NZ590186A

NZ590186A - A portable roof anchor screwed to roof though ridges having an energy absorber connected to a harness

Info

Publication number: NZ590186A
Application number: NZ590186A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Andrew Douglas Pridham
Original assignee: Andrew Douglas Pridham
Priority date: 2008-07-01
Filing date: 2009-07-01
Publication date: 2012-03-30
Also published as: AU2009202666A1

Abstract

A safety anchor (10) to be attached to a roof (11) to arrest a fall is disclosed. The anchor includes an elongated body (17) having a pair of slots (19, 20) through which threaded fasteners (22) pass to secure the anchor to the ridges (13) of the roof. The slots enable the anchor to be securely attached to the roof regardless of the ridge spacing. Secured to the body is a harness attachment (25) that is in the form of a metal strip that is bent about several transverse axes so as to have a plurality of bends (27). When a force beyond a predetermined level is applied to the member it plastically deforms to absorb energy and arrest the fall in a controlled manner.

Description

PATENTS FORM 5 PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION OurRef: 913105NZD1 Dated: 23 December 2010 A portable roof anchor I, Andrew Douglas Pridham, an Australian Citizen, of 28 Farnsworth Avenue, Campbelltown , New South Wales, 2560, Australia, hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: 0013E(3244351 J ):IRG 1 la A PORTABLE ROOF ANCHOR Technical Field The present invention relates to safety anchors and more particularly to portable safety anchors employed on roof structures for securing of a harness to the anchor. The harness being provided for a worker.

Background of the Invention Australian standards and corresponding standards in other countries require that any person working a significant height must be protected against falling. One such means of fall protection involves the worker wearing a safety harness which is connected by a lanyard line to a safety anchor attached to the roof or other such elevated structure. In the absence of a permanent anchor, the operator must attach to a portable anchor. The anchor must be capable of arresting the load generated by the worker in the event of a fall. Typically, the safety anchor must be capable of arresting loads of up to 15kn, which equates to a situation where workers are attached to a single safety anchor.

Some disadvantages of known portable safety anchors are that they are not adapted and/or not well suited for attachment to an existing metal roof, and are of inadequate ultimate strength requirements. A further disadvantage is that many are cumbersome and difficult to install.

Object of the Invention It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantage.

Summary of the Invention There is disclosed herein a portable anchor for securing to a roof, the anchor including: a body having a longitudinal length, the body having at least one slot having a major direction of extension longitudinally of the body, the slot or slots providing opposite slot end extremities with each slot having a transverse width to provide for fasteners to pass therethrough to engage the roof to secure the anchor to the roof; and an attachment member fixed to said body between said slot end extremities to provide for attachment of a harness to said body, said member being plastically deformable to provide for the absorption of energy when force is applied to said member exceeds a predetermined force. 2180889-1 :AEM:LKM 2 Preferably, said at least one slot is a first slot, and said body has a second slot, the second slot having a major direction of extension longitudinally of the body, the slots being longitudinally spaced with said attachment member located between the two slots.

Preferably, said member is a strip of metal having a longitudinal length 5 extending generally transverse of said body, said strip having at least one bend extending transverse of the strip.

Preferably, said strip has at least two bends.

Preferably, said member has an aperture to provide for the attachment of the harness to said member.

Preferably, said body is formed of a single sheet of metal.

Preferably, said member is attached to said body by a threaded fastener.

Preferably, the slots are longitudinally aligned.

Brief Description of the Drawing A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of 15 example with reference to the accompanying drawing that schematically depicts a roof anchor attached to a metal roof.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments In the accompanying drawing there is schematically depicted a portable roof anchor 10 attached to a roof 11. The roof 11 includes supporting beams (not illustrated) 20 to which there is attached a plurality of metal sheets 12. For example, the sheets 12 may be sheet aluminium or sheet steel. Each of the sheets 12 has longitudinally extending ridges 13, the ridges 13 including a longitudinally extending upper flat portion 14 located between inclined portions 15 extending to planar lower portions 16 with each portion 16 being located between a pair of adjacent ribs 13.

The anchor 10 extends between a plurality of the ridges 13 and includes an elongated body 17 having a longitudinal axis 18. The body 17 has at least one elongated slot, in the present instance there is a pair of slots 19 and 20. The slots 19 and 20 have their major direction extension parallel to the axis 18, more particularly the slots 19 and 20 extend longitudinally parallel to the axis 18.

Each of the slots 19 and 20 has a transverse width 21 providing for threaded fasteners 22 to pass through the body 17 and engage the roof 11. More particularly the fasteners 22 engage the portions 14 of the ridges 13. The slots 19 and 20 are elongated so 2180889-1 :AEM:LKM 3 that the position of the threaded fasteners 22 can be adjusted to ensure that they are passed through the portions 14.

The slot 19 has an end extremity 23 and the slot 20 and end extremity 24.

Located between the extremities 23 and 24, that is between the slots 19 and 20 is 5 a harness attachment member 25. In this embodiment the member 25 is formed of a strip of metal having a longitudinal axis 26 that is generally transverse relative to the axis 18. The member 25 is bent about transverse axes so as to provide a plurality of bends 27. The member 25 is attached to the body 17 by means of a threaded fastener 28.

The end extremity of the member 25 is provided with an aperture 29 via which 10 the harness is attached to the body 17 and therefore the roof 11.

Should a force beyond a predetermined force be applied to the member 25, the member 25 will plastically deform towards a straight configuration thereby absorbing energy. 2180889- 1:AEM:LKM

Claims

4 RECEIVED at IPONZ on 26 April 2011 What I/We claim is:

1. A portable anchor for securing to a roof, the anchor including: a body having a longitudinal length, the body having at least one slot having a major direction of extension longitudinally of the body, the slot or slots providing opposite slot end extremities with each slot having a transverse width to provide for fasteners to pass therethrough to engage the roof to secure the anchor to the roof; and an attachment member fixed to said body to provide for attachment of a harness to said body, said member being plastically deformable to provide for the absorption of energy when force is applied to said member exceeds a predetermined force.

2. The anchor of claim 1, wherein said at least one slot is a first slot, and said body has a second slot, the second slot having a major direction of extension longitudinally of the body, the slots being longitudinally spaced with said attachment member located between the two slots.

3. The anchor of claim 1 or 2, wherein said member is a strip of metal having a longitudinal length extending generally transverse of said body, said strip having at least one bend extending transverse of the strip.

4. The anchor of claim 1,2 or 3, wherein said strip has at least two bends.

5. The anchor of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said member has an aperture to provide for the attachment of the harness to said member.

6. The anchor of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said body is formed of a single sheet of metal.

7. The anchor of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said member is attached to said body by a threaded fastener.

8. The anchor of anyone of claims 1 to 7, wherein the slots are longitudinally aligned.

9. An anchor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to accompanying drawings. Andrew Douglas Pridham By the Attorneys for the Applicant 2180889v2:AEM