NZ619074B - Edge Protection Support - Google Patents

Abstract

619074 Disclosed is a building or roof edge scaffolding bracket that that attaches or clamps onto the soffit bearer without damaging or requiring the drilling of holes into the soffit bearer to provide edge safety and protection to workers at height on a roof. The edge protection support includes an upright member with at least one rail locating structure, and a lateral member connected to the upright member and arranged to project from the upright member. An attachment sleeve is connected to the lateral member distal from the lateral members’ connection to the upright member. The attachment sleeve is formed from a pair of opposed side walls, each side wall defining a top edge and a bottom edge, the opposed side walls being pivotably connected to one another at or along the top edge of each side wall, and a closure structure arranged to engage the bottom edges of each opposed side wall to urge said bottom edges together. A clamp projection associated with one of said side walls which is arranged to project into a volume defined between the side walls to receive and locate a section of a beam used to form a structure under construction. This beam may be a soffit bearer. The bracket can be used to support a number of rails which are to be deployed along the perimeter of a structure under construction to form an edge protection system. n upright member with at least one rail locating structure, and a lateral member connected to the upright member and arranged to project from the upright member. An attachment sleeve is connected to the lateral member distal from the lateral members’ connection to the upright member. The attachment sleeve is formed from a pair of opposed side walls, each side wall defining a top edge and a bottom edge, the opposed side walls being pivotably connected to one another at or along the top edge of each side wall, and a closure structure arranged to engage the bottom edges of each opposed side wall to urge said bottom edges together. A clamp projection associated with one of said side walls which is arranged to project into a volume defined between the side walls to receive and locate a section of a beam used to form a structure under construction. This beam may be a soffit bearer. The bracket can be used to support a number of rails which are to be deployed along the perimeter of a structure under construction to form an edge protection system.

Description

Edge Protection Support Field of the Invention This invention relates to an Edge Protection Support. In preferred embodiments the invention may be used to mount and support a series of edge protection rails deployed at the upper perimeter of a structure under construction, preferably by connecting the invention to a soffit bearer of the structure.

Background of the Invention It is important to provide some form of edge protection system during the construction of the elevated areas of a building. Edge protection systems increase the safety of construction workers by providing a barrier which prevents them from falling.

Scaffolding systems are well known in the construction industry and can be deployed on the ground next to a structure and extend upwards parallel to the structures side walls as it is constructed. Scaffolding systems can then be used to mount or support a number of protection railings.

However building scaffolding requires a significant amount of time and labour to assemble. As scaffolding must be mounted on a clear and flat surface adjacent to a building, this surface must be prepared appropriately before the scaffolding can be assembled. Furthermore, scaffolding must be built up to ultimately reach the upper regions of the structure before it can be used to implement an edge protection system. This practice requires the entire structure to be encircled by scaffolding, which again is relatively time-consuming and also costly in terms of the number of scaffolding components which need to be used.

One attempt to address these issues with existing scaffolding based edge protection systems is disclosed in New Zealand design registration 416515. This registration discloses an edge protection support bracket which extends from a soffit bearer of the roof under construction, providing an upright support which deploys a series of rail connection hooks along the length of the upright.

Although this form of support bracket does reduce the amount of equipment required to provide the edge protection system when compared with scaffolding, it presents its own problems and disadvantages when used.

In particular, this form of bracket is connected to the soffit bearer by drilling a number of holes through the bearer and bolting the bottom end of the bracket to the bearer. Once the upper regions of the structure are finished the bracket is then unbolted from the soffit bearer, leaving open the holes drilled through the bearer.

This is a destructive approach which may weaken the load supporting capacity of the soffit bearer – and may potentially require the further attention of the building inspector to review and certify that the bearer is still safe to use.

The installation process for this form of bracket is also relatively slow and labour intensive. Holes must be drilled for each of the bolts employed to connect the bracket to a soffit bearer. This can take a significant amount of time when a large number of these brackets are to be deployed about the entire perimeter of a structure. Furthermore, the bracket must be supported and correctly aligned in place on the soffit bearer while these holes are drilled – potentially requiring two people to work together to install a single bracket correctly.

It would therefore be of advantage to have improvements over the prior art which addressed the above issues. In particular improvements which allowed for the installation and provision of an edge protection system which did not damage elements of the building under construction would be of advantage. Improvements which allowed for the installation of an edge protection support quickly and preferably by a single person only would also be of advantage. Improvements which reduced the amount of equipment or number of components required to deploy an edge protection system would be of advantage. Improvements over the prior art in respect of edge protection supports which at the least provided the public with an alternative choice would also be of advantage.

Disclosure of the Invention According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an edge protection support which includes an upright member, and at least one rail locating structure associated with the upright member, and a lateral member connected to the upright member and arranged to project from the upright member, and an attachment sleeve connected to the lateral member distal from the lateral members’ connection to the upright member, the attachment sleeve being formed from a pair of opposed side walls, each side wall defining a top edge and a bottom edge, the opposed side walls being pivotably connected to one another at or along the top edge of each side wall, and a closure structure arranged to engage the bottom edges of each opposed side wall to urge said bottom edges together, and a clamp projection associated with one of said side walls which is arranged to project into a volume defined between the side walls.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an edge protection support substantially as described above wherein the volume defined between the side walls of the attachment sleeve is arranged to receive and locate a section of a beam used to form a structure under construction. In a further preferred embodiment this beam may be a soffit bearer.

Preferably the clamp projection of an attachment sleeve associated with a side wall urges a beam located between the side walls against the opposite side wall of the attachment sleeve.

The present invention is arranged to provide an edge protection support. The invention can be used to support a number of rails which are to be deployed along the perimeter of a structure under construction to form an edge protection system.

A number of the supports provided by the invention can be deployed around the perimeter of the structure and will provide an edge protection system when combined with a number of rails.

A support provided by the invention includes an upright member linked to a lateral member with an attachment sleeve connected to this lateral member. This attachment sleeve is arranged to receive and locate a section of a beam used to form the structure under construction.

In a preferred embodiment the inventions attachment sleeve may be arranged to engage with and receive a section of a soffit bearer. Reference throughout this specification will also be made to the present invention being engaged with a soffit bearer, but those skilled in the art should appreciate that the invention may be adapted to engage with other forms of bearers if required in other applications.

The support provided by the invention can therefore extend from its connection with a soffit bearer substantially horizontally out from the perimeter the structure along the length of the lateral member provided. The lateral members’ connection to the upright member then extends the support upwards with a substantially vertical orientation. The upright member will then project above or in line with the upper regions of the structure to locate a number of edge protection rails arranged to extend around the perimeter of the structure.

In a preferred embodiment an upright member includes a plurality of rail locating structures deployed along the length of the upright member. These rail locating structures engage with and lock in place a section of each protection rail.

In a preferred embodiment an upright member may include three rail locating structures, with the spacing or positioning of each of these members being dictated by local building regulations.

In a preferred embodiment a rail locating structure may be formed by a bracket and clamp arrangement adapted in used to force one side of rail placed in the bracket up against the side of the upright member. For example, in one preferred embodiment a rail locating structure may include a bracket which extends laterally out and then vertically upwards from an upright member and also includes a bearing projection arranged to extend through the vertical portion of this bracket.

The bearing projection may be threaded and screwed in to the space defined between the bracket and the upright member to force a rail element up against the upright member.

In a preferred embodiment the upright member and lateral member may be formed from a single length of tubular steel bent at substantially a right angle, preferably with an additional reinforcing strut welded across the bent region. This arrangement of the upright and lateral members therefore allows these two components of the invention to be formed easily, quickly and inexpensively from a single strong component. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that references to the upright member being connected to the lateral member also include this arrangement of the invention where the two members are formed integrally with each other.

An attachment sleeve provided with the invention is arranged to enclose a section of a soffit bearer. The sleeve can be easily and quickly deployed around the bearer and locked in place, and just as easily opened and removed from the bearer when the edge projection system is to be dismantled. The opposed sidewalls of the sleeve are arranged to sit on either side of a bearer and preferably define a volume complimentary to the form or shape of the bearer involved.

Preferably the top edges of each side wall are bridged and connected together by a hinge. A hinge allows one side wall to be pivoted away from its opposite when the sleeve is to be opened and removed from the bearer, and alternatively pivoted towards the opposite side wall when the sleeve is be engaged around a bearer. A hinge may form a relatively weak component when compared with the side walls of the bracket, and this arrangement of the hinge puts it in a protected position on the attachment sleeve. . Any force applied to a rail is likely to be transmitted through the lateral member to the underside of a soffit bearer, preventing stresses from being transmitted through to the hinge on the opposite side of the sleeve bracket.

In a preferred embodiment one or both of the bottom edges or regions of a side wall may taper or extend inwards towards the opposite side wall and connect together to fully enclose the volume arranged to receive a bearer. For example, in one further preferred embodiment the bottom region of one side wall may extend laterally inwards and into contact with the opposite side wall and then extend downwards vertically parallel to and in contact with the opposite side wall.

Reference in general throughout this specification will also be made to the lower regions of the side walls being in contact with each other when placed around the bearer and running substantially parallel downwards in contact with each other.

However, those skilled in the art should appreciate that other configurations or arrangements of the side walls are also envisioned and reference to the above only throughout this specification should in no way be seen as limiting.

In a preferred embodiment an attachment sleeve also includes a closure structure arranged to engage the bottom edges of each opposed side walls to urge the sidewalls together. This closure structure can therefore be used to engage an attachment sleeve on a bearer and to hold the bottom edges of the sleeve sidewalls against and in contact with each other.

In a further preferred embodiment a closure structure may be formed by an R-clip or cotter pin which is deployed through a pair of aligned apertures formed in the lower regions of the sidewalls. In such embodiments one leg of the pin may be aligned with one side wall, with the opposite side of the pin being used to urge the opposite side wall inwards to close the sleeve. A closure structure formed by a cotter pin allows a user of the invention to lock the attachment sleeve closed easily and quickly using one hand only.

However in one alternative embodiment a closure structure may not necessarily be formed by a resilient clip, or an R-clip in particular. For example, in one alternative embodiment a U-shaped sleeve may be used to surround the lower region of two sidewalls and then the exterior arms of this U-shaped sleeve can be clamped together around the bottom edges of the sidewalls.

Reference throughout this specification will however be made to a closure structure being formed from or including a resilient R-clip. However those skilled in the art will appreciate that other structures may be used equally well in conjunction with the invention.

An attachment sleeve also includes a clamp projection associated with one of the sidewalls. This clamp projection is arranged to project into the volume defined by the sidewalls to urge a soffit bearer located in the sleeve up against the opposite side wall.

In a preferred embodiment a clamp projection may be formed by a threaded T- clamp arranged to extend through a threaded aperture formed in one side wall. The T section of this clamp can be used as a handle to turn the threaded shaft of the clamp, where the terminal end of a shaft engages with the side of the soffit bearer and pushes it against the opposite side wall of the sleeve. Again this configuration of the invention allows the clamp to be engaged by a user with one hand only.

The present invention may provide many potential advantages over the prior art.

The present invention may provide a support for an edge protection system which can be installed quickly by one person only. A single person can lift the support into place with one hand and use their free hand to engage an attachment sleeve around a soffit bearer.

The invention does not require the use of tools to attach the support to a bearer or to attach rails to the support. Furthermore, the use of the invention does not damage the wood of any bearer, nor does it require the use of separate fasteners such as nails screws or bolts.

Brief description of the drawings Additional and further aspects of the present invention will be apparent to the reader from the following description of embodiments, given in by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: • Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a support provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment when engaged with a number of edge protection rails, • Figure 2 shows an enlarged view of the rail locating structure employed in the embodiment of the invention shown in figure 1, and • Figure 3 shows an enlarged end view of an attachment sleeve employed in the embodiment shown the figures 1 and 2.

Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which is given by way of example only of particular embodiments.

Best modes for carrying out the invention Figures 1 through 3 shown a number of views of the components of an edge protection support 1 provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment.

The support 1 is used to engage with and deploy a series of edge protection rails 2.

The support 1 includes an upright member 3 formed integrally with a lateral member 4 by a section of bent tubular steel. A set of three rail locating structures 5 are deployed along the length of the upright member 3 to hold each of the rails 2 in place.

An enlarged view of a rail locating structure 5 is shown with respect to figure 2.

Each rail locating structure 5 is formed from a bearing projection 6 combined with a bracket 7. The bracket is used to support the underside of a rail 2 while the bearing projection extends inwards to force the rail up against the side of the upright member 3.

The support 1 also includes an attachment sleeve 8 connected at the far or distal end of the lateral member 4 from the upright member 3. An enlarged end view of the attachment sleeve 8 is shown with respect to figure 3.

The attachment sleeve 8 is formed from a pair of opposed side walls 9 which have their upper edges bridged or connected together by a hinge 10. These two sidewalls 9 define an interior region 13 with a complimentary shape to the cross-section of a soffit bearer. As can be seen from figure 3 the lower region of the leftmost side wall shown extends laterally inwards to contact the opposite side wall and then downwards parallel to and in contact with this opposite side wall.

The lower or bottom edges of each side wall 9 are engaged together by a closure structure, formed in this embodiment by ac otter pin or R-clip 11. One of the legs of the clip 11 is threaded through an aligned set of holes formed in the lower region of each side wall to urge both the side walls together and close the sleeve. The resilient nature of the clip 11 ensures the sleeve 8 is held tightly closed around a soffit bearer.

The attachment sleeve 8 also includes a clamp projection shown in this embodiment by a T-clamp 12. As can be seen from figure 3 the handle end of the clamp can be rotated by a user to urge the opposite end of the clamp into the sleeve region 13 and to force the side of a bearer inside the sleeve up against the opposite side wall The support shown provides particular advantages over the prior art during the installation and also the disassembly of a related edge support system.

The attachment sleeve allows a single person to install a single support without assistance. One person can lift the weight of the support with one hand and use their free hand to wrap the side walls of the sleeve around a soffit bearer. Again the sleeve can be locked closed using one hand by pushing the R-clip discussed above through a set of holes formed in the lower sections of each side wall. At this stage the support is able to support its own weight on a bearer, and once the clamp provided with the sleeve is tightened the support will be rigidly locked in place.

The support installation process does not require the use of the tools nor does it damage a bearer or require any separate fasteners such as bolts screws or nails.

Once the supporters attached, again one person can engage edge protection rails with the upright of the support without needing any special tools or fasteners.

The disassembly of the resulting edge support system is just as quick and easy. The protection rails can easily be removed from the upright simply by loosening the rail locating clamps. To release the support from the bearer one person then only needs to remove the R-clip holding the two sidewalls of the attachment sleeve together and flip one side of the sleeve over the soffit bearer to allow the entire support be removed.

In the preceding description and the following claims the word “comprise” or equivalent variations thereof is used in an inclusive sense to specify the presence of the stated feature or features. This term does not preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and further and additional embodiments within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to the skilled reader from the examples illustrated with reference to the drawings. In particular, the invention may reside in any combination of features described herein, or may reside in alternative embodiments or combinations of these features with known equivalents to given features. Modifications and variations of the example embodiments of the invention discussed above will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departure of the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (15)

What we claim is:

1. An edge protection support for a structure under construction which includes an upright member, and 5 at least one rail locating structure associated with the upright member, and a lateral member connected to the upright member and arranged to project from the upright member, and an attachment sleeve connected to the lateral member distal from the lateral members’ connection to the upright member, the attachment sleeve being 10 formed from a pair of opposed side walls, each side wall defining a top edge and a bottom edge, the opposed side walls being pivotably connected to one another at or along the top edge of each side wall, and a closure structure arranged to engage the bottom edges of each 15 opposed side wall to urge said bottom edges together, and a clamp projection associated with one of said side walls which is arranged to project into a volume defined between the side walls.

2. An edge protection support as claimed in claim 1 wherein the attachment sleeve is arranged to receive and locate a section of a beam used to form the 20 structure under construction.

3. An edge protection support as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the volume defined between the side walls of the attachment sleeve is arranged to receive and locate a section of a beam used to form a structure under construction. 25

4. An edge protection support as claimed in claim 3wherein the beam is a soffit bearer.

5. An edge protection support as claimed in claim 4 wherein the support extends from its connection with a soffit bearer substantially horizontally out from the perimeter the structure along the length of the lateral member. 30

6. An edge protection support as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the upright member projects above or in line with the upper regions of the structure to locate a number of edge protection rails arranged to extend around the a portion of perimeter of the structure under construction.

7. An edge protection support as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6 wherein the opposed sidewalls of the sleeve are arranged to sit on either side of a 5 soffit bearer and to define a volume complimentary to the form or shape of the soffit bearer.

8. An edge protection support as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 7 wherein one or both of the bottom edges of a side wall extend inwards towards the opposite side wall and are connected together by the closure structure to 10 fully enclose a volume arranged to receive a soffit bearer.

9. An edge protection support as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 8 wherein the lower regions of the side walls are in contact with each other when placed around the soffit bearer.

10. An edge protection support as claimed in claim 9 wherein the bottom region 15 of one side wall extends laterally inwards and into contact with the opposite side wall and then extends downwards vertically parallel to and in contact with the opposite side wall.

11. An edge protection support as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the closure structure is formed by a cotter pin which is deployed through a 20 pair of aligned apertures formed in the lower regions of the sidewalls.

12. An edge protection support as claimed in claim 11 wherein one leg of the pin is aligned with one side wall, with the opposite side of the pin being used to urge the opposite side wall inwards to close the sleeve.

13. An edge protection support as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein 25 the closure structure is formed by a U-shaped sleeve used to surround the lower region of two sidewalls and the exterior arms of the U-shaped sleeve are clamped together around the bottom edges of the sidewalls.

14. An edge protection support as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein the clamp projection urges a beam located between the side walls against 30 the opposite side wall of the attachment sleeve.

15. An edge protection support as claimed in claim 14 wherein the clamp projection is formed by a threaded T-clamp arranged to extend through a threaded aperture formed in one side wall.