Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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REUSABLE TEMPORARY SAFETY RAIL POST
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a reusable temporary safety rail post.
Specifically, the
present safety rail post is an apparatus for constructing safety fences for
containing
elevated work areas during residential or commercial construction. The post
can be
installed temporarily with minimal effortand is reusable on multiple
construction projects.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is commonplace, and required by law in many jurisdictions, to construct a
temporary
safety fence around raised work areas. This provides fall protection for
workers working
above the ground. Occasionally, workers construct temporary railings made of
lumber
found around a typical construction site. However these temporary wooden
railings lack
strength, are susceptible to weathering, waste valuable lumber and are not
based on a
single proven design to ensure safety.
The prior art describes a number of solutions to address this problem.
US Patent No. 6,908,075 to Nichols discloses a safety rail system designed for
residential housing constructions having cantilevered second stories. The
Nichols safety
rail is cantilevered away from the first floor walls to allow for the
overhanging second
story, and once the separate rail posts are linked together using rails
constructed from
dimensional lumber, the elevated work area is contained. However, the Nichols
safety
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rail attaches to the first floor studs by means of wood screws in a semi-
permanent
manner and cannot be easily removed once the cantilevered second story floor
is
installed. This results in the Nichols safety rail being difficult to remove
once the second
story is complete and the safety rail is no longer necessary.
US Patent No. 5,314,167 to Holloman discloses a temporary rail structure
designed to
attach to the floor joist header of the second story. This temporary rail
utilizes common
lumber to construct the railings as in Nichols and attaches via a U shaped
yoke that
clamps tightly to the outer floor joist header. Linking multiple Holloman
posts together
with lumber rails of typical lumber results in a safety rail that contains the
work area,
however the aforementioned U shaped yoke does not allow plywood subflooring to
be
installed while the rail is in place. Therefore, the Holloman rail must be
removed when
the subflooring is installed, which typically occurs at a time when the safety
rails are still
required, as the second floor walls have not been completed.
US Patent No. 4,666,131 to Kettelcamp, Sr. et al. discloses an adjustable
guard rail
stanchion which clamps to the underside of a roofing truss. The Kettelcamp
guard rail
stanchion is easily installed and removed, however it is particularly designed
for a roofing
application and cannot be readily modified for the needs of second story work
area
containment.
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Accordingly, there is a need for a safety rail post that is quick and easy to
install and
remove, reusable, strong and adaptable to different types of residential house
constructions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by providing
a safety
rail post that can be easily installed during construction and quickly removed
after the
safety rail is no longer necessary. It does so without limiting access to the
work structure
while providing an effective safeguard against an inadvertent fall by a
worker.
The reusable temporary safety post is comprised of an upright stanchion with a
bottom
bracket arrangement. During use, the safety rail posts are installed on the
work structure,
the method of doing so varying depending on the type of construction employed,
as
discussed below. Once installed in place, the separate reusable safety posts
can be
linked together using rails consisting of typical construction lumber, which
fit into angular
railing brackets provided on the upright stanchions. The rails are easily
secured in place
using nails or wood screws inserted through a hole provided in the angular
railing
brackets.
In the case of a typical two story house construction, the reusable safety
posts are
secured to the work structure according to a first aspect of the invention.
Specifically, a
slotted female plate is secured near the top of the first story wall sheathing
on the
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outside. This slotted female plate mates with an insertable male plate located
near the
bottom of the upright stanchion. Each post is additionally further secured to
the lower
wall structure by means of a lower support plate located at the bottom of the
upright
stanchion. Two by four safety rails may then be installed to span the gaps
between
adjacent posts. Removal consists of the preceding steps carried out in reverse
order.
Another aspect of the present invention, which involves a reusable temporary
safety rail
post with a cantilevering bottom bracket, is used in applications where the
structure's
second story is cantilevered out from the first story. In this arrangement,
the cantilevered
bottom bracket is designed with an inverted U-shaped yoke that fits over the
header of
the first floor wall. The cantilevered design extends the reusable safety post
away from
first floor wall such that it does not interfere in the construction of the
overhanging
second story floor. The two by four rails are installed between adjacent posts
in the
same manner as described above. Removal is accomplished by simply removing the
rails and "unhooking" the safety posts from the top of the first story wall.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in
greater detail
and will be better understood when read in conjunction with the following
drawings in
which:
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Figure 1 is a perspective view of the reusable temporary safety rail post
adapted for use
in typical two story residential house construction;
Figure 2 is an exploded view of the mating male and female plates of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the safety rail post in an installed
position;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a plurality of safety rail posts pre-
installed on a wall
section which is then rotated into an upright position;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the safety rail posts forming a fence around
a
completed first story;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a reusable temporary safety rail post
adapted for a two
story residential house construction incorporating a cantilevered second
floor;
Figure 7 is a front perspective view of the safety rail post of Figure 6 in an
installed
position;
Figure 8 is a rear perspective view of the safety rail post shown in Figure 7;
and
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the safety rail posts of Figure 6 forming a
fence around
the cantilevered floor of a second story.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to Figure 1, showing the safety rail post used for non-
cantilevered
constructions, the present invention consists of reusable temporary safety
post 10, which
is comprised of an upright stanchion 12, a number of angular railing brackets
14, and a
bottom bracket assembly 30 which is used to connect the safety posts to the
upper edge
of the first story wall as will be described below. These components may be
manufactured from metal, with aluminum and galvanized or stainless steel being
preferred.
With reference to Figures 2 and 3, bottom bracket assembly 30 consists of
first and
second plates 22 and 24 strongly connected to stanchion 12, such as by means
of
permanent welds, and a bracket 20, which slidingly connects with first plate
22, and
which itself is securely connected as shown in Figure 3 to the upper edge 6 of
first story
wall 5,
In the case of a typical two story residential housing construction where
there is no
overhang of the second story floor over the first floorwalls, post 10 is
installed as follows.
Referring to Figures 2 and 3, bracket 20 is fastened to wall 5 using wood
screws or nails
8 inserted through pre-drilled holes 21 in the bracket's base plate 19 into
the wall's
exterior sheathing or the wall studs behind the sheathing. This can occur
before or after
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the first floor wall has been erected, but preferably occurs as the completed
wall
structure is lying flat on the ground floor as shown in Figure 4 for easy
access.
Once bracket 20 is installed post 10 can be installed. This is achieved by
sliding first
plate 22 into bracket 20 previously mounted onto wall 5. As can be seen best
in Figure
2, bracket 20 includes a pair of opposed flanges 25 welded onto base plate 19
to define
a slot 26 between them sized to slidingly receive plate 22. The lower ends 28
of slot 26
inside the flanges can be closed or stoppered for example by depositing a bead
of
excess welding material or by any other means known in the art. This controls
the
degree of insertion of plate 22 into slot 26. The dashed weld lines 23
indicate where first
plate 22 is welded to upright stanchion 12 (not shown in Figure 2).
Once safety post 10 is installed into bracket 20, it is then additionally
secured by
fastening lower support plate 24 to wall 5 using nails or wood screws 8
inserted through
slots 27 formed or cut into the lower edge of plate 24. Lower support plate 24
provides
enhanced stability to the entire assembly, and is located at the lower end
stanchion 12
on the same side as plate 22. Once all the support posts 10 are connected,
wall 5 can
be rotated onto its upright position as shown in Figure 4.
With posts 10 in place, safety rails 45, typically two by fours, can be
installed with the
length of the rails determined by the requirements of the particular
application as shown
in Figure 5. The safety rails can be installed before or after wall 5 is
rotated into its
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upright position, but for ease of installation, and for safety reasons, the
rails are
preferably installed before the wall is moved upright. Ideally, angular
railing brackets 14
are sized to receive two rails placed side by side and secured by a nail or
wood screw
inserted through a hole 17 provided in each bracket. In one embodiment of the
invention, each post 10 may have three railing brackets 14.
Removal of posts 10 is accomplished by removing rails 45 and then pulling
posts 10
upwardly to disengage plate 22 from bracket 20. Plate 24 will simultaneously
slide past
nails or screws 8 in slots 27. Brackets 20 and fasteners 8 can be removed
later or left
in place to be covered by brick or siding.
In another application, the present invention may be modified for use in
housing
construction in which cantilevered second stories are employed. This occurs
forexample
when a second story floor extends out past the first floor walls in order to
accommodate
a brick fascia on the outside of the first floor with vinyl or aluminum siding
or a similar
cladding on the second floor.
In this embodiment of the present invention, the reusable temporary safety
post has a
bottom bracket arrangement adapted to fit over the upper edge or header of the
first
floor wall.
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Reference will now be made to Figure 6 showing a safety post 100 modified for
this
particular application.
As will be seen post 100 includes a stanchion 120 and one or more rail
brackets 140.
The stanchion and brackets are substantially the same as described above with
respect
to the embodiment of Figures 1 to 5. In this embodiment however, plates 22 and
24 and
bracket 20 are replaced by a cantilevering yoke 210.
Yoke 210 consists of a horizontal plate 215 that stanchion 120 is welded to,
and an
inverted U-shaped bracket 220 that is sized to closely fit over the header 7
of lower wall
5 as shown most clearly in Figures 7 and 8.
Installation can occur before or after the second story floor 234 is
installed, but
necessarily after the first floor walls have been erected. Bracket 220 is
fitted over header
7 of first floor wall 5. If the second story floor is already installed, posts
100 must
necessarily be installed between the second story floor joists. When
installed, plate 215
passes beneath the fascia 235 of second story floor 234. Plate 215 is long
enough that
stanchion 120 easily clears the fascia. Since plate 215 passes beneath the
fascia, it
does not interfere in the installation of plywood or underlay to the upper
surface of the
second story floor, nor in the erection of the second story walls. Once the
posts 100 are
installed, safety rails 415 are installed in the same manner described above
to form a
fence around the second story floor as shown in Figure 9.
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Plate 215 is not only long enough to clear fascia 235, it is also long enough
that should
a load be applied to stanchions 120, it flexes in a spring-like manner. This
prevents
torque applied to the stanchions from inadvertently disengaging bracket 220
from header
7. As an additional safety measure, the two opposing vertical sides 221 and
223 of
bracket 220 have minimum vertical dimensions depending on the closeness of the
fit of
the bracket over header 7.
In one embodiment constructed by the applicant, yoke 210 is constructed from
1/4"
sheet steel. Bracket 220 is sized to fit over header 7 with 1/16 of clearance.
Vertical
side 221 is 2 3/4" high and side 223 is 4" high. Plate 215 extends outwardly
from the
lower edge of side 223 approximately 8'/2".
Although fasteners can be driven through bracket 220 into header 7, this is
not preferred
due to the added effort and difficulty of removing the fasteners once the
second story
floor is installed.
Removal of posts 100 is accomplished by disassembling the safety rails, and
removing
brackets 210 by rocking and sliding them off headers 7.
The above-described embodiments of the present invention are meant to be
illustrative
of preferred embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the
present
invention. Various modifications, which would be readily apparent to one
skilled in the
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art, are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. The only
limitations to
the scope of the present invention are set forth in the following claims
appended hereto.
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