EP1741471A1 - Ameliorations dans et relative à des systèmes d'arrêt de chute - Google Patents

Ameliorations dans et relative à des systèmes d'arrêt de chute Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1741471A1
EP1741471A1 EP06253515A EP06253515A EP1741471A1 EP 1741471 A1 EP1741471 A1 EP 1741471A1 EP 06253515 A EP06253515 A EP 06253515A EP 06253515 A EP06253515 A EP 06253515A EP 1741471 A1 EP1741471 A1 EP 1741471A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
fall arrest
array
impact absorbing
absorbing units
units
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP06253515A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Christopher George Price
Michael John Stephens
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Forest Safety Products Ltd
Original Assignee
Forest Safety Products Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Forest Safety Products Ltd filed Critical Forest Safety Products Ltd
Publication of EP1741471A1 publication Critical patent/EP1741471A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
    • A62B—DEVICES, APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR LIFE-SAVING
    • A62B1/00—Devices for lowering persons from buildings or the like
    • A62B1/22—Devices for lowering persons from buildings or the like by making use of jumping devices, e.g. jumping-sheets, jumping-mattresses
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E04—BUILDING
    • E04G—SCAFFOLDING; FORMS; SHUTTERING; BUILDING IMPLEMENTS OR AIDS, OR THEIR USE; HANDLING BUILDING MATERIALS ON THE SITE; REPAIRING, BREAKING-UP OR OTHER WORK ON EXISTING BUILDINGS
    • E04G21/00—Preparing, conveying, or working-up building materials or building elements in situ; Other devices or measures for constructional work
    • E04G21/32—Safety or protective measures for persons during the construction of buildings
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E04—BUILDING
    • E04G—SCAFFOLDING; FORMS; SHUTTERING; BUILDING IMPLEMENTS OR AIDS, OR THEIR USE; HANDLING BUILDING MATERIALS ON THE SITE; REPAIRING, BREAKING-UP OR OTHER WORK ON EXISTING BUILDINGS
    • E04G21/00—Preparing, conveying, or working-up building materials or building elements in situ; Other devices or measures for constructional work
    • E04G21/32—Safety or protective measures for persons during the construction of buildings
    • E04G21/3204—Safety or protective measures for persons during the construction of buildings against falling down

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to fall arrest systems, and in particular to an improved fall arrest system suitable for specific application in circumstances where there is a risk of a person falling from a relatively low height which is, nevertheless, sufficiently great to present a risk of injury.
  • Such situations include the bed or body of a vehicle, such as a self-unloading lorry, a platform erected or existing for performances to be visible from an arena or region other than an auditorium (although it may also be used in an auditorium) or a platform used for other purposes such as loading or unloading of goods.
  • a vehicle such as a self-unloading lorry, a platform erected or existing for performances to be visible from an arena or region other than an auditorium (although it may also be used in an auditorium) or a platform used for other purposes such as loading or unloading of goods.
  • the platform or bed of a flat-bed self-unloading lorry is a particularly dangerous environment since it is elevated from the ground by four or five feet (in some cases more) (1.3 - 1.8 metres) and the terrain on which such a vehicle may be located for unloading purposes may be very irregular, containing hard protuberances and discontinuities such as rocks, bricks and other building materials scattered about, gullies or channels formed at a building site, or other similar irregularities.
  • a worker is required to undertake tasks whilst standing on the flat-bed of a self-unloading lorry, to engage the elements of the load (for example bricks on palettes) onto the self-unloading crane and/or to steady the load as the crane lifts and transfers the load from the flat-bed to the ground. If, in undertaking these tasks, the worker's attention is focused on the load rather than on the precise boundaries of the flat-bed of the vehicle, it can happen that he may lose his footing and fall from the edge of the bed or platform onto the ground below.
  • the present invention is directed at providing a solution to the problem of preventing, or at least reducing, the consequences of accidents resulting from a fall, especially from a relatively low height.
  • a fall arrest assembly for use with a platform or a vehicle having a platform or a floor elevated from the ground such as to present a fall hazard, said fall arrest assembly comprising a plurality of impact absorbing units in an array, each such unit comprising a casing of flexible laminar material having a loose filling of particulate material, and restraining means for holding the said array of units together with at least one face of each unit lying substantially in a common plane whereby overall to define a general surface to receive a falling person, the said fall arrest assembly including means for locating the array of impact absorbing units in close proximity to an edge of the platform or vehicle whereby to minimise the interspace between the array of impact absorbing units and the platform or vehicle.
  • the array of impact absorbing units may, in fact, be no more than a single row of such units, with the surface area of the exposed faces together extending over a sufficient region to provide a safe reception area for receiving a falling person.
  • An array comprising several rows of impact absorbing units or even several layers of such units is envisaged within the scope of the invention.
  • the said restraining means may comprise a belt or band passing around the said array and acting to retain the impact absorbing units. If the array comprises more than one layer several belts or bands may be used.
  • the impact absorbing units may be elongate, and may be cylindrical or prismatic, such as parallelepiped, and may be oriented with their longer dimension or axis upright or horizontal. In the former case the retaining belt or band may pass around a meridian plane to retain the upright units standing in the said two dimensional array. In the alternative, involving a plurality of impact absorbing units effectively lying on their sides, the retaining belt or band may lie in an azimuthal plane of the array.
  • the said restraining means may comprise an outer envelope within which at least one layer of the said impact absorbing units may be enclosed.
  • the array may be provided with a cover layer positionable over the said array of units to define the said common plane. It is expected that such a cover layer may not be able to provide a sufficient restraining effect to maintain the elements of the array in position on its own, and may need to be supplemental by other restraining means, such as a circumscribing belt or band or by providing all the impact absorbing units with individual interconnection means such as buckles or clasps.
  • the example, referred to above, of parallelepiped impact absorbing units is a particular example of the general form which may be considered prismatic (the cross section of the prism being triangular, square, rectangular or even involving a greater number of sides) and the array of units may be formed by orienting the units themselves on end with their axes upright.
  • the loose filling of particulate material may comprise beads, beans or grains of a crushable material such as expanded polystyrene or other plastics material having similar physical and mechanical properties.
  • the casings of the impact absorbing units may be fabricated from a plurality of panels joined along their peripheries.
  • the shape of the panels will depend on the form of the casing,
  • a cylindrical casing for example, may be made from a tubular panel with flat circular end panels, or may be made by stitching a flat rectangular panel into a tube and then attaching end panels which may be circular or elliptical.
  • a prismatic unit may likewise be made from a rectangular panel stitched along two opposite edges to form a tube and then secured to end panels of polygonal form, namely triangular, square, rectangular etc.
  • a prismatic casing may be fabricated from an assembly of flat panels all joined at their peripheries, and the method of joining may be stitching, adhesive or other technique dependent on the precise nature of the material.
  • the junction at the peripheries of the panels is conveniently (but not necessarily) effected in such a way that the junction itself serves to encourage the casing to tend to retain a predetermined shape.
  • over-lock stitching forms a relatively stiff bead-like rib along the joined edges, effectively forming a frame-like structure.
  • the means for locating the array of impact absorbing units in close proximity to an edge of an elevated platform, or the like, may be provided by a bracing member, such as a strap or the like.
  • the strap, or the like may be positioned diagonally across one end of the assembly to secure the assembly to the elevated platform or the like.
  • the strap may be adjustable in length to facilitate fastening to the platform, for example.
  • the bracing member may therefore provide additional stability to the safety system by preventing undesirable movement of the assembly during the fall of a worker thereon.
  • the system may further comprise a bracing member guide.
  • the guide may aid in the positioning of the bracing member, especially when the bracing member is positioned diagonally across an end of the assembly for example, and may also inhibit disengagement and displacement of the bracing member.
  • the present invention also comprehends a method of arresting the fall of a person from a platform or a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
  • the method of the invention may further comprise the step of overlaying the said array of impact absorbing units with a cover of flexible laminar material and securing the said cover in position on the said array.
  • the method may further include the step of enclosing the said array of impact absorbing units in an envelope which acts also as the said restraining means.
  • the present invention also comprehends a safety system for a vehicle having a bed or platform elevated from the ground, comprising a two-dimensional array of individual fall arrest units, each comprising a casing containing a loose filling of particulate material, the fall arrest units being enclosed within an outer envelope which retains the units in the array in position and defines a continuous surface for receiving a falling person.
  • the said particulate material may comprise crushable elements such as beads, beans, grains, granules or the like.
  • the safety system of the invention may further include means for engaging the outer envelope, or more generally the restraining means, to the vehicle to resist displacement of the system during unloading of the vehicle.
  • an intermediate layer between the said impact absorbing units and the outer envelope may be provided an intermediate layer between the said impact absorbing units and the outer envelope, and the said intermediate layer may be made of netting or other mesh-like material.
  • the outer envelope or (if provided) the cover layer may be made of netting or mesh-like material.
  • a fall arrest system comprises means defining a receiving surface on which to receive a falling person, and a plurality of underlying impact absorbing units in an array each providing support for a defined portion of the receiving surface whereby to maintain it in position ready to receive a falling person.
  • the said means defining a receiving surface may comprise a single sheet of flexible laminar material or part of an envelope enclosing the said impact absorbing units.
  • a self-unloading lorry generally indicated 11 has a flat bed 12 for receiving the load, exemplified by a palette of building bricks 13.
  • a crane 14 is provided near the cab 15 of the lorry 11, having a control valve system 16 operated by a set of levers 17 adjacent the rear of the cab 15.
  • the driver, or another worker schematically indicated 18 has to climb onto the flat bed 12 to operate the levers 17 in order to engage the load 13 with the crane 14 and elevate this from the platform 12 and swing it out beyond the confines of the vehicle to enable it to be lowered onto the ground.
  • the operator 18 should lose his footing the consequences of a fall from the platform, which may be a distance of four or five feet (1.2 - 1.8 metres), whilst not being likely to be fatal, may nevertheless cause unacceptable injuries such as bruising, concussion strained or sprained joints or broken limbs.
  • this risk is mitigated by providing, around the perimeter of the flat bed 12, a plurality of fall arrest assemblies generally indicated 19 spaced along the sides of the flat bed 12 and at the rear end of the vehicle 11.
  • These fall arrest assemblies 19 are slightly wider than they are high and of such a length that, for example, two, three or four units will be sufficient to extend along the entire length of the flat bed of a vehicle (depending on the length of the vehicle).
  • the fall arrest assemblies 19 are 1.8 metres wide, 1.2 metres high and 2.4 metres long. Three or four units along the length of the vehicle and one unit across its tail is therefore sufficient to provide a catchment area around the entire periphery of the bed of the vehicle.
  • One row of units is wide enough to provide an area sufficient to break the fall of a worker should he lose his footing and fall from the edge of the vehicle.
  • the fall arrest assembly 19 is illustrated as being composed of a plurality of generally cylindrical impact absorbing units 20 each comprising a tubular flexible fabric casing with circular end panels 21 secured by stitching at their peripheries, generally indicated 22.
  • a filler opening (not shown) may be provided for filling and/or emptying of the contents of the casing 20, and such contents are typically polystyrene granules or beads, although irregular chippings of expanded polystyrene may also be used.
  • the impact absorbing units 20 are secured together by clips or buckles 23 at their ends, and at least one intermediate point by buckles 24 secured to belts or straps 25 extending between adjacent units 20.
  • a flexible envelope 26 having an upper catchment or receiving surface or layer 27, sides 28 and a bottom (not illustrated).
  • Releasable fastening means such as Velcro (RTM), tie holes for a drawstring or a sliding clasp fastener may be provided to facilitate forming an opening in the envelope 26 to introduce and/or remove impact absorbing units 20.
  • the alternative embodiment of the fall arrest assembly 19 comprises a plurality of prismatic impact absorbing units 29 in the form of cylindrical 'cannister' shaped casings having a cylindrical side wall 30 and circular ends 31.
  • the side wall 30 is either a cylindrical tubular woven fabric or a flat element stitched along two opposite sides to form a tube.
  • circular ends 31 these may be of polygonal shape such as triangular, square, rectangular etc.
  • the prismatic impact absorbing units 29 are held in an array standing on end by a restraining belt or strap 32 passing around a meridian of the array.
  • the array comprises two rows of four units 29, and in the embodiment of Figure 2 the units have a loose fill of crushable beads or beans such as expanded polystyrene or other plastics material.
  • the loose fill may, alternatively, comprise gas-filled pockets of plastics or other impermeable material and the flexible casings comprising the walls 30 and 31 may be impermeable rather than permeable to allow a partial inflation of the casing to reinforce the impact absorbing effect of the loose fill.
  • the open array illustrated in Figure 3 does not have an envelope or overlying cover and although the individual impact absorbing units 29 are shown as circular, and therefore a small gap, for example the gap illustrated as 33 in Figure 3, may be present, the risk of a limb of a tailing person entering this gap is small, and even if it did the forces involved are unlikely to result in strain or injury.
  • the individual units 29 may be held together by straps or buckles schematically illustrated 34 at their upper ends and possibly also at their lower ends if this is considered appropriate, although the meridian band 32 may be expected to be sufficient to retain the units 29 together in the array.
  • the presently preferred embodiment comprises a two dimensional array of twelve prismatic impact absorbing units 35 each of parallelepiped prismatic form oriented with its longer side 36 upright and its end faces 37 horizontal.
  • Each unit 35 comprises six rectangular side panels 38 of flexible fabric material secured together and two square end panels 37 secured to the side panels 38 by stitching along their peripheries with over-lock stitching to provide a secure enclosed casing.
  • Within the casing 35 is a loose fill of particulate material which, as in the other embodiments, may be expanded polystyrene beans, grains, beads or irregularly shaped chips or other specially shaped pieces such as S-shape or W-shape which provide a degree of interlock with one another.
  • a filling opening, not shown, may also be provided to facilitate emptying and refilling of the casing.
  • the fall arrest assembly 19 illustrated in Figure 4 comprises three rows of four impact absorbing units 35 held together within an external envelope 39 which itself comprises a parallelepiped fabrication of flat flexible panels stitched at their peripheries to form an enclosure within which the individual impact absorbing units 35 are contained.
  • the dimensions of the envelope 39 are such that the impact absorbing units 35 are held tightly within it and the end faces 37 each provide support for a defined area of the upper face 40 of the envelope which is, itself, held in shape by the array of twelve impact absorbing units 35 closely stacked together within it.
  • the dimensions of the impact absorbing units 35 are 1.2m high with the end faces 37 being 0.6m along each side.
  • the fall arrest assemblies 19 can be positioned around the perimeter of a vehicle to provide a safe protective area around the vehicle to prevent injury in the event of a fall.
  • FIG. 5 there is illustrated a perspective view similar to that shown in Figure 1.
  • a fall arrest assembly 19 is shown positioned on the ground adjacent to a lorry 11, having a flat bed 12.
  • a load 13 rests upon and is supported by the flat bed 12.
  • the fall arrest assembly 19 comprises a bracing member, here represented by a strap 42, and a bracing member guide 50.
  • the strap 42 is positioned diagonally across the end panel of the outer envelope 39 of said assembly 19, and extends to an aperture 48 found in the adjacent side of the flat bed 12. In this way, the strap 42 is attached to the flat bed 12 by threading the strap 12 through the aperture 42 and tying thereto.
  • the strap 42 is adjustable in length by means of a buckle 44, the excess strap 46 hanging loosely from the buckle 44.
  • the bracing member guide 50 is located in a corner, closest to the flat bed 12, of the panel across which the strap 42 is positioned.
  • the bracing member guide 50 is represented by a strap substantially shorter in length than the strap 42.
  • the strap 42 is attached to the bottom of the outer envelope 39 and extends diagonally across the end panel of the outer envelope 39, transversely beneath the bracing member guide 50, towards the aperture 48 in the flat bed 12.
  • the location of the assembly 19 is therefore substantially retained, with respect to the flat bed 12, in the event of a worker falling on the upper surface 40 of the assembly 19. This is by virtue of the additional support and securement provided by the bracing member 42.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Architecture (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Emergency Management (AREA)
  • Emergency Lowering Means (AREA)
EP06253515A 2005-07-07 2006-07-05 Ameliorations dans et relative à des systèmes d'arrêt de chute Withdrawn EP1741471A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB0513982.9A GB0513982D0 (en) 2005-07-07 2005-07-07 Improvements in or relating to fall arrest systems

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1741471A1 true EP1741471A1 (fr) 2007-01-10

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP06253515A Withdrawn EP1741471A1 (fr) 2005-07-07 2006-07-05 Ameliorations dans et relative à des systèmes d'arrêt de chute

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EP (1) EP1741471A1 (fr)
GB (2) GB0513982D0 (fr)

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB0517083D0 (en) * 2005-08-19 2005-09-28 Alsamex Products Ltd Impact absorbing safety unit
GB2435293A (en) * 2006-02-16 2007-08-22 Forest Safety Products Ltd A fall arrest unit

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3319273A (en) * 1964-07-20 1967-05-16 Solin Lawrence Gymnasium mats
US4168061A (en) * 1976-01-12 1979-09-18 Gordon Donald W Athlete's long jump pit
WO2002029180A1 (fr) * 2000-10-03 2002-04-11 Christopher George Price Unite d'amortissement
GB2403936A (en) * 2003-07-18 2005-01-19 Stephen John Barrett A safety system for preventing a worker falling from a load platform

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3369808A (en) * 1965-09-02 1968-02-20 Jerry W. Sconce Jumper's landing pit

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3319273A (en) * 1964-07-20 1967-05-16 Solin Lawrence Gymnasium mats
US4168061A (en) * 1976-01-12 1979-09-18 Gordon Donald W Athlete's long jump pit
WO2002029180A1 (fr) * 2000-10-03 2002-04-11 Christopher George Price Unite d'amortissement
GB2403936A (en) * 2003-07-18 2005-01-19 Stephen John Barrett A safety system for preventing a worker falling from a load platform

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2429743A (en) 2007-03-07
GB0613309D0 (en) 2006-08-16
GB0513982D0 (en) 2005-08-17

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