GB2243397A

GB2243397A - Safety guard-rail apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2243397A
Application number: GB9109221A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bernard Graybine
Original assignee: GREYBINE BROS Ltd
Current assignee: GREYBINE BROS Ltd
Priority date: 1990-04-28
Filing date: 1991-04-29
Publication date: 1991-10-30
Also published as: GB9009587D0; GB9109221D0

Abstract

A safety guard-rail apparatus, primarily but not essentially for a building structure has particular application for the roofing of building structures. The apparatus comprises a plurality of units interconnected by elongate guide-rail elements 35. Each said unit comprises a first elongate member 17 having a first end, clamp means 20-22 for securing said first end to a roof rafter 12, a second elongate member 18 secured to the first elongate member at a location spaced from said first end and serving as the support for said elongate guide-rail elements, and a third member 19 or 26 secured to the second member and having a free end engageable with the building structure. The member 26 may be length adjustable. Both or either of members 19 or 26 may be provided. The cracking of element 17 allows roofing work, eg application of felt, to be carried out without removing the apparatus. The connection between members 17 and 18 may alternatively be by a two- point connection to a bent part of member 17. <IMAGE>

Description

"SAFETY GUARD-RAIL APPARATUS" This invention relates to a safety guard-rail apparatus, primarily but not essentially for a building structure.

Safety guard-rail apparatus is common in the art, in particular in the building art where such apparatus is found in all elevated scaffolding assemblies.

A problem arises when the walls of a new building have been erected and a sloping roof is being applied thereto when a person losing balance can roll down the roof and may fall of the edge thereof, or tiles and tools can slide down the roof and off the edge to the detriment of persons therebeneath.

This problem becomes more acute when a roof is being repaired or otherwise altered and the external scaffolding at the roof edge may be minimal or non-existent, often with access to and from the roof being limited to a simple ladder.

There have been a number of proposals for safety guard-rail apparatus for roof edges and in one such apparatus a plurality of units in spaced apart relationship along the roof edge are interconnected by guard-rails running parallel to the roof edge. Each unit comprises a first elongate member, attached at one end to the roof and extending down the roof in close proximity thereto, with second and third elongate members pivotably mounted in spaced relationship on the first member and the second and third members pivotally interconnected to form a triangulation of members and wherein the third member serves as an upright guard-rail support and the second member serves as a tie between the first and third members.

A serious problem with such proposed safety guardrail apparatus resides in that the first member has the greater part of its length extending some distance up the roof and lying very closely adjacent thereto whereupon, when re-moving or applying new felting and/or batons and/or tiles to the roof edge regions, each of the units constitutes an obstruction to the workmen and requires that part or parts of the roof edge must be completed before the safety rail can be erected, or the units must be frequently moved to allow access to the edge region of the roof, both of which solutions are unacceptable in the interests of safety.

The present invention seeks to provide a safety railguard apparatus for a building structure and wherein the said guard-rail apparatus affords minimal obstruction to workings at or adjacent the roof edge.

According to the present invention there is provided a safety guard-rail apparatus for a building structure comprising a plurality of units interconnected by elongate guide-rail elements, characterised in that each said unit comprises a first elongate member having a first end, means for securing said first end to the building structure, a second elongate member secured to said first elongate member at a location spaced from said first end and serving as the support for said elongate guide-rail elements, and a third member secured to one of said first or second members and having a free end engageable with the building structure.

In one embodiment the said means for securing said first end of said first member to said structure comprises means securable to a roof part of the building structure.

Preferably said means for securing said first end of said first member to said roof part comprises clamp means.

Preferably the said clamp means is arranged to clamp to a roof rafter of the building structure.

In a preferred embodiment the said first member is bent at a section adjacent to, but spaced from, the first end thereof whereby that part of the length of said first member between the said bend and the second member is spaced from the roof structure.

In one embodiment the first member is permanently connected to the second member.

In another embodiment the said first member is adjustably connected to the said second member.

In a preferred embodiment the first elongate member extends from its securable first end, past its connection with the second member and is then bent to return to a second securement with the second member, spaced from the first securement therewith and adjacent the end of the first member.

In one embodiment the third member is connected to the second element and presents a free end for engagement with a surface of the building structure below the roof level of the building structure.

In another embodiment the said third member is connected to the first member and presents a free -end for engagement with a surface of the building structure below the roof level of said structure.

Preferably the safety guard-rail unit includes an assembly, attached to the first element and presenting a free end for engagement with part of the roof structure.

Preferably the said fourth assembly comprises an adjustable length assembly.

The invention also envisages a safety guard-rail apparatus comprising a plurality of safety guard- rail units according to the invention mounted on a building structure in spaced apart relationship and interconnected by elongate safety guard-rail elements.

Preferably said interconnecting elongate safety guard-rail elements are connected to the second elongate member of each safety guard-rail unit by clamping means.

Preferablythe apparatus includes planks connectable to the said second members to extend between adjacent safety guard-rail units.

The invention will now be described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Fig 1 shows, diagramnatically, a safety guard-rail apparatus in accordance with the invention and, Fig 2 shows, diagrammatically, part of a second embodiment for a safety guard-rail apparatus in accordance with the invention In the illustrated example a roof structure is generally indicated by horizontal rafters 11, roof rafters 12, and a guttering 13. The roofing will comprise a water impervious layer, such as a conventional felt 14, which rests on the rafters 12, battens 15 and tiles 16 which are hooked, nailed, wired, or otherwise conventionally secured to the battens 15.

The safety guard rail unit comprises a first member 17, rigidly secured at one end as by welding, to a mid-region of second element 18, and a third member 19 is adjustably secured on the member 18.

The member 17 is bent through an angle of some 90 degrees over a section adjacent to, but spaced from, the free end of the member 17 to define a leg 17a, connected at one end to the member 18, and a leg 1Tb having a free end.

A U-shaped clamp 20, having each of its parallel sides defining a threaded element 2Qa, is fitted to the underside of a roof rafter 12 so that the elements 20a project one on either side above the top surface of the rafter 12 and a plate 21, having two holes therein cooperating with the pitch of the threaded elements 20a of the clamp 20, rests on top of the rafter 12 with the threaded elements 20a extending therethrough and nuts 22 are applied to the threaded elements 20a to secure the clamp 20 and the plate 21 with the rafter 12.

A tubular section 23 upstanding from the plate 21 receives the free end of the leg 17b of member 17 and a bolt 24 passes through aligned bores (not shown) in the tubular section 23 and aligned bores (not shown) adjacent the free end of leg 1Tb and has a nut (not shown) secured on its free end to secure the leg 17b in the tubular section 23.

The third member 19 is secured to the member 18 by a coupling 25 which allows both members 18 and 19 to be slideably adjusted in their respective longitudinal directions and allows the element 19 to be angularly adjusted relative to the axis of the member 18. The coupling 25 includes means for securing each element 18 and 19 against longitudinal displacement and for locking the angle of the element 19 relative to the member 18.

The apparatus includes a fourth element 26 comprising a tubular member 27, internally threaded, and an externally threaded element 28 threadedly engaged in the element 27, whereby the length of the element 26 is adjustable.

The tubular element 26 is pivotally connected at its end remote from threaded element 28 to a plate 29 presented by a tubular element 30 slideably disposed on the leg 17a of element -17. The tubular element 30 has aligned apertures 31 co-operable with apertures 32 spaced apart in the length direction of the leg 17a and whereby the position of the tubular element 31 on the leg 17a can be adjusted in the axial direction of the leg 17a and secured in a desired location as by a bolt, (not shown) with a cooperating nut (not shown) passing through the apertures 32 in the element 31 and through one set of aligned apertures 32 in the leg 17a.

At its free end the threaded element 28 supports a pivotable shoe 33.

In the illustrated embodiment the elements 17, 18 and 19 may conveniently comprise standard scaffolding tubing but in a preferred embodiment said members 17, 18 and 19 comprise aluminium tubing.

When the said elements 17, 18 and 19 comprise conventional scaffolding tubing or aluminium tubing of the same external diameter as standard scaffolding tubing, the coupling 25 may comprise a conventional angularly adjustable scaffolding coupling.

When the safety guard unit is to be applied to a roof structure upon which a roof is to be fitted, the U-shaped element 20 is applied to a roof rafter 12, the plate 21 is fitted over the threaded elements 20a and the nuts 22 are applied and tensioned to firmly secure the U-shaped clamp 20 and the plate 21 longitudinally of the rafter 12.

The clamps 20 and the plate 21 are secured on the rafter 12 at a distance from the edge of the roof (adjacent the guttering 13) greater than the width of the first roll of felt 14 to be applied to the roof edge.

The assembly of members 17, 18 and 26 is then elevated to the roof edge, the unit is relatively lightweight and can be carried to the roof edge by a man climbing a ladder, and the free end of the leg 17b is entered into the tubular sections 23. The fourth element 26 is then longitudinal adjusted so that the shoe 34 rests on the rafter 12 to afford additional security for the unit and the bolt 24 is then applied to secure the free end of leg 17b in the tubular section 23. The coupling 25 is then fitted to the member 18 and clamped roughly in position thereon.

The member 19 is then fitted to the coupling 25 and, by adjusting the clamp 25, the member 19 is brought to its desired postion and securely clamped.

In its desired position the free end of element 19, which conveniently supports a pivoted shoe 34, is in contact with a vertical surface S of the building structure and the element 18 is substantially vertical.

Two, or more, of such units are then connected together by elongate guard rails 35 secured to the elements 18 by conventional scaffolding clamps 36, in the illustrated example only one such guide rail element 35 is shown but it will be appreciated that two or more such guard-rail elements 35 may extend between adjacent units to increase the transverse stability of the units and to secure additional security against personnel rolling down the roof and falling therefrom.

As an alternative to additional elongate guard rails 35 adjacent units may be interconnected by planks 37, connected to upright members 18 by conventional U-bolts 38, and preferably at least one such plank 37 is located immediately adjacent the guttering 13 to prevent tiles, tools and the like from falling from the roof.

It will be observed that with the safety guard-rail structure described hereinbefore the leg 17b of member 17 rises substantially normal to the slope of the roof and the leg 17a is well spaced from the roof and offers no obstruction to access to the roof therebeneath.

With the units so assembled, and interconnected by the guard-rails 35 and planks 37, personnel on the roof can work safely to apply the first layer of felt 14.

On approaching a unit the fourth member 26 can be reduced in length, by screwing the element 28 into the threaded element 27, and the member 26 can be swung about its pivot 29 to allow the roll of felt to pass thereunder. Immediately on passage of the roll of felt the member 26 may again be extended to contact the upper surface of the felt 14.

When the battens 15 are being applied to the felt 14, the member 26 may again be swung clear of the working area and then returned and extended to rest on the felt 14 or a suitable batten 15.

When the second roll of felt 14 is being applied to the rafters 12, the greater part of the felt will lie upwardly of the clamp 20 and plate 21 and the felt 14 will be cut or torn along two parallel lines, from its lower edge, to allow a section of the felt adjacent each unit to be rolled back at each clamp 20, 21, thus to allow the second roll of felt 14 to be readily fitted around the clamp 20, 21. The position of the clamp 20, 21 will be such that it will not interfere with the application of the battens 15 to the second roll of felt.

Thereafter the felting of the roof can continue in conventional manner.

When now the felting of the roof has been completed with the exception of the rolled-back piece adjacent each clamp 20, 21 the first rows of tiles 16 can be applied to the roof, again the fourth member 26 may be swung out of the way to allow tiles 16 to be fitted therebeneath and then swung back into contact with the roof tile 16 therebeneath.

Tiling may continue, simply applying the tiles around the clamp 20, 21 until the roof is complete and thereafter, with the safety guard-rail apparatus removed from the roof and working from a conventional external scaffolding, or a ladder, the roofer simply removes each clamp 20, 21 rolls down the felt 14 at each location vacanted by each clamp 20, 21, seals the two cuts in the felt 14 at each clamp location to render the roof watertight. Tiles 16 are then fitted to fill the region left by the clamps 20, 21.

It will be seen that with the above arrangement and with the free end of leg 17b firmly secured in the tubular element 23, and with the leg 19 correctly positioned to abut the external wall S of the building the fourth element 26 could be dispensed with, but the said member 26 is useful for affording additional stability to the unit.

Further, with the member 26 fitted, and for jobs which do not require access to the area immediately beneath the member 26, the element 19 can be omitted and, using only the connection of leg 1Tb with element 23 and the member 26, a stable safety guard-rail structure can be obtained.

In one obvious alternative to the above embodiment the first and second members 17 and 18 may not be permanently connected and the connection of said members 17 and 18 may be via a conventional adjustable scaffolding clamp.

Whilst the above embodiment has been described with respect to the fitting of a complete new roof to a building structure the safety guard-rail apparatus according to the present invention can be used for many other applications, for example in roof repairs, the installation, repair or servicing of roof mounted plant or apparatus, or as a permanent or semipermanent guard-rail for building structure.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2 a first member 51 has a first securable connection, via a conventional scaffolding swivel clamp 52, to a second member 53. That part of first member 51 to the left of the member 53, as shown in Fig. 2, is identical to the member 17 in Fig. 1 and thereby extends through a bend (not shown in Fig 2) to a roof rafter clamp arragement 21 to 24 and presents an assembly 26 for engagement with the roof structure.

To the right of the second member 53, as viewed in Fig. 2, and at a location spaced from member 53, the member 51 is bent substantially through a right angle and the bent limb 51a of member 51 is secured to the second member 53 by a second conventional scaffolding swivel clamp 54.

Thus, the second member 53 is secured to the first member 51 at two spaced apart locations.

In the Fig. 2 embodiment a third elongate member 55 is secured to the first member 51 by a conventional scaffolding swivel clamp clamp 56 and extends to a pad 57 in contact with a vertical wall of the building structure.

In an alternative arrangement the third member 55 is secured, via a conventional scaffolding swivel clamp, to the second member 53.

While the present invention has been described by way of example with reference to specific embodiments the invention is not restricted thereto and many modifications and variations will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

Claims

1 A safety guard-rail apparatus for a building structure comprising a plurality of units interconnected by elongate guide-rail elements, characterised in that each said unit comprises a first elongate member having a first end, means for securing said first end to the building structure, a second elongate member secured to said first elongate member at a location spaced from said first end and serving as the support for said elongate guide-rail elements, and a third member secured to one of said first or second members and having a free end engageable with the building structure.

2. A safety guard-rail apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for securing said first end of said first member to said structure comprises means securable to a roof part of the building structure.

3. A safety guard-rail apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for securing said first end of said first member to said roof part comprises clamp means.

4. A safety guard-rail apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said clamp means is arranged to clamp to a roof rafter of the building structure.

5. A safety guard-rail apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the said first member is bent at a section adjacent to, but spaced from, the first end thereof whereby that part of the length of said first member between the said bend and the second member is spaced from the roof structure.

6. A safety guard-rail apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the first member is permanently connected to the second member.

7. A safety guard rail apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 wherein the first member is adjustably connected to the said second member.

8. A safety guard rail apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first elongate member extends from its securable first end past its connection with the second member and is then bent to return to a second securement with the second member, spaced from the first securement therewith and adjacent the end of the first member.

9. A safety guard-rail apparatus as claimed in claim any preceding claim wherein the third member is connected to the second element and presents a free end for engagement with a surface of the building structure below the roof level of the building structure.

10. A safety guard-rail arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 inclusive wherein the said third member is connected to the first member and presents a free end for engagement with a surface of the building structure below the roof level of said structure.

11. A safety guard-rail apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the safety guard-rail unit includes an assembly, attached to the first element and presenting a free end for engagement with part of the roof structure.

12. A safety guard-rail apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said fourth assembly comprises an adjustable length assembly.

13. A safety guard-rail apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim comprising a plurality of safety guard- rail units mounted on a building structure in spaced apart relationship and interconnected by elongate safety guard-rail elements.

14. A safety guard-rail apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein said interconnecting elongate safety guard-rail elements are connected to the second elongate member of each safety guard- rail unit by clamping means.

15. A safety guard-rail apparatus as claimed in claim 13 or 14 including planks connectable to the said second members to extend between adjacent safety guard-rail units.

16. A safety guard-rail apparatus substantially described hereinbefore with reference to and as illustrated in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.