WO2009118667A1

WO2009118667A1 - Safety railing mounting apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2009118667A1
Application number: PCT/IB2009/051050
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ewalt Jacques Honiball; Matthew John Greensmith; Reinholt Werner Mattheis
Original assignee: Caterpillar Africa (Proprietary) Limited
Priority date: 2008-03-27
Filing date: 2009-03-13
Publication date: 2009-10-01

Abstract

The invention concerns a safety railing mounting apparatus for use in mounting a safety railing at an upright attitude on a floor, roof or other fixed structure. The safety railing (10) is of a type having upright stanchions (12) and rails (16) spanning between the stanchions. The apparatus of the invention includes an open-topped mounting box (28), which can be fixed to the fixed structure, for receiving a foot of the stanchion. There are cooperating guide formations (22, 38) on the foot of the stanchion and mounting box which are configured initially to guide the foot of the stanchion into the box with the safety railing and stanchion at an acute angle to the horizontal and thereafter to allow the safety railing and stanchion to be pivoted upwardly to an upright attitude. A locking device (44) can be inserted removably into the mounting box alongside the foot of the stanchion in order to anchor the stanchion releasably at the upright orientation.

Description

"SAFETY RAILING MOUNTING APPARATUS"

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

THIS invention relates to a safety railing mounting apparatus.

The invention is particularly concerned with a mounting apparatus for a modular safety railing of a type which is to be mounted at an edge of an elevated steel or concrete walkway, concrete floor or roof slab or other fixed structure in order to provide a safety barrier that prevents personnel or equipment from falling over the edge. A typical modular safety railing has spaced apart, operatively upright stanchions and two or more vertically spaced rails which span horizontally between, and possibly beyond, the stanchions. The lower ends of the stanchions carry foot plates which are fixed to the walkway, slab or other fixed structure. The foot plates may for instance be welded to a steel walkway, bolted through holes therein to a concrete floor or roof slab or otherwise fixed to the relevant structure close to the edge thereof.

The requirement for the safety railing may only be temporary. However, once the footplates are fixed in position using conventional techniques, it can be difficult and time-consuming to demount and remove the safety railing when it is no longer required. Thus the known mounting arrangements are not convenient in situations where temporary safety railings are periodically required. Various types of safety railings which are to be mounted at the edges of elevated structures are known. In typical examples, such railings are mounted temporarily at the edges of pitched roofs to prevent roofing workers from falling off. Examples of known arrangements are described in US3.901.481 ; US 5,647,451 and US2008/0041662. In these and other known cases, the mounting arrangements for the safety railings are fixed to the roof structure by means of roof nails or the like, which may also be problematical to remove when the railing is no longer required. Added to this, the known mounting arrangements are considered to have little integrity, or strength and accordingly to provide inadequate security.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a safety railing mounting apparatus for use in mounting a safety railing at an upright attitude on a floor, roof or other fixed structure, the safety railing having operatively upright stanchions and rails spanning between the stanchions, the mounting apparatus comprising, for each stanchion:

- an open-topped mounting box for receiving a foot of the stanchion and which can be fixed to the fixed structure;

- cooperating guide formations on the foot of the stanchion and mounting box which are configured initially to guide the foot of the stanchion into the box with the safety railing and stanchion at an acute angle to the horizontal and thereafter to allow the safety railing and stanchion to be pivoted upwardly to an upright attitude; and

locking means insertable removably into the mounting box alongside the foot of the stanchion in order to anchor the stanchion releasably at the upright orientation. In the preferred embodiment, when the safety railing and stanchions are pivoted upwardly to the upright orientation, abutment between the stanchions and ends of the mounting boxes prevents pivotal movement of the safety railing in one direction and the locking means prevents pivotal movement of the safety railing in an opposite direction.

Advantageously the foot of each stanchion carries guide formations thereon in the form of laterally projecting stubs and the associated mounting box has cooperating guide formations, in opposed side walls thereof, in the form of slots in which the stubs are slidable when the foot of the stanchion is received in the mounting box.

Each slot may have a first portion extending downwardly at an inclination from an upper end at the open top of the mounting box to a lower end and a second portion extending operatively vertically downwardly from the lower end of the first portion.

Also advantageously the stubs may be provided on an adaptor which can be bolted to a holed foot plate at the foot of the stanchion. It is accordingly possible to modify an existing safety railing module by fitting adaptors to the foot plates of the stanchions.

Conveniently the locking means comprises a plate and the side walls of the mounting box have grooves therein, possibly vertical and possibly intersecting the slots, to receive opposite edges of the plate slidably when the plate is inserted into the mounting box. It is accordingly a simple matter to slide the plate into the grooves to achieve locking, or to withdraw the plate from the grooves to release the safety railing when it is to be removed.

The mounting box can have external, projecting tabs thereon to facilitate secure mounting of the box to the fixed structure. According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of installing a safety railing at an upright attitude on a floor, roof or other fixed structure, the safety railing having operatively upright stanchions and rails spanning between the stanchions, the method comprising the steps of:

- providing an apparatus as summarised above,

- arranging the safety railing at an acute angle to the fixed structure and locating the stubs of the stanchions in the upper ends of the slots of the mounting boxes,

moving the feet of the stanchions into the mounting boxes with the safety rail at an acute angle and the stubs sliding along the first portions of the slots,

- when the stubs reach the lower ends of the first portions of the slots sliding the stubs vertically downwardly along the second portions of the slots and pivoting the safety railing to an upright attitude, and

- inserting the locking means into the mounting boxes to anchor the safety railing at the upright attitude.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a standard, conventional safety railing;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an adaptor forming part of an apparatus according to the invention; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the safety railing with adaptors of the kind seen in Figure 2 connected to foot plates at the lower ends of stanchions of the safety railing;

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a receptacle forming part of the apparatus according to the invention;

Figure 5 shows the manner in which the adaptors are inserted into receptacles of the kind seen in Figure 4;

Figures 6(a) to 6(d) illustrate different stages in the insertion of the adaptors into the receptacles;

Figures 7(a) and 7(b) illustrate the insertion of a locking plate forming part of the apparatus of the invention;

Figure 8 shows a perspective view of the locking plate in an operative position; and

Figure 9 shows a side view of the locking plate in the operative position.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The safety railing 10 seen in Figure 1 has a pair of laterally spaced stanchions 12. Each stanchion has a foot or lower end to which is fixed a transverse, holed foot plate 14. The railing also has horizontal rails 16 which span transversely across the stanchions and which are joined to one another by end members 17 such that the rails form a continuous loop. Persons skilled in the art will recognise that the safety railing 10 is conventional and that such railings may be mounted to an elevated walkway, concrete slab or other fixed structure by bolts passing through the holes in the foot plates into holes drilled or otherwise formed in the fixed structure.

Figure 2 shows an adaptor 14 forming part of the apparatus of the invention. The adaptor is generally T-shaped with a holed top flange 18 spanning across the upper end of a lower member 20. Round cross-section stubs 22 project laterally from opposite sides 24 of the lower member as shown. In use, adaptors 14 are connected to the foot plates 14 of the stanchions 12 by means of bolts 26 as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 4 illustrates a receptacle which also forms part of the apparatus of the invention. The receptacle is in the form of an open-topped mounting box 28 having a base 30, side walls 32 and end walls 34. Tabs 36 are fixed to the box and project from the base as shown. Guide formations in the form of slots 38 are formed in the side walls 32 of the box. Each slot has a first portion 38.1 which extends downwardly from the open top of the box 28 at an inclination relative to both the horizontal and the vertical, and a shorter, second portion 38.2 which extends vertically from the lower end of the portion 38.1.

The slots 38 are open to the inside of the mounting box 28. Although the drawings show that the slots are visible from the outside, side plates 39 may be welded over the sides 32, thereby covering the slots externally.

In addition to the slots 38 the side walls 32 of the box 28 are formed with vertical grooves 40 which extend from the upper edges of the side walls to the base of the box and which intersect the slots 38.

Figure 5 shows the railing 10 tilted to an inclined orientation and positioned such that the stubs 22 are entering the slots 38. This situation is also illustrated in Figure 6(a). As illustrated in Figures 6(b) and 6(c), the railing is then moved downwardly at the appropriate angle such that the stubs 22 -T-

move along the slots 38. When the stubs have reached the ends of the slots and have entered the end regions 38.1 , the rail can be tilted up to an upright, vertical orientation as illustrated by the arrow 41 in Figure 6(d).

It will be noted that in this operative position of the railing, the bottom surface of the foot plate 14 lies level with the upper edges of the side and end walls of the box 28 and that abutment of the adaptor 14 with the end wall 34 will prevent the railing from being tilted in the direction of the arrow 42 beyond the vertical orientation.

Figure 7(a) shows locking plates 44 forming part of the apparatus of the invention. Each plate has a planar lower section 46 and an inclined upper section 48 formed with an opening 50 defining a handle 52. In use, with the railing 10 at the upright attitude described above, the side edges of the plates are inserted into the grooves 40 and the plates are slipped down into their respective boxes. In the inserted position of each plate, seen in Figures 7(b), 8 and 9, the lower section of the plate lies alongside the associated adaptor and prevents the adaptor, the stanchion and hence the railing itself, from tilting in the direction 54 away from the operative upright position.

Typically, the boxes 28 will be cast into a concrete floor slab or the like at predetermined positions with the upper edges of the side and end walls flush with the upper surface of the slab. It will be understood that the installation of the safety railing 10 is then a simple and quick procedure. It will also be understood that subsequent demounting of the railing is also simple and quick, requiring only withdrawal of the locking plates 44, tilting of the railing to the insertion orientation and withdrawal thereof. Thus the mounting apparatus described above lends itself advantageously to situations where safety railings are periodically installed and removed.

Instead of the boxes being cast in, it would also be possible to weld the tabs 36 to a steel supporting surface or for the tabs to have holes to take securing bolts. The adaptors, boxes and locking plates are made of steel and are accordingly robust. This ensures that the railing 10 is installed in a secure manner and that it is unlikely that it will be dislodged by casual impacts or the like.

Typically the safety railing is mounted at the edge of an elevated walkway, slab or other structure to prevent personnel or equipment from falling over the edge. Another advantage of the invention is the fact that the installation and removal of the railing can be carried out entirely from the safe side, i.e. the side to which the railing is tilted in Figure 5, this being the side at which the structure is present. During installation the rail is always between the persons carrying out the installation work and the edge, i.e. a dangerous side indicated by the numeral 60 in Figure 6(d). Also, the inability of the railing to pivot in the direction 42 past the upright orientation will prevent a worker installing the railing from overbalancing forwardly. Similarly, when the railing is removed, the worker is obliged to move away from the edge or dangerous side in order to withdraw the railing, so the railing is once again between him and the edge or dangerous side.

The open-topped boxes 28 can easily be cleaned out by hand in the event of any muck accumulation in them.

Claims

1.

A safety railing mounting apparatus for use in mounting a safety railing at an upright attitude on a floor, roof or other fixed structure, the safety railing having operatively upright stanchions and rails spanning between the stanchions, the mounting apparatus comprising, for each stanchion:

- cooperating guide formations on the foot of the stanchion and mounting box which are configured initially to guide the foot of the stanchion into the, box with the safety railing and stanchion at an acute angle to the horizontal and thereafter to allow the safety railing and stanchion to be pivoted upwardly to an upright attitude; and

- locking means insertable removably into the mounting box alongside the foot of the stanchion in order to anchor the stanchion releasably at the upright orientation.

2.

A safety railing mounting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, when the safety railing and stanchions are pivoted upwardly to the upright orientation, abutment between the stanchions and ends of the mounting boxes prevents pivotal movement of the safety railing in one direction and the locking means prevents pivotal movement of the safety railing in an opposite direction.

3.

A safety railing mounting apparatus according to either one of the preceding claims wherein the foot of each stanchion carries guide formations thereon in the form of laterally projecting stubs and the associated mounting box has cooperating guide formations, in opposed side walls thereof, in the form of slots in which the stubs are slidable when the foot of the stanchion is received in the mounting box.

4.

A safety railing mounting apparatus according to claim 3 wherein each slot has a first portion extending downwardly at an inclination from an upper end at the open top of the mounting box to a lower end and a second portion extending operatively vertically downwardly from the lower end of the first portion.

5.

A safety railing mounting apparatus according to claim 3 or claim 4 wherein, for each stanchion, the stubs are provided on an adaptor which can be bolted to a holed foot plate at the foot of the stanchion.

6.

A safety railing mounting apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5 wherein, for each stanchion, the locking means comprises a plate and the side walls of the mounting box have grooves therein to receive opposite edges of the plate slidably when the plate is inserted into the mounting box.

7.

A safety railing mounting apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the grooves intersect the slots in the side walls of each mounting box.

8.

A safety railing mounting apparatus according to claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the grooves are operatively vertically oriented.

9.

A safety railing mounting apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the mounting box has external, projecting tabs thereon.

10.

A method of installing a safety railing at an upright attitude on a floor, roof or other fixed structure, the safety railing having operatively upright stanchions and rails spanning between the stanchions, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an apparatus according to claim 4,