GB2454695A

GB2454695A - Safety barrier

Info

Publication number: GB2454695A
Application number: GB0722437A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John-Paul Haigh; Philip John Haigh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-11-15
Filing date: 2007-11-15
Publication date: 2009-05-20
Also published as: GB0722437D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a universal safety barrier for a railing or access platform. The barrier comprises a base plate 1, means 10, 11 for attaching the base plate to a surface, a pivot support 3 extending from the base plate 1 with a horizontal pivot pin 4 through the pivot support 3 and an elongate bar 5 extending from the pivot support 3. The pivot pin 4 extends through the bar 5 such that a minor part of the bar 5 extends to one side of the pin 4 and a major part of the bar extends to the other side of the pin 4. A stop means 6 on or in the pivot support 3 engages the minor part of the bar 5 to hold the bar 5 in a horizontal position across an opening. The pivoting arrangement is such that the bar 5 can be raised to allow passage through an opening, but falls under its own weight when released, to close the opening. The stop means 6 is preferably a screw 6 that forms an adjustable stop. The base plate 1 is designed to be bolted to a surface.

Description

SAFETY BARRIER

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a safety barrier for use on access platforms and the like.

Background to the Invention

A third of all reported fall-from-height incidents involve ladders and scaf- folding; on average this accounts for 14 deaths and 1200 major injuries to work-ers each year. Many of these accidents resulting in major injuries and death are caused by workers falling from platforms for which there is provided no bar-riers to prevent the workers from falling through.

It is already well known in the trade to provide a barrier such as a rope or a chain at the top of the ladder which can be temporarily removed manually by a worker wishing to gain access to the platform and then replaced by the worker once access onto the platform has been achieved. However, this method of providing a barrier is inconvenient since generally workers accessing platforms are commonly carrying building equipment thereby requiring the use of at least one if not both hands. More importantly, it is very easy for the repositioning of the chain or rope after passage through the opening to be overlooked, leaving the opening unprotected. There is therefore a need for a fail-safe barrier.

GB2367088 discloses a full gate safety barrier which is mounted with the pivot point at an angle to ensure that it closes under its own weight. However, this arrangement is both difficult to fit and to use, requiring sufficient width to accommodate the complex hinging arrangement and clearance behind it to permit it to be opened. On an access platform, space is likely to be limited. In addition, the weight of the gate is likely to be such as to make opening it while at the top of an access ladder difficult. This could potentially reduce, rather than increase, safety.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided safety barrier for an opening through protective railing on an access platform, the barrier comprising a base plate, means for attaching the base plate to the railing, a pivot support extending from the base plate and carrying a horizontal pivot pin which passes through an elongate bar such that a minor part of the bar extends to one side of the pin and a major part to the other side of the pin, and stop means on or in the pivot support engageable by the minor part to hold the bar across the opening when at rest, the bar being freely pivotable on the pin such that, after pivoting upwardly to allow access through the opening, the bar re-turns to the horizontal position thereof under the influence of gravity.

The stop means is preferably adjustable and more preferably includes a screw, which may be engaged in a screw-threaded hole in a horizontal part of the pivot support.

A second stop means may be provided to stop rotation of the bar at a small angle to the vertical, whereby to ensure that it cannot remain upright when released. Preferably the small angle is 11 degrees.

The base plate is designed to be bolted to a surface, for example the rail-ing around an access platform. It would, however, be possible to weld the base plate to a flat vertical surface where bolting is not possible.

The base plate can be mounted in other configurations than the vertical.

For example, the plate could be mounted so that, while it lies in a vertical plane, it is angled to the vertical by up to 45 degrees while still being capable of auto-matic closure under gravity. Alternatively, the base plate could be mounted on a generally horizontal surface, in which case the adjustable stop means then takes on the function of the second stop means in ensuring that the bar cannot be set completely vertical, and so fail to close. Ideally, the adjustable stop will cause the bar to come to rest at approximately 11 degrees from the vertical.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention: Figure 1 illustrates a top plan view of the safety barrier; Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of the safety barrier; and Figure 3 illustrates a side view of the safety barrier

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment

Referring to the drawings, the barrier has a base plate I provided with an array of fixing holes 2 arranged to permit fixing by means of bolts or screws to different components of existing safety railing around an access platform, for example. Typically, U-bolts 10 will be used, passing around an upright on the railing and through a pair of holes in the base plate, to be fastened by nuts 11 bearing against the opposite side of the plate. By selecting appropriately ori-ented pairs of holes 2, the plate 1 can also be secured to a railing component which is set at an angle to the upright. While the drawing shows a single U-bolt, a pair of such bolts would typically be used for stability of fixing. Alternatively, a hole may be drilled into the upright in a position corresponding with one of the central holes 2 in the plate 1, permitting a self-tapping screw to be driven into the upright to add further stability to the barrier where only one U-bolt is used. It will be appreciated that other fixing methods may be employed, for example a pair of screws passing through a pair of the central holes 2 and into the upright, or bolts passing through the upright to be secured by nuts on the other side thereof.

A pivot support 3 extends from and is welded to the base plate 1. It has an inverted channel-shaped portion 3a and a pair of arms 3b extending forward therefrom. The arms 3b carry a horizontal pivot pin 4 between them, on which is mounted a tubular bar or rail 5. The pivot point on the rail 5 is located such that a minor part of the length of the rail extends under the channel-shaped por- tion 3a of the support 3, when the rail is horizontal, preventing the rail from ro-tating downward to a position in which the opening in the railings is left partially unprotected. The horizontal surface constituting the base of the inverted chan-nel-shaped portion 3a has a threaded hole therethrough into which a screw 6 may be threaded to form an adjustable stop for the end of the rail 5. By rotating the screw, the rest position of the rail can be adjusted to the horizontal in situ.

The major part of the rail 5 extends in use across the opening in the safety rail-ing, but can be lifted substantially upright to permit access, because the arms 3b carrying the pivot pin 4 are unobstructed in the vertical plane. To ensure that the rail 5 falls back to the horizontal under its own weight when released, and cannot remain upright, the position of the pivot pin 4 relative to the channel-shaped portion is such that the rail strikes the channel-shaped portion 3a before gaining a fully upright position, for example while still at an angle of around 11 degrees to the vertical.

Figures 2 and 3 show a typical installation, in which a platlorm 12 has a safety railing 13 around it (of which only two uprights are illustrated for the sake of clarity), in which an opening 14 is reached by a ladder 15. Figure 2 shows the barrier in its rest position, closing the opening, while Figure 3 shows it opened to permit access from the ladder to the platform.

It will be appreciated that the pattern of holes 2 in the base plate 1 can be configured to permit a range of different configurations. For example, the barrier could be mounted on a component of railing or the like which is set at up to 45 degrees from the vertical while still closing automatically under its own weight when released after opening. In this case, the plate I would still be in a substantially vertical plane, but effectively rotated to fit on to the side of the an-gle component.

In another configuration, the base plate could be located on a horizontal component of the safety railing, so that, as compared with the arrangement shown in Figure 1, the open and closed positions of the bar are reversed. In this configuration, therefore, when the minor part of the rail 5 engages the screw 6 it will be in its open position, and it is necessary for the screw to be able to stop the rotation of the rail 5 before it reaches the vertical, preferably at 11 de-grees before the vertical. Some of the holes 2 may then be tapped to provide internal screw threads in which adjusting screws may be engaged to permit the closed position of the rail 5 to be adjusted to the horizontal.

Claims

1. A safety barrier for an opening through protective railing on an ac-cess platform, the barrier comprising a base plate, means for attaching the base plate to the railing, a pivot support extending from the base plate and carrying a horizontal pivot pin which passes through an elongate bar such that a minor part of the bar extends to one side of the pin and a major part to the other side of the pin, and stop means on or in the pivot support engageable by the minor part to hold the bar across the opening when at rest, the bar being freely pivo-table on the pin such that, after pivoting upwardly to allow access through the opening, the bar returns to the horizontal position thereof under the influence of gravity.

2. A safety barrier according to Claim 1, wherein the stop means is adjustable to permit the orientation of the bar at rest to be adjusted.

3. A safety barrier according to Claim 2, wherein the stop means in-cludes a screw.

4. A safety barrier according to Claim 3, wherein the screw is en-gaged in a screw-threaded hole in a horizontal part of the pivot support.

5. A safety barrier according to any preceding claim, wherein a sec-ond stop means is provided to stop rotation of the bar at a small angle to the vertical, whereby to ensure that it cannot remain upright when released.

6. A safety barrier according to Claim 5, wherein the second stop means is configured to stop the bar at an angle of 11 degrees to the vertical.

7. A safety barrier according to any preceding claim, comprising U-bolts engageable around an upright in the railing and passing through holes in the base plate to be secured by nuts threaded on to the free ends of the U-bolts.

8. A safety barrier, substantially as described with reference to, and/or as shown in, the drawings.