooring 15 cassette, lifting the flooring cassette into position using a crane or hoist, also lifts the barrier module simultaneously allowing the combined flooring cassette and barrier module to be placed into position along the unprotected edge of the upper level of the building structure to provide protection for the unprotected edge at the upper level. Accordingly, there is no need for a workman to be stationed at the upper level to assist in the installation of the modular barrier which reduces the risk of inadvertent or accidental injury to the workmen caused by falling from or stepping over the unprotected edge.

In one form the barrier module is formed or assembled at ground level and lifted into position by the suitable lifting device without requiring workmen to be positioned at the elevated level of the building structure without benefit of protection against inadvertently falling from the unprotected edge, such as for example without requiring a workman to be located on the one protected side of the barrier module as it is being installed by being located between the barrier module and the unprotected edge. Typically, at all times, the workman is

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 located inboard of the location of the barrier module as it is being installed at the elevated level within the building structure. Typically, the barrier can be installed from certified ladders, but not limited to gaining access to a floor once suitable cassettes are installed as edge protection in place with each flooring component installed.

In one form the component to which the post is attached is 10 a flooring component or a flooring element or member.

Typically, the flooring is a floor cassette, more typically a prefabricated floor cassette, even more typically a prefabricated wooden floor cassette. In one form the floor cassette located intermediate the lower floor and the upper floor of the building structure forms the ceiling of the lower story of the building structure and the floor of the upper story of the building structure.

In one form the modular barrier system or barrier modules are fixed in place to the prefabricated floor cassettes prior to being lifted into position at the elevated location by the lifting device. Each floor cassette with integral barrier module can then be lifted into the exact location using a suitable lifting means, such as a crane or a hoist without the need for workmen to be located at the elevated location without benefit of the protection system. Multiple units of a flooring cassette with respective attached barrier modules are located in place in turn to form the floor covering at the upper level by covering the entire floor area of the upper story. When all of the floor cassettes are hoisted into position, workmen such as for example, carpenters, builders, framers or other trades persons, are able to gain access to the upper floor of the building structure immediately without having to wait on outside contractors, suppliers or installers to install the barrier system before access to

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 the elevated location is possible. Accordingly, there is little, if any time lost between craning the multitude of individual flooring cassettes with integral barrier modules into place and work commencing on the upper floor.

By fixing the barrier module containing the handrail to the floor cassette at ground-level and lifting the combined cassette/module as a single entity, additional safety is provided because the handrail is mounted to the io floor cassette when the floor cassette is located at ground-level, and only removed from the floor cassette at the upper level of the building structure once the external walls of the upper storey have been lifted and positioned in place. The barrier module can then be removed from the floor cassette safely by the wall or wall frames at the upper level being located between the workmen removing the barrier module and the unprotected edge thereby providing protection against falling over the unprotected edge.

In forms, the barrier module is located at a suitable distance from the edge of the flooring cassette.

Typically, the barrier module is located with respect to the flooring cassette so that the handrail of the barrier module is positioned at about 300 mm inboard of the unprotected edge, more typically in the range of from about 100 to 400mm, preferably 200 to 300 mm to allow access to the external wall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

To exemplify the present description, forms of the barrier module will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of one form of a flooring cassette having an upper planar surface and an

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 internal support structure comprising a multitude of support elements .

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one form of a post of 5 the barrier module shown in isolation.

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one form of holder of the post of figure 2 showing two hand rails in stacked superposed relationship to one another secured within the holder.

Figure 4 is a top perspective view of one form of the barrier module mounted on the upper planar surface of the flooring cassette of figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged schematic view of region A of figure 4 showing the barrier module in more detail.

Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of the barrier module of figure 4 in relationship to the ground floor of the building structure prior to lifting the combined flooring cassette and barrier module into position within the building structure.

Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of the barrier module in situ at the elevated location within the building structure.

Figure 8 are top plan views of different forms of the flooring showing the location of the posts for forming the barrier modules .

Figure 9 is a schematic plan view of the barrier modules in situ at the elevated position corresponding to the layout of figure 8.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of one form of coupling

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 for securing rails to the posts of the barrier module showing the coupling in isolation.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the coupling of figure 5 10 securing two tubular rails in stacked superposed relationship one above the other.

Figure 12 is a schematic side elevation view of another form of the post for supporting the barrier module.

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DETAILS DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

One form of the barrier system comprising individual barrier modules will now be described with reference to forms of the modules shown in the accompanying drawings.

One form of the flooring cassette, generally denoted as 10, is illustrated in figure 1. Flooring cassette 10 comprises a supporting structure, generally denoted as 12, comprising a multitude of lengthwise extending lower bearers 14 arranged in spaced apart substantially parallel relationship extending from one end of cassette 10 to the opposite end to form the base of the flooring cassette 10. A multitude of upper lengthwise extending bearers 16 extend in spaced apart substantially parallel relationship to one another from one end of cassette 10 to the other end and are located in alignment with the position of the corresponding lower bearers 14 so as to be superposed respectively over the multitude of lower bearers 14.

Vertical support elements in the form of vertical studs 18 extend between the respective upper and lower bearers 14, 16 at spaced apart locations over the entire length of cassette 10. A pair of oppositely inclined braces 20a, 20b extend between the respective lower bearers 14 and upper bearers 16 intermediate the locations of vertical studs

18. At each end of the flooring cassette 10 is located one cross member 22 extending transversely from one

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 longitudinal side of flooring cassette 10 to the other longitudinal side thereof to interconnect vertical studs 18 at each respective ends of cassette 10. A floor covering 24, in the form of a multitude of planar sheets

26 in side-by-side abutting relationship to each other are provided on the upper surface in use of cassette 10 to form the floor of the upper level of the building structure (to be described in more detail later). Floor covering 24 and sheets 26 may be of any suitable or convenient form, type, size, style or similar depending upon requirements of the building structure. In one form a layer of blocks, panels, slabs, sheets or similar, typically made from a lightweight material, such as for example autoclaved aerated concrete, or similar, are optionally located upon floor covering 24 and sheets 26.

A barrier module, generally denoted as 30, is provided on floor covering 24 by being fixedly connected to individual sheets 26. Barrier module 30 includes one or more, preferably at least two, more preferably multiple, posts 32 which are arranged in use in substantially parallel spaced apart relationship to one another to extend substantially vertically from the substantially horizontal plane of covering 24 and/or sheets 26. Post 32 is typically in the form of a hollow cylindrical or square tube made from a suitable grade of aluminium and having a wall thickness in the range of from about 70 mm to about 210 mm. Typical wall sizes are 70mm or 90mm with prefabricated walls or walls made from pre-fabricated panels or similar prior to being installed onsite at the building site and include external cladding and top hat and plaster board, but can range from 70mm to 250mm.

Each post 32 is provided with a base, in the form of a base plate 34, provided with fixing elements, typically in the form of spaced apart apertures 36, more typically located at or towards each corner of base plate 34, for

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 facilitating fixedly mounting posts 32 to floor cassette

10. Apertures 36 are for receiving therethrough suitable fasteners, such as for example bolts, anchors, Tek screws or the like.

At or towards the top end of hollow cylindrical tubular post 32, typically at about 150 mm from the top of the post, is an upper holder for securing hand rails 60 to post 32 to form modular barrier 30. The upper holder is generally in the form of an upper bracket 38, typically an open bracket, more typically, a generally open ended or open sided U-shaped bracket having an outboard leg 40, and inboard leg 42, a transverse web 44 and an upwardly facing open face or end 46. It is to be noted that the junction of transverse web 44 and inboard leg 42 at one side of bracket 38 is generally curved as is the junction of transverse web 44 and outboard leg 40 at the other side of bracket 38. In use, handrails 60 are received internally within the opening of bracket 38 intermediate the respective inner surfaces of outboard leg 40 and inboard leg 42 and the inner surface of web 44. A retainer in the form of a locking element, such as for example, locking pin 48 closes open end 46 to securely retain handrails 60a, 60b within the holder to form barrier module 30.

Locking pin 48 is received through aperture 50 provided at the distal end or upper end in use of outboard leg 40, as shown more particularly in figures 2 and 3.

A lower holder is located intermediate the upper holder 38 and baseplate 34, typically located at about 500 mm from the location of the upper holder. The lower holder is the same as or substantially identical to the upper holder, being in the form of a lower bracket 52 having the same shape and configuration as upper bracket 38. Lower rails, in the form of knee rails or foot rails 64 are secured in place to post 32 by lower bracket 52 in the same manner that upper rails, being handrails 60, are secured in place

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 by upper bracket 38.

One form of barrier module 30 is shown mounted to the flooring cassette 10 in figure 4, where module 30 comprises ten individual posts 32 located in spaced apart relationship to one another around the perimeter of cassette 10, typically being spaced about 300 mm from the edge of cassette 10. Hand rails 60, being of a length of about 6m, extend from one post 32 to adjacent post 32 to io span therebetween around the entire perimeter of cassette

10. Knee rails 64, also of a length of about 6m, extend from one post 32 to an adjacent post 32 to span therebetween around the entire perimeter of cassette 10 to provide protection against inadvertent falling from or stepping over the unprotected edge of cassette 10 when installed at an elevated position within building structure 70.

It is to be noted that the exact shape and configuration of the barrier module is in accordance with the exact shape and configuration of the edge of the flooring cassette to be lifted into position at the elevated location or the set of or group of interconnected cassettes 10 for forming the floor or flooring 24 of the upper level 72 of building structure 70. Different layouts of the barrier module are illustrated in figure 9, and are identified by the letters A, B, C, and D.

It is to be noted that the barrier module can include sections which are arranged collinearly with respect to each other, so as to extend along a relatively long straight unprotected edge, or are arranged to be inclined to each other, such as for example, by being arranged to extend substantially perpendicularly to each other as shown in figure 5 for protecting the edge of a void, such as the unprotected edges forming the corner, typically a 90 degree corner, of the floor or flooring of the upper

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 level of the building structure 70.

In figure 6 is shown one combination of a flooring cassette 10 and one form of barrier module 30 which is assembled at ground level by firstly mounting individual posts 32 at the required spaced apart locations on sheets 26 of the floor covering 24 of the flooring cassette 10 and inserting handrails 60 and knee rails 64 as required to form a more or less continuous barrier around the io perimeter of the cassette. The combined cassette and barrier module can be lifted as a single integral unit into position at the elevated location for forming the ceiling of the lower level of the building structure and the flooring of the upper level of the building structure of two separate dwelling units in aligned superposed relationship one above the other such as shown in figure

7.

In one form, the modular rail extends past the perimeter or edge of the floor to allow protection and be then joined at the post or coupler of the next adjacent cassette with lapping rails. Forms of the modular barrier are not limited to allow a post at each end of floor module with rails extending past 150mm - 600mm and be joined with suitable couplers, such as the couplers described herein.

One form of coupler 80 is illustrated in isolation in figure 10 and in situ joining two hand rails in superposed relationship to one another in figure 11. Coupler 80 in includes a main fixed body portion 82 located centrally within coupler 80. Coupler body portion 82 is provided with an upper arcuate section 84 for receiving therein an upper cylindrical handrail 60a and lower arcuate section

86 for receiving therein a lower cylindrical handrail 60b, as shown more particularly in figure 11. Coupler 80 is provided with upper swing arm 88 pivotally connected to

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 upper arcuate section 84 and upper locking bolt 90 extending between upper swing arm 88 and central body portion 82. Similarly, coupler 80 is provided with lower swing arm 92 pivotally connected to lower arcuate section

86 and lower locking bolt 94 extending between the distal end of lower swing arm 92 and central body portion 82. In use, upper locking bolt 90 and lower locking bolt 94 are released from upper swing arm 88 and lower swing arm 92, respectively thereby allowing upper swing arm 88 and lower swing arm 92 to adopt an open position for receiving therein upper hand rail 60a and lower hand rail 60b, respectively. After hand rails 60a, 60b are located in position and received in respective arcuate sections 84, 86, both upper and lower swing arms 88, 92 are closed over the respective hand rails to maintain the position of the handrails within coupler 80. Thereupon, upper locking bolt 90 and lower locking bolt 94 are moved to cooperatively engage the respective upper swing arm and lower swing arm thereby securely anchoring the handrails when the locking bolts are each tightened to secure the handrails to the supporting posts.

A further form of the post which is illustrated in figure 12 will now be described with reference to figure 12. Post

132 includes a support base 134 for securely anchoring post 132 to a suitable substrate such as for example, a flooring cassette. One form of the base 134 includes four radially extending gussets 135 located at regularly spaced apart locations around the circumference of cylindrical post 132. Post 132 is provided with an upper holder 136 for receiving therein and securely attaching to post 132 a pair of transversely extending top rails 138, 140. Post 132 is also provided with a lower holder 142 for receiving therein or there through and securely attaching to post

132 a pair of transversely extending bottom rails 144,

146.

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A bracing arrangement is generally located at or towards the lower end in use of post 132. One form of the bracing arrangement includes a strut 148 angularly inclined to the vertical axis of post 132 so as to extend inclinedly outwardly from the lower part of post 132. A gusset 150 is provided at the junction of the upper end of strut 148 and post 132 to increase the rigidity and strength of post 132 for supporting the barrier in use. A plate 152 extends between support base 134 and strut 148.

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ADVANTAGES

At least one form of the modular barrier has at least one of the following advantages.

The modular barrier eliminates the need for external trades and supply and payment to install rails and dismantle, thereby gaining more construction surety and control, as well as improving safety by not needing to access the external edge of the building at an elevation. The rail is installed as each module is installed, with the rail being in from the outer edge so that trades are always in from the outer edge.

The modular barrier is delivered with house materials, diagram and installation guide supplied, ease of installation as it can be done on the ground, no side fixing to external edges, safety of install and dismantle, quick to install with limited components.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary 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.

Claims (5)

1. A post for supporting at least part of a barrier module to protect a workman working at a worksite located

5 at or on an elevated part of a building structure under construction from falling over an unprotected edge of the building structure, the barrier module being capable of being located in position at the worksite to provide protection for the io unprotected edge to the workman, the post comprising a base having fixing elements for fixedly mounting the post to a building product at one location of the building product,

15 the building product being locatable within the worksite in close proximity to the unprotected edge of the building structure, an upper holder for releasably securing an upper rail to the post, and

20 a lower holder for releasably securing a lower rail to the post, the upper holder and lower holder being located in axial spaced apart relationship to one another on the post,

25 wherein when the upper rail is secured to the post by the upper holder, the upper rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the post to provide protection for the unprotected edge at an upper level, and when the lower rail is secured to the lower holder,

30 the lower rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the post to provide protection for the unprotected edge at a lower level, the upper rail and lower rail being in substantially spaced apart parallel relationship to one another in which

35 the spacing apart of the upper and lower rail is in accordance with the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder, and

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 the upper rail and lower rail when secured to the post form part of the barrier for providing protection of the unprotected edge, wherein when the building product is installed at the 5 elevated location, the barrier module comprising the post, the upper rail and the lower rail is positioned at the worksite substantially simultaneously.

2. A barrier module for protecting a workman working at io a work site located at or on an elevated part of a building structure under construction, from falling over an unprotected edge of the building structure, the barrier module comprising a first post including

15 a base having fixing elements for fixedly mounting the first post to a building product at a first location within the worksite when the building product is installed in close proximity to the unprotected edge of the building structure,

20 an upper holder for securing a first part of an upper rail to the first post, and a lower holder for securing a first part of a lower rail to the first post, the upper holder and lower holder being located in

25 axial spaced apart locations to one another on the first post, and a second post including a base having fixing elements for fixedly mounting the second post to the building product at a second

30 location within the worksite in close proximity to the unprotected edge of the building structure when the building product is installed at the elevated location, the first post and the second post being in substantially parallel spaced apart relationship to one

35 another to extend in a first direction, an upper holder for securing a second part of the upper rail to the second post, and

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 a lower holder for securing a second part of the lower rail to the second post, the upper holder and the lower holder of the second post being located in axial spaced apart locations to one another on the second post,

5 wherein the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder of the first post corresponds to the spacing apart of the upper holder and the lower holder of the second post in the axial direction of the first post and second post, and io the first post is located in spaced apart location to the second post, wherein when the first part of the upper rail is secured to the first post by the upper holder of the first post and the second part of the upper rail is secured to

15 the second post by the upper holder of the second post, the upper rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the first post and of the second post to at least span between the first post and the second post to provide protection for the unprotected edge at an upper level, and

20 when the first part of the lower rail is secured to the lower holder of the first post and the second part of the lower rail is secured to the lower holder of the second post, the lower rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the first post and second post to span

25 between the first post and the second post to provide protection for the unprotected edge at a lower level, the upper rail and lower rail being in substantially spaced apart parallel relationship to one another in which the spacing apart of the upper rail and the lower rail is

30 in accordance with the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder of each of the first and second posts, the upper rail and lower rail when secured to the first and second posts forming part of the barrier of the unprotected edge when the building product is installed at

35 the elevated location.

3. A barrier for protecting a workman working at a work

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 site located at or on an elevated part of a building structure under construction from falling over an unprotected edge of the building structure, the barrier comprising at least a first barrier 5 module and a second barrier module interconnected to one another to extend substantially the length of the unprotected edge, at least one of the first barrier module or the second barrier module comprising

10 a first post having a base member for fixedly mounting the first post at a first location to a building product for location at or within the worksite in close proximity to the unprotected edge of the building structure,

15 an upper holder for securing a first part of an upper rail to the first post, and a lower holder for securing a first part of a lower rail to the first post, the upper holder and lower holder being located in 20 axial spaced apart locations to one another on the first post, and a second post having a base member for fixedly mounting the second post at a second location within the worksite in close proximity

25 to the unprotected edge of the building structure, an upper holder for securing a second part of the upper rail to the second post, and a lower holder for securing a second part of the lower rail to the second post, the upper holder and the 30 lower holder of the second post being located in axial spaced apart locations to one another on the second post, wherein the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder of the first post corresponds to the spacing apart of the upper holder and the lower holder of the

35 second post in axial directions of the first post and second post, and the first post is located in spaced apart location to

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019

- 41 the second post, wherein when the first part of the upper rail is secured to the first post by the upper holder of the first post and the second part of the upper rail is secured to

5 the second post by the upper holder of the second post, the upper rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the first post and of the second post to at least span between the first post and the second post in the second direction to provide protection for the unprotected edge io at an upper level, and when the first part of the lower rail is secured to the lower holder of the first post and the second part of the lower rail is secured to the lower holder of the second post, the lower rail extends generally transversely

15 to the axis of the first post and second post to span between the first post and the second post in the second direction to provide protection for the unprotected edge at a lower level, the upper rail and lower rail being in substantially

20 spaced apart parallel relationship to one another in which the spacing apart of the upper rail and the lower rail is in accordance with the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder of each of the first and second posts, the upper rail and lower rail when secured to the

25 first and second posts connected to the building product forming part of the barrier of the unprotected edge, and wherein each of the first barrier module and the second barrier module is capable of being connected to the building product for installation at the worksite.

4. A barrier for protecting a workman working at a work site located at or on an elevated part of a building structure under construction from falling over an unprotected edge of the building structure,

35 the barrier comprising a building product in the form of a flooring assembly, at least a first barrier module and a second barrier

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 module securely mounted to the flooring assembly, at least one of the first barrier module or the second barrier module comprising a first post having

5 a base member fixedly mounted to the flooring assembly at a first location, an upper holder for securing a first part of an upper rail to the first post, and a lower holder for securing a first part of a lower

10 rail to the first post, the upper holder and lower holder being located in axial spaced apart locations to one another on the first post, and a second post having

15 a base member fixedly mounted to the flooring assembly at a second location, an upper holder for securing a second part of the upper rail to the second post, and a lower holder for securing a second part of the

20 lower rail to the second post, the upper holder and the lower holder of the second post being located in axial spaced apart locations to one another on the second post, wherein the spacing apart of the upper holder and

25 lower holder of the first post corresponds to the spacing apart of the upper holder and the lower holder of the second post in axial directions of the first post and second post, and the first post is located in spaced apart location to

30 the second post, wherein when the first part of the upper rail is secured to the first post by the upper holder of the first post and the second part of the upper rail is secured to the second post by the upper holder of the second post,

35 the upper rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the first post and of the second post to at least span between the first post and the second post in the second

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 direction to provide protection for the unprotected edge at an upper level, and when the first part of the lower rail is secured to the lower holder of the first post and the second part of

5 the lower rail is secured to the lower holder of the second post, the lower rail extends generally transversely to the axis of the first post and second post to span between the first post and the second post in the second direction to provide protection for the unprotected edge io at a lower level, the upper rail and lower rail being in substantially spaced apart parallel relationship to one another in which the spacing apart of the upper rail and the lower rail is in accordance with the spacing apart of the upper holder

15 and lower holder of each of the first and second posts, wherein when the flooring assembly is located at the elevated location within the building structure the barrier is located along the unprotected edge of the elevated location.

5. A method of installing a barrier module at an elevated location within a building structure, the method comprising the steps of securely mounting a first post to a building product 25 in the form of a flooring assembly, securely mounting a second post to the building product, the first post and a second post being in spaced apart relationship to one another located at or towards one side of the building product,

30 locating an upper rail to span between the first post and the second post at an upper level of the posts, locating a lower rail to span between the first post and the second post at a lower level of the posts, the upper level being spaced apart from the lower level, the

35 upper rail and lower rail protecting the unprotected edge at the elevated location within the building structure, lifting the combined building product and barrier module

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 into position at the elevated location of the building structure so that the barrier module is installed simultaneously with the installation of the flooring assembly within the building structure to provide

5 protection to a workman working at the elevated location prior to the workman commencing work at the elevated location.

6. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in 10 which the flooring assembly is a prefabricated flooring cassette having a substantially planar upper surface for forming the floor or flooring at the elevated location and a substantially planar lower surface for forming the ceiling of a room located at a lower level of the building

15 structure.

7. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the flooring cassette includes support members or elements located intermediate the upper planar surface and

20 lower planar surface wherein the support members or elements include braces, studs, stabilisers, noggins, battens, trusses, or webbing.

8. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in

25 which the flooring cassettes are 90mm thick floor trusses, which allow a minimum of 2 bugle/screw anchors to be directly inserted into the structural joist and blocks, trimmers, shims, washers, webbing, bracing which are attached to provide added support.

9. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the barrier comprises a single barrier module or two or more interconnected or interconnectable barrier modules, including three, four or more individual barrier

35 modules interconnected together to form a single unit either collinearly connected or angularly connected to adjacent modules and having a combined length

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 corresponding to the length of the unprotected edge.

10. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the barrier module or two or more interconnected

5 barrier modules extend collinearly with one another or other barriers, or the barrier module or two or more interconnected barrier modules are angularly inclined to one another, or with other barriers, including being arranged to extend substantially at right angles to one

10 another so as to provide protection for the corner of an unprotected edge at the perimeter of the building construction or around an internal void in the form of an opening, aperture, cutout or space on the floor of an upper level of the building structure.

11. A barrier module according to any preceding claim further comprising a guard rail for protecting an open edge of a level of a building or an open edge of a void, an opening, aperture, cutout, or space.

12. A barrier module according to any preceding claim including vertical members or elements, columns stanchions, posts, poles, stakes, uprights, pickets, struts, pillars, piling, staves, rods, newels, balusters,

25 jambs, bollards, including two or more posts et cetera arranged in spaced apart relationship to one another.

13. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the length of the post is in the range of from about

30 600 mm to about 2 m or more, more typically from about 800 mm to about 1500 mm, preferably from about 950 mm to about 1350 mm, more preferably from about 1000 mm to about 1200 mm, most preferably about 1100 mm.

35

14. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the length of the post is from about at least 1050 mm, with no more than about 500 mm gap or space between

11524506_1 (GHMatters) P103387.AU.2 12/07/19

2019205014 12 Jul 2019 adjacent hand rails.

15. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the post is cylindrical and/or square and has a

5 diameter of from about 45 to 55 mm, preferably about 48.4 mm and in which the post is metal, typically made from aluminium, an aluminium alloy or a material containing aluminium, preferably aluminium grade T6061.

10

16. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the holder is provided with a receiver or receiving portion for receiving the rail therein, and maintaining the rail in position wherein the receiver is provided with a depression, typically in the form of a groove, channel,

15 recess, slot, or the like.

17. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the holder is a U-shaped holder in which the depression or recess is U-shaped, curved, arcuate or

20 similar for allowing the hand rail to be lifted upwards in lieu of threading side to side as the walls sit outside the proposed location of the rail.

18. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in

25 which the post is provided with a strengthener for improving the strength of the post wherein the strengthener includes webbing in the form of bracing webbing provided at the base to stiffen lateral movement.

30

19. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the post has two spaced apart holders or three or more spaced apart holders.

20. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in

35 which the holder or holders of one post each securely retains a single rail or the holder or holders each securely retains two rails in end to end relationship or

11524506_1 (GHMatters) P103387.AU.2 12/07/19

2019205014 12 Jul 2019 in abutting one above the other relationship including the holder being deep enough to allow lapping of two different rails in abutting relationship so that one end of one rail is received in one part of the holder and one end of the

5 other rail is received in an adjacent part of the holder so that the two rails are arranged to extend collinearly from either side of the holder to allow extended and minimal rail lengths to be used without having to be sized to accurate length.

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21. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the barrier module has two transversely extending substantially parallel rails in spaced apart relationship to each other, being an upper rail or top rail and a lower

15 rail or bottom rail or the barrier has three transversely extending rails, being a top rail, a middle rail and a bottom rail.

22. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in

20 which the receiver has an opening for receiving the rail therethrough or therein, one or more open ends or open faces or the rail can be inserted through the open end or open face so that the rail can be dropped into the receiver rather than having to slide the rail through a

25 closed loop or similar into and from the holder wherein the receiver is generally U-shaped, L-shaped, W-shaped or the like, in which the open end or open face is directed upwardly enabling the rail to be inserted into the holder through the upwardly directed open end or face by dropping

30 or lifting the rail straight down or up.

23. A barrier module according to any preceding claim further comprising a retainer having a locking element or member, including a locking pin, peg, clamp, finger, arm,

35 clip, clasp, hasp or similar for cooperatively engaging with the receiver to lock or retain securely the rail or rails within the receiver of the holder.

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019

24. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the upper holder and lower holder are located at about at least 1050mm, but not less than 900 mm from the

5 base of the post or the upper surface of the flooring cassette so as to be at most about 200 mm from the top of the post, more typically in the range of from about 950 mm to about 1050 mm from the base of the post which is from about 50 mm to about 150 mm from the top of the post.

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25. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the spacing apart of the upper holder and lower holder is in the range from about 350 mm to about 650 mm apart, more typically from about 400 mm to about 600 mm,

15 preferably in the range from about 450 mm to 550 mm, most preferably at about 500 mm spacing.

26. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the base of the post is a base plate or base platen

20 in the form of a substantially square or rectangular base plate and one or more gusset plates, more typically four gusset plates, or similar extending between the body of the post and the base plate.

25

27. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the barrier modules are angularly inclined to one another in a substantially vertical direction along the open edge or unprotected edge of a ramp or driveway or inclined access path extending between two adjacent levels

30 of the building structure.

28. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the length of the upper rail is up to about 6m or more, preferably in the range of greater than about 600mm,

35 more preferably in the range of from about 1800mm to about 2400mm and the posts are located at predetermined centres of from about 1800mm to 2400mm, in which the rail can span

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 from 600mm to more than about 6m.

29. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the size, including the diameter or cross-section,

5 of the upper rail and/or lower rail, is in the range from about 20 mm to about 100 mm, typically in the range from about 30 mm to about 80 mm, more typically in the range from about 40 mm to about 60 mm, preferably in the range from about 45 mm to about 55 mm, most preferably nominally

10 about 48 mm.

30. A barrier module according to any preceding claim further comprising additional fittings for connecting the rails to one another or to the posts and/or holders

15 including a coupling for joining two cylindrical tubes together, wherein the coupling is a swivel coupling comprising two interconnected releasably securable rings in which one tube is received in one ring and the other tube in the other ring, the two rings being movably or

20 pivotally interconnected to each other through the coupling.

31. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the barrier module is assembled from the various

25 components forming the module at ground-level, either in a manufacturing facility located off-site or at the building site, either at a dedicated location within the building site or out in the open on the ground of the building site.

32. A barrier module according to any preceding claim in which the individual components of the barrier module are mounted in sequence to the flooring cassette and to each other to form the module, comprising firstly, the posts

35 are fixed in predetermined spaced apart positions on the flooring cassette to extend upwardly from the upper surface of the flooring cassette, and then, the upper and

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2019205014 12 Jul 2019 lower rails inserted into the respective holders and securely clamped thereto by the retainers in the form of locking pins to enable the combined flooring cassette and module to be lifted as a single integral unit and placed

5 into position at the upper level of the building structure using a lifting device.