GB2408286A

GB2408286A - Bracket for ladder safety rope

Info

Publication number: GB2408286A
Application number: GB0326982A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Leonard John Stamp
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-11-20
Filing date: 2003-11-20
Publication date: 2005-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 2023-11-20
Also published as: GB0326982D0; GB2408286B

Abstract

A ladder for use by the emergency services comprises a pair of elongate stiles 11, a plurality of rungs 12 extending between the stiles 11 at respective locations deposed longitudinally of the ladder, and a pair of elongate members 13 fitted to rungs 12 disposed at respective opposite ends of the ladder. Each member 13 comprises a longitudinally extending channel in which a respective rung 12 of the ladder is received, the channels of the two members 13 being directed towards each other in respective directions facing longitudinally of the ladder. In use, a safety rope is be attached to the members 13, such that if a person on the ladder should fall, the fall is arrested by the rope. The force of the fall is applied to the rungs at the top and bottom of the ladder via the members 13, which serve to spread the load on the rungs as act to well as strengthen the rungs.

Description

Ladder This invention relates to a ladder and more particularly but not

solely to a ladder for use by the emergency services.

Ladders are widely used by the emergency services to rescue people from elevated positions, such as from windows and from balconies etc. In one use of the ladder, a rescuer climbs up the ladder and then helps the person to be rescued climb down the ladder. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the person being rescued may fall or slip, especially if they are weak or traumatized. In another use of the ladder, the rescuer climbs the ladder and then carries the person to be rescued down the ladder to safety. A disadvantage of this is that the rescuer can fall or slip whilst descending the ladder, or they may drop the person being rescued.

Another problem of carrying the person to be rescued down the ladder is that the rescuer's back can be injured.

Indeed, recent health and safety legislation has prohibited rescuers from carrying anybody single handedly.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, it has been proposed to attach a harness to the person being rescued, the harness then being attached to a rope which is passed around the top rung of the ladder. The rescuer can then help or guide the person being rescued down the ladder, whilst a further rescuer remains on the ground and holds the rope.

A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the rope can rub and fray as it travels over the top rung. Furthermore, the top rung has to withstand a substantial shock should the person fall. It will be appreciated that the rungs of ladders are not designed to withstand the kind of forces involved.

I have now devised a ladder which alleviates the above mentioned problems.

In accordance with this invention, there is provided a ladder comprising a pair of elongate stiles, a plurality of rungs extending between the stiles at respective locations deposed longitudinally of the ladder, and means opposite ends of the ladder to which a rope can be connected, each of said means comprising an elongate member having a longitudinally extending channel in which a respective rung of the ladder is received, the channels of the members being directed towards each other in respective directions facing longitudinally of the ladder.

In use, one end of the rope can be attached to a harness to be worn by the rescuer and/or the person being rescued, the rope is then connected to the means at the upper end of the ladder and fed down the ladder where it is connected to the means at the lower end of the ladder.

If the rescuer and/or the person being rescued should fall or slip, the rope, which is held at the lower end of the ladder, breaks the fall in the conventional manner. However, the force of the fall is applied to the rungs at the top and bottom of the ladder via the elongate channel section members, which serve to spread the load on the rungs as act to well as strengthen the rungs.

The forces applied to the members when a person falls act downwardly on the upper member and upwardly on the lower member. However, since the members are mounted on the rungs with their respective channels directed towards each other, the forces do not act to detach the members from the rungs. In this manner, the risk of the members becoming detached is avoided.

Preferably, the rope is connected to the means at one tend of the ladder via a pulley. In use, the pulley is located at the upper end of the ladder.

Preferably, the rope is connected to the means at the other of the ladder via a control device which constrains the rope. In use, the control device is located at the lower end of the ladder and alleviates the need for a person at the base of the ladder to manually hold the lower end of the rope, thereby avoiding the risk that the rope may be released in the event of a fall. A suitable control device is disclosed in United Kingdom Patent Application No. 2256673.

Preferably each member extends fully along its respective rung between the stiles.

5Preferably an aperture is formed in each member intermediate at opposite ends, the aperture providing a point to which the rope can be connected.

Preferably the apertures extend perpendicular to the plane of the ladder.

10Preferably the apertures extend through respective eyes formed on the members.

Preferably each member comprises front and rear elongate walls respectively disposed on opposite sides of the rung and an elongate central wall extending between the front and rear walls over the rung, the thickness of the central wall increasing from its opposite ends towards a point intermediate its opposite ends.

Preferably one of the members is attached to the last rung at one end of the ladder, the other member preferably being attached to the rung which is located two rungs away from the last rung at the opposite end of the ladder.

An embodiment of this invention will now be described by way of an example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front and above of an embodiment of ladder in accordance with this invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view from the front and above of an attachment member and a rung of the ladder of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the ladder of Figure 1, when in use.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, a ladder 10 comprises a pair of elongate stiles 11, a plurality of rungs 12 extending between the stiles 11 at respective locations disposed longitudinally of the ladder, and attachment members 13 disposed at respective opposite ends of the ladder.

Referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, each attachment member 13 comprises an elongate channel-section formation which embraces a respective rung 12 of the ladder. The attachment member 13 comprises front and rear elongate walls 14 disposed on respective opposite sides of the rung 12 and a central wall which extends over the rung 12 between the front and rear walls 14. The length of the members 13 are arranged such that their respective opposite ends abut respective stiles 11.

The thickness of the central wall 15 increases from its opposite ends towards a point disposed intermediate its opposite ends. An eyelet 16 extends outwardly from the central wall 15 and defines an aperture 17 which extends perpendicular to the plane of the ladder. One of the members 13 is attached to the uppermost rung 12 of the ladder and the other member 13 is attached to the rung which is located two rungs above the lowermost rung 12 of the ladder. The members 13 are attached to the ladder such that their channels are directed towards each other in respective opposite directions longitudinally of the ladder. The members 13 are attached to their respective rungs 12 by passing screws or rivets through a series of apertures 18 formed in the front and rear walls 14 thereof.

Referring to Figure 3 of the drawings, in use a pulley 19 is attached to the member 13 at the upper end of the ladder by passing a carabina 20 through the aperture 17 in the member 13 to embrace the rung 12. A control device 23, possibly of the kind disclosed in United Kingdom Patent Application No. 2256673 is attached to the member 13 at the lower end of the ladder by passing a carabina 20 through the aperture 17 in the member 13 to embrace the rung 12. A rope 21 is then passed through the control device 23, up the front of the ladder and around the top pulley 19. The upper end of the rope is secured to the person being rescued and/or the rescuer whilst the lower end of the rope is constrained by means of the control device 23 at the bottom of the ladder: the control device 23 is provided with a lever 24 which can be acetated by a person at the base of the ladder to control the rope.

Should the person attached to the upper end of the rope 21 fall or slip, their fall is arrested by the rope 21, which is constrained at the lower end of the ladder. The force of any fall acts downwardly on the uppermost member 13 and upwardly on the lowermost member 13. The members 13 serve to evenly distribute the force of any fall along the rungs 12 and in this manner the ladder is not damaged. The members 13 also serve to strengthen the rung, particularly at the point intermediate their opposite ends where the forces are applied.

The members 13 act to centralism the rope as it passes down the ladder and thus a person is easily able to climb the ladder astride the rope. It will be appreciated that the members 13 do not interfere with normal use of the ladder yet provide a reliable point to which a rope can be connected

Claims

Claims A ladder comprising a pair of elongate stiles, a plurality of rungs

extending between the stiles at respective locations deposed longitudinally of the ladder, and means opposite ends of the ladder to which a rope can be connected, each of said means comprising an elongate member having a longitudinally extending channel in which a respective rung of the ladder is received, the channels of the members being directed towards each other in respective directions facing longitudinally of the ladder.
2. A ladder as claimed in claim 1, in which the rope is connected to the means at one end of the ladder via a pulley. In use, the pulley is located at the upper end of the ladder.
3. A ladder as claimed in claim 2, in which the rope is connected to the means at the other of the ladder via a control device which constrains the rope.
4. A ladder as claimed in any preceding claim, in which each member extends fully along its respective rung between the stiles.
5. A ladder as claimed in any preceding claim, in which an aperture is formed in each member intermediate its opposite ends, the aperture providing a point to which the rope can be connected.
6. A ladder as claimed in claim 5, in which the apertures extend perpendicular to the plane of the ladder.
7. A ladder as claimed in claim 6, in which the apertures extend through respective eyes formed on the members.
8. A ladder as claimed in any preceding claim, in which each member comprises front and rear elongate walls respectively disposed on opposite sides of the rung and an elongate central wall extending between the front and rear walls over the rung, the thickness of the central wall increasing from its opposite ends towards a point intermediate its opposite ends.
9. A ladder as claimed in any preceding claim, in which one of the members is attached to the last rung at one end of the ladder, the other member being attached to the rung which is located two rungs away from the last rung at the opposite end of the ladder.
10. A ladder substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.