GB2274664A

GB2274664A - Safety barrier for elevated walkway or work area

Info

Publication number: GB2274664A
Application number: GB9301647A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gordon Mckenzie Waite; Roy Booth Bell
Original assignee: MCKENZIE MARTIN Ltd
Current assignee: MCKENZIE MARTIN Ltd
Priority date: 1993-01-28
Filing date: 1993-01-28
Publication date: 1994-08-03
Anticipated expiration: 2013-01-28
Also published as: GB9301647D0; GB2274664B

Abstract

A method of protecting an elevated walkway or work area involves covering adjacent regions with a safety barrier, e.g. (51). The barrier has elongate side elements e.g. (11, 12) foldable together to facilitate transport. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SAFETY FARRIERS This invention relates to safety barriers and more pafticularly to a method of protecting an elevated walkway or work area by covering adjacent regions with at least one safety barrier, and to a safety barrier for use in such protection.

Increasingly stringent safety regulations require that elevated walkways and work areas, for example on roof structures, be protected by covering adjacent regions with safety barriers. Thus, for example, a walkway in a roof valley flanked by roofing panels of glass or other breakable material, will need to be flanked over its full length by safety barriers overlying the roof panels. The safety barriers currently employed are substantial structures which are difficult to carry into position thus adding considerably to the cost of the job.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of protecting an elevated walkway or work area, and a safety barrier for this purpose, in which the aforesaid disadvantages are obviated or mitigated.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of protecting an elevated walkway or work area by covering adjacent regions with at least one safety barrier characterised in that said barrier comprises elongate side elements foldable together to facilitate transport.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a safety barrier for an elevated walkway or work area, comprising elongate side elements interconnected by barrier means adapted to prevent a workman falling through the barrier, the side elements being foldable together to facilitate transport.

The invention will now be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figs. 1 and 2 are side views of a first embodiment of safety barrier in accordance with the invention, in the open and closed positions respectively; Figs. 3 to 5 are respectively a side view in the open position, an end view in the open position and a side view in the closed position of a second embodiment of safety barrier in accordance with the invention; Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively side and end views in the open position of a third embodiment of safety barrier in accordance with the invention, the closed position being shown in dotted line in Fig.

7; Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively side and end views of a fourth embodiment of safety barrier in accordance with the invention; Fig. 10 is a side view of part of a fifth embodiment; Figs. 11 and 12 show the embodiments of Figs. 8 and 9 and Fig.

10 in the partially and fully collapsed positions respectively; Fig. 13 illustrates a safety barrier of the invention in use, and Figs. 14 and 15 indicate schematically alternative applications of the safety barriers of the invention.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a first embodiment of safety barrier in accordance with the invention comprises parallel side elements 1, 2 of facing U-shaped channel section to the inner side walls of which are pivoted transverse members 3 shown in full and chain-dot line. The transverse bars 3 are uniformly spaced and positioned at right angles to the side elements 1, 2. Alternatively, transverse members 3a indicated in dashed line, may be obliquely inclined with respect to the side elements 1, 2. The safety barrier may be of any desired length, only part being shown in the drawings. The side elements 1, 2 are further interconnected by spacer bars 4 (only one shown in Fig. 1) serving to hold the side elements 1, 2 in the spaced apart or open condition.When the locking bar 4 is released the side elements 1, 2 can fold one onto the other as illustrated in Fig. 2 with the transverse members 3 or 3a accommodated within the space provided by the facing channel sections. Fixing lugs 5 (only one shown) are fixed at suitable intervals to the side elements 1, 2.

In the second embodiment of safety barrier shown in Figs. 3 to 5, elongate side elements 11, 12 are of facing U-shaped channel section as in the first embodiment but in this case an intermediate elongate member 15 is provided having an H section so that U-shaped channels face the side elements 11, 12. Transverse bars 16 pivotally interconnect the side flanges of the channel element 11 with the adjacent side flanges of the intermediate member 15. The bars 16 are alternately connected to opposite flanges so as to enable the bars 16 to be folded into the channels without obstructing each other.

Transverse bars 17 pivotally interconnect the intermediate member 15 with the other side element 12 in like manner. Regularly spaced locking bars 14 may interconnect the intermediate member 15 with the side elements 11 or 12. When the locking bars 14 are released the side elements 11, 12 can be folded onto the intermediate member 15 with the bars 16, 17 accommodated in the closed channels so defined. Fixing lugs, one of which is indicated at 18, may be provided on the side elements 11, 12.

In the third embodiment of safety barrier in accordance with the invention illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 two structures similar to the first embodiment are pivotally interconnected so as to lie in a common plane in the open position and be folded one over the other, as shown in chain-dot line, in the closed condition. The safety barrier is thus divided longitudinally into two halves each of which has facing Ushaped side rails 21, 22 and 23, 24. The side rails 21, 24 provide the side elements of the safety barrier and the side rails 22, 23 together constitute an elongate intermediate element and are interconnected by hinges 25. The side rails 21, 22 are pivotally interconnected by equally spaced transverse bars 26 and the side rails 23, 24 are pivotally interconnected by equally spaced transverse bars 27. Fixing lugs 28 may be provided on one or both side elements 21, 24.Locking bars 29, 30 may interconnect the side elements 21, 24 with the respective inner rails 22, 23. When the locking bars 29, 30 are released the half-barrier constituted by the side rails 21, 22 and the transverse bars 26 can be folded about the hinges 25 onto the other half-barrier constituted by the side rails 23, 24 and the transverse bars 27, as shown in chain-dot line in Fig. 7, the opening and closing pivotal movement being indicated by the double headed arrow.

In the fourth embodiment shown in Figs. 8 and 9, side elements 31, 32 are interconnected at their adjacent ends by end pieces 33, 34 using quick release fasteners so as to provide a rectangular frame which is stabilised by angle struts 35, 36. The infill of the rectangular frame is a net or mesh of rope or synthetic plastics material. Alternatively, as shown in the embodiment of Fig. 10 the infill may be transverse cables 38 and one or more longitudinal cables 39 connected to the sides of the frame.The embodiments of Figs. 8 and 10 may be collapsed into the closed condition shown in Fig. 12 by removing the appropriate fasteners and folding the upper side element 31 and the end pieces 33, 34 with the corner stays 35, 36 onto the lower side element 32 so as to form a compact structure which can be easily carried for example by means of carrying handles 40, 41 attached to the upper side element 31. Fixing lugs 42, 43 may again be provided at suitably spaced intervals along the side elements 31 and/or 32.

The side elements and transverse bars or other frame components of the various embodiments described above may be made in any suitable material, for example wood, synthetic plastics material or metal, e.g. lightweight aluminium alloy. In the folded or closed condition, the side elements may be secured by flexible ties or other suitable means. In the closed condition the safety barrier can easily be transported from ground level to an elevated walkway or work area using carrier handles, if provided, or by shouldering the load as when carrying a ladder. After it has been carried into position the safety barrier can be unfolded to cover the regions adjacent the walkway or work area as shown in Figs. 13 to 15. In Fig. 13 one side of a walkway 50 is protected by a safety barrier 51 which is suspended from a ridge 52 to cover part of a glazed roof surface.The safety barrier 51 thus prevents a workman from falling through this glazed surface. In this case the other side of the walkway 50 does not require protection but in the case of a roof valley such as shown in Figs. 14 and 15 both flanks of the valley may be covered by safety barriers 61, 62 and 71, 72. In these cases, the safety barriers may be supported by the floor of the valley (Fig. 14) or may simply rest on the sides of the valley (Fig. 15).

It will be appreciated that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The material of which the safety barrier is made and the design of the safety barrier may vary provided only that the infill is of sufficient strength and the apertures therein are sufficiently small to prevent a workman falling through the barrier and the barrier has side elements which can be folded together to provide a more compact structure facilitating transportation. The safety barrier has a wide range of applications in addition to those described above. For example, independent access scaffolds may include walkways or work areas that can be protected by a safety barrier of the invention and in this case the barrier may be mounted in a vertical position in a conventional manner rather than covering adjacent regions as previously discussed.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method of protecting an elevated walkway or work area by covering adjacent regions with at least one safety barrier characterised in that said barrier comprises elongate side elements foldable together to facilitate transport.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the side elements are interconnected by transverse bars.

3. A safety barrier for an elevated walkway or work area, comprising elongate side elements interconnected by barrier means adapted to prevent a workman falling through the barrier, the side elements being foldable together to facilitate transport.

4. A safety barrier as claimed in claim 3, wherein the barrier means comprises spaced apart transverse bars pivotally connected to the side elements.

5. A safety barrier as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bars are inclined with respect to the side elements.

6. A safety barrier as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein an elongate intermediate element is disposed between the side elements and has the inner ends of the transverse bars pivotally connected thereto.

7. A safety barrier as claimed in claim 3, wherein the barrier means comprises transverse cables.

8. A safety barrier as claimed in claim 3, wherein the barrier means comprises a net or mesh material.

9. A safety barrier as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein one of the side elements is provided with carrying handles.