GB2458023A - Working platform - Google Patents

Abstract

A work/support platform assembly 1 upon which a person can stand, comprises two frame assemblies 2 each of which includes a rectangular elongate main frame and two frame assemblies, each of which includes a rectangular main frame 4 and an elongate second frame 5 pivotally connected 6, to each other so as to be foldable in face-to-face relationship and erectable to provide a L-shaped formation. A means 18, 20 connects the erected frame assemblies together to provide a combined rectangular framework for providing support for a work person platform 2. Two similar further frame assemblies 3 each include a rectangular main frame 21 and an elongate second frame 22, pivotally connected to each other in a foldable, face to face relationship and erectable to provide an L-shaped formation. The invention also includes a means 36 for mounting the further frame assemblies 3 to and above the first rectangular framework 2 to provide a work person safety barrier 3.

Description

1 WORK/SUPPORT PLATFORM ASSEMBLY 2 This invention is concerned with work/support platforms for persons requiring to carry 3 out work activities at an elevated position which assemblies are such as to be erectable 4 on site.

It is well known in relation to the construction and maintenance of walls etc.,that it is 6 usually necessary for the work person such a a bricklayer to be able to move along 7 a\length of a wall under construction and/or repair when laying, for example, a course 8 of bricks/blocks or tiles.

9 Historically, in carrying out such activities it has been a standard practice for the work person to erect on site a supporting platform including in spaced apart relationship two 11 wooden or metal trestles which can conveniently be regarded as A-frames adjacent to 12 the location at which a work person intends to work and then having positioned the 13 trestles bridging the trestles by one or two lengths of wood such a standard builder's 14 scaffold boards to provide the requisite work platform.

In practice it has been an inherent problem in the use of such a work platform 16 construction in that the resulting platform structure does not involve a work person 17 safety barrier nor so-called toe-board arrangements to prevent debris falling onto 18 persons below. In practice it is not readily possible to provide a work platform 19 involving trestles with safety barriers or toe boards.

As a result of such inherent problems present day health and safety regulations in some 21 countries have banned the use of wooden board and trestles constructions as an on site 22 erectable means of supporting an elevated work platform and at the same time provide 23 for user safety whereby usage of such work platforms is no longer legally possible in 24 such countries and no doubt other countries In the future will to follow need for safety provision and refrain from using the historical standard working practices.

26 However, there still remains a need for work persons such as bricklayers to have 27 available an easy to transport and simple to erect work platform structure that satisfies 28 present day health and safety factors * -2- 1 A further important factor is the it is practically important that the supportpatform 2 should be erectable by a single person as opposed to a team action required to erect 3 conventional scaffolding.

4 Broadly according to a first aspect of the invention there Is provided a work/support platform assembly including a base framework readily erectable from a predetermined 6 number of frame elements such that when erected are able to mount a platform upon 7 which a user can stand and an upper framework erectable from a predetermined frame 8 elements providing a framework that provides a safety barrier formation upstanding 9 from the base framework.

Preferably the support platform assembly incorporates as part of the safety barrier so- 11 called toe boards serving to prevent debris from fatling from the work platform 12 assembly upon which a person can stand, said barrier comprising two frame assemblies 13 each including a rectangular elongate mai n frame and two sub frame assemblies each 14 including a rectangular main frame and an elongate second frame pivotally connected to each other so as to be foldable in face-to-face relationship and erectable to provide a 16 L-shaped formation, means for connecting the erected frame assemblies together to 17 provide a combined rectangular framework for providing support for a work person 18 platform, said assembly also including two similar further frame assemblies each 19 including a rectangular main frame and an elongate second frame pivotally connected to each other so as to be foldable face to face relationship and erectable to provide an I 21 shaped formation and means for mounting the further frame assemblies to and above 22 the first rectangular framework to provide a work person safety barrier.

23 Preferably each said main frame incorporates first and second leg forming end posts 24 interconnected by upper and lower rails that position the first and second posts a predetermined distance apart, an upright second frame located intermediate the posts.

26 each said second frame incorporating first and second uprights interconnected by 27 upper and lower rails such that the second frame can nest into the area defined 28 between amain frame post and the associated upright of the main frame, there being 29 means for pivotally connecting one end of each second frame to an associated post of the associated main frame, and means for releasably connecting the other end of the 31 second frame to the upright of the associated main frame to retain the seond frame in 32 its nested position.

1 Preferably when the two base frames are connected to provide the rectangular 2 platform support formation a second frame of each base frame is connected to the end 3 of the base main frame that is remote from the end to which its second frame is 4 pivoted.

Conveniently the work/support platform working surface is provided by one or more 6 standard sized boards/planks.

7 Convenient the boards/planks comprise standard builders scaffold boards.

8 For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried 9 to effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:-Figure 1 schematically illustrates a work/support platform incorporating the concepts of 11 the invention, 12 Figure 2 illustrates further detail of the work/support platform of Figure 1 13 Referring to Figure 1 this Figure illustrates a work person support assembly 1 including 14 a base unit 2 and a work person safety rail unit 3 The base unit 2 incorporates a main frame 4 and a so-called end gate second frame 5.

16 The main frame comprises two end posts 6 and 7, a bottom rail and a top rail 9 17 An upright rail 10 is secured to the top and bottom rails 8 and 9 intermediate the ends 18 of these rsails.

19 The gate frame 5 includes two uprights 12 and 13. A top rail bridges the upper ends of the uprights 12 and 13, whilst a a lower rail 15 bridges the uprights 12 and 13 at a 21 location near the bottom of these uprights.

22 The gate frame 5 is pivotally connected to the main frame post 7 by way of two tubular 23 hinges 16 of which the lower one rests upon an annular flange 17 secured to the post 7.

24 As may be seen from the Figure the gate frame when in the position shown in the Figures nests into the rectangle formed by the rails 8 and 9, the upright 10 and the post 26 7 with the upper rail 14 located slightly below the rail 9 of the main frame.

27 The gate frame is retained in its closed\stowed position shown In the Figure by a pin 18 28 that is engageabie in a bore provided in the top rail 9 and in two locating tubular 29 elements 19 provided upon the gate frame upright 12.

A pin location tube 21 is provided on the post 5 as \indicated n the Figure.

1 To erect an upright structure as so far discussed two base units 2 are joined together to 2 form a rectangular framework by removing the pins 18 and positioning the gate frames 3 perpendicular to their associated main frame 4 and then arranging the thus produced I 4 shaped frameworks as a rectangle with the tubular members 19 of the gate of one frame aligned with the tubular member 20 of the main frame post 6 of the other L 6 formation and connecting them together by engaging the pins 8 in the aligned tubular 7 members.

8 The dimensions of the units 2 are chosen such that when two units 2 are connected 9 together to form a composite rectangular frame of which the gate frames 5 are intended to mount the actual working platform. This platform can be formed by 11 standard boards,for example three, or other floor/deck forming means whose ends rest 12 upon the top rail of the second frame 5. Since the upper rails of the second frames 13 are, are as a result of the nesting capability positioned slightly tower than the main 14 frame upper rails, the latter prevent separation of the boards or other floor/deck forming means extending lengthways of the main frames 4 of the unit 2.

16 As has been mentioned in order to satisfy health and safety regulations a work person 17 safety frame structure needs to be provided on the unit 2.

18 The work person safety frame 3 which will now be considered in more detal is of a 19 construction generally similar to that of the base frame and thus includes a main frame 21 and a so-called end gate frame 22.

21 The main frame comprises two end posts 23 and 24, a bottom rail 25 and a top rail 26.

22 An upright rail 22 is secured to the top and bottom rails 25 and 26 intermediate the 23 ends of these rails.

24 The gate frame 22 includes two uprights 28 and 29,. A top rail 30 bridges the upper ends of the uprights, 28 and 29 whilst a lower rail 31 bridges the uprights 28 and 29 at 26 a location near the bottom of the uprights 28 and 29.

27 The gate frame 22 is pivotally connected to the main frame post 24 by way of two 28 tubular hinges 32 of which the lower one rests upon an annular flange 33 secured to the 29 post 24.

As may be seen from the Figure 1 the gate frame 22 when in the position shown in the 31 Figure nests into the rectangle formed by the rails 25 and 16. the upright 27 and the 32 post 24 with the upper rail 30 located slightly bwlow the top rail 26 of the mainframe 33 21.

34 The gate frame is retained in the closed/stowed position shown in the Figure by a pin that is engageable in a bore provided in the top rail 26 and in two locating tubular 36 elements 24 provided on the gate frame upright 28.

37 A pin location tube 35 is provided on the post 23 as indicated in the Figure. * -5-

1 To erect a support structure two base frame units are joined together to form a 2 rectangular framework by removing the pins 18 and positioning the gate frames 3 perpendicular to their associated main frames and then arranging the thus produced L- 4 shaped framework formations as a rectangle with the tubular members 19 of the gate of one frame aligned with the tubular member of the other 1-shaped framework 6 formation and connecting them together by engaging the pins 18 in the aligned tubular 7 elements/members 8 As Is shown in Figure 2 the frameworks of the work person safety frameworks are each 9 provided with a so-called toe board 38 whose purpose is to prevent any debris such as bricks and/or other articles that may be dropped onto the platform during work person 11 activities and which could be caused to fall from the platform.

12 The toe boards 38 are so arranged that the bottoms of the boards are as close as 13 possible to the actual platform boards whilst allowing the safety frameworks to be 14 correctly installed.

If desired additional rails may be provided on the safety frameworks one such rail 41 16 being shown in Figure 2.

17 The person safety frame is mounted upon the associated base unit 2 by means of 18 locating spigots 36. Each spigot 36 is able to engage in the ends of the associated posts 19 6and7and23and24.

Each spigot 36 Includes a circumferential flange 37 such that when the spigot is 21 introduced into the upper end of a post 6 or 7 the lower face of the flange 37 rests upon 22 the upper end of the associated post and when the lower ends of the posts 23 and 24 23 are engaged with the spigot 36 the tower ends of these posts rest upon the upper face 24 of the spigot flange.

It should be noted that dimensionally the lengths of the base frame and those of the 26 safety frame are the same in order that they fit one to the other during on site erection.

27 It will thus be appreciated from the forgoing that there is thus close dimensional 28 relationship between the posts and rails of the base unit and those of the safety frame.

29 However, it should be noted that for ensuring as high a degree of safety as possible the height of the safety frame is preferred to be greater than the height of the base unit, 31 the additional height being determined by health and safety regulations.

32 In order further to increase the effectiveness of the person safety frame a so-called toe- 33 board isfittedto the lower part of the safety frame and the associated gate frame such 34 that tools or othr articles cannot fall from the safety frame or gate frames.

When the above described base frame units and safety frames are not in use the 36 associated gate frames are retained In their nested positions in the associated main 37 frames by the pins 18 * -6-