Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02704888 2010-05-21
REUSABLE TEMPORARY SAFETY RAIL POST AND EXTENSION KIT
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 effort and 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.
U.S. Pat. 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 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.
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U.S. Pat. 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.
U.S. Pat. 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.
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
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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
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.
In yet a further aspect of the present invention, the reusable temporary
safety rail posts
are secured to the floor of the work structure. In at least one embodiment, a
slotted
female plate is secured to the floor and an insertable male plate at the end
of the upright
stanchion mates with the female plate. Installation of the rails is achieved
in the manner
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described above. The posts are readily removed by removing the rails and
sliding the
male plate of the stanchion out of the slots in the female floor plate.
Another aspect of the present invention provides an extension kit by which the
height of
the temporary safety rail posts can be temporarily increased, for example,
when a taller
safety enclosure is desired. The extension kit includes a vertical extension
member
having additional angular railing brackets, which is removably attached to the
upper end
of the stanchion so as to extend its height. The extension kit also includes a
support
bracket which provides additional support to the vertically extended post.
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:
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 modified temporary safety rail post;
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Figure 7 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 8 is a front perspective view of the safety rail post of Figure 7 in an
installed
position;
Figure 9 is a rear perspective view of the safety rail post shown in Figure 8;
and
Figure 10 is a perspective view of the safety rail posts of Figure 7 forming a
fence
around the cantilevered floor of a second story.
Figure 11 is an exploded view of a reusable temporary safety rail post and
receiving
bracket, adapted for mounting on a floor.
Figure 12 is a front perspective view of the receiving bracket of Figure 11.
Figure 13 is a rear perspective view of the receiving bracket of Figure 11 to
which the
safety rail post has been mounted.
Figure 14 is a perspective view of the safety rail posts of Figure 11 forming
a safety
fence along the edge of a staircase and elevated platform.
Figure 15 is a perspective view of a vertical extension post for use with the
present
reusable temporary safety rail post.
Figure 16 is a perspective view of a vertically extended safety rail post.
Figure 17 is a perspective view of a support bracket for the vertically
extended safety rail
post of Figure 16.
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Figure 18 is a perspective view of the vertically extended safety rail post of
Figure 16
forming a section of safety fence.
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 floor walls, 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
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
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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
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.
Reference will now be made to Figure 6 showing a modified safety rail post 10
wherein
like numerals have been used to identify like elements. In this embodiment,
stanchion
12 is formed with a small dog leg bend of about 5 degrees. The angle of the
bend can
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be bigger or smaller as required. The bend can be formed by actually bending
the
stanchion by the desired amount or welding two pieces of stanchion together at
the
desired angle. The bend slopes the portion of the stanchion above the bend
away from
the work area to provide additional clearance for installation of the rim
joists that
surround the second story floor joists.
In one embodiment constructed by the applicant, the stanchions are 1.5"
square, plate
22 is 2'/2" wide by 3" high, plate 24 is 6" wide by 11/2" to 3" high, bracket
20 is 7" wide by
3" high. These pieces are preferably made from 3/16" thick steel plate.
In another application, the present invention may be modifed for use in
housing
construction in which cantilevered second stories are employed. This occurs
for example
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.
Reference will now be made to Figure 7 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
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as shown most clearly in Figures 8 and 9. Added between stanchion 120 and
bracket
220 is a stiffening rib 224 that prevents plate 215 from flexing when a load
is applied to
the safety rails. The stiffening rib is strongly connected to the yoke such as
by welding.
The use of rib 224 is but one example of a means to reinforce plate 215
against flexing.
5 Numerous others will occur to those skilled in the art.
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
and stiffening rib 224 pass beneath the fascia or rim joist 235 of second
story floor 234.
Plate 215 is long enough that stanchion 120 easily clears the fascia
preferably by at
least 2". 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 10.
As mentioned above, stiffening rib 224 prevents horizontal plate 215 from
flexing when
loaded. 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
3/16"
steel plate. Bracket 220 is sized to fit over header 7 with 1/16" of
clearance. Vertical side
221 is 2" high and side 223 is 6" high. Plate 215 extends outwardly from the
lower edge
of side 223 approximately 8'/2".
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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.
In yet another application, the present reusable temporary safety post can be
adapted
for mounting directly on a floor. Such an application is useful, for example,
when an
elevated work area includes staircases or cantilevered elevated platforms,
where no
convenient supporting walls are located directly underneath.
An embodiment of the present safety post adapted for mounting directly on a
floor is
illustrated in Figure 11. Post 300 includes stanchion 310 and one or more
railing
brackets 320, which are substantially the same as the stanchions and railing
brackets
described above. Lower plate 330, which may be made from metal, such as
aluminum,
galvanized steel, or stainless steel, is securely attached to the end of
stanchion 310 by
means well known in the art, including welding. Lower plate 330 is adapted to
be
slidingly received by a receiving bracket 340, as indicated by the arrow in
Figure 11.
Receiving bracket 340, shown in further detail in Figures 12 and 13, includes
a pair of
opposed flanges 342 welded onto base plate 344 to define a slot 346 between
them
sized to slidingly receive lower plate 330, as seen in Figure 13. Stop 347
acts to control
the degree of insertion of lower plate 330 in slot 346. Receiving bracket 340
is attached
to the floor by means of fasteners 350, such as nails or screws, inserted
through
pre-drilled holes 348 in base plate 344. Once receiving brackets 340 and posts
300 are
installed, safety rails 45 can be installed as previously described, to
provide a safety
fence for application on staircases or elevated platforms, as seen in Figure
14. Removal
of posts 300 is accomplished by removing rails 45 and sliding posts 300
horizontally out
of slots 346 in receiving brackets 340. Receiving brackets 340 can then be
removed
from the floor surface by removing fasteners 350.
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The reusable temporary safety posts of the present invention can also be
vertically
extended for application where higher safety fences are required. As one
example, local
regulations may require that such higher safety fences be installed bordering
elevated
work areas where workers wearing stilts are working.
Figure 15 illustrates a vertical extension post 400 for use with the present
posts. Vertical
extension post 400 includes stanchion extension 410 and one or more railing
brackets
420, which are substantially the same as the railing brackets previously
described
herein. Stanchion extension 410 is similar in shape and composition to
stanchions
previously described, but has a lower extension 430 sized to be telescopically
received
within the open end of a stanchion such as, for example, stanchion 310, so as
to extend
the height of the post, as shown in Figure 16.
When a post has been extended in height using a vertical extension post, a
support
bracket 440 may also be used to provide extra support, as shown in Figure 16.
Support
bracket 440 is illustrated in further detail in Figure 17, and can be made of
metal, for
example. Support arm 450 is connected, for example by welding, to a floorplate
460 at
one end, and to a collar 470 at the other end. Collar 470 is sized to surround
a stanchion
according to the present invention, for example stanchion 310, as shown in
Figure 16,
and is secured around the stanchion by the use of a removable and securable
pin or bolt
480 spanning the open end of the collar 470. Support arm 450 is attached to
floorplate
460 at an angle which allows the support bracket 440 to be attached to the
floor while
collar 470 is positioned to engage and surround the stanchion of an adjacent
post and
abut against the underside of a railing bracket 320 such as the middle railing
bracket 320
in Figure 16. Such an angle will be readily determinable by one of skill in
the art. The
abutment of collar 470 against the underside of railing bracket 320 prevents
upward
movement of the collar relative to stanchion 310 to resist torque applied to
the safety
fence from within the work area. Floorplate 460 is fastened to the floor by
the use of
fasteners, such as nails or wood screws, inserted through pre-drilled holes
490, at a
position adjacent to the position where the post is fixed to the work surface.
In at least
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one embodiment, the support bracket is located so as to engage the post on the
side
thereof bearing the railing brackets, as shown in Figures 16 and 18. In this
way, the
support bracket is positioned outside of the work area, so as not to interfere
with workers
working inside the area, and so as to provide extra support to a safety fence
if a worker
should fall against the safety fence from inside the work area.
An existing safety fence using posts and rails according to the present
invention can
readily be extended in height by means of a vertical extension kit containing
vertical
extension posts and support brackets described above. The safety fence is
constructed
from posts 300 and rails 45 as described above, then vertical extension posts
400 and
support brackets 440 are installed as described above and as shown in Figure
18. Rails
45 are installed on the vertical extension posts 400, in the same manner as
described
previously for installing rails on the posts, to increase the height of the
safety fence.
Removal of the fence is readily accomplished by removing the rails 45 and
sliding the
vertical extension posts 400 out of the upper end of the stanchions 310. The
support
brackets 440 are disengaged from the stanchions 310 by removing pin or bolt
480,
allowing the stanchion 310 to be removed from collar 470 so that the posts can
be
dismantled as described previously. The support brackets 440 can then be
removed
from the floor by removing the fasteners from the pre-drilled holes 490.
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
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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