ROOF-LINE SAFETY SYSTEM

Abstract

A mounting assembly for an adjustable arrest distance fall-protection system includes an offset stanchion comprising a hollow body and a first bore formed through the hollow body, an arm connected at a first end to the hollow body, and a mounting tube comprising a first end configured to fit within the hollow body and a second bore configured to align with the first bore. The fall protection system can include multiple mounting assemblies, with a fall-arrest cable extending therebetween.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority to and incorporates by reference the entire disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/088,528 filed on Oct. 7, 2020.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the disclosure. It should be understood that the statements in this section of this document are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

Sometimes, when working on rooftops, including low-sloping rooftops etc., workers are monitored by a safety monitor. The safety monitor is an individual who is not allowed to perform other jobs that could take attention away from the task of monitoring other workers as they perform their work functions. It is typical for safety monitors to be used on structures where conventional fall protection systems are infeasible or would create a greater hazard. Such is the case for equipment enclosure and electrical control buildings. These types of buildings and enclosures are not suitable for conventional scaffolding and/or fixed fall-protection systems since they are constantly moved during the manufacturing process and often have numerous equipment access doors packed with electrical equipment. These structures are designed to be relocated and transported via heavy load trailers across the country.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of claimed subject matter.

According to aspects of the disclosure, a mounting assembly for a fall-protection system includes an offset stanchion comprising a hollow body and a first bore formed through the hollow body, an arm connected at a first end to the hollow body, and a mounting tube comprising a first end configured to fit within the hollow body and a second bore configured to align with the first bore.

According to aspects of the disclosure, a fall-protection system includes a first mounting assembly that includes a first offset stanchion having a first hollow body and a first bore formed through the first hollow body, a first arm connected at a first end to the first hollow body, and a first mounting tube comprising a first end configured to fit within the first hollow body of the first offset stanchion and a second bore configured to align with the first bore. The fall-protection system includes a second mounting assembly having a second offset stanchion comprising a second hollow body and a third bore formed through the second hollow body, a second arm connected at a first end to the second hollow body of the second offset stanchion, and a second mounting tube comprising a first end configured to fit within the second hollow body and a fourth bore configured to align with the third bore. The fall-protection system includes a fall-arrest cable extending between the first mounting assembly and the second mounting assembly.

According to aspects of the disclosure, a method of installing a fall-protection system includes securing a first mounting assembly to a building structure by attaching an arm of the first mounting assembly to a first wall of the building structure, securing a second mounting assembly to the building structure by attaching an arm of the second mounting assembly to a second wall of the building structure, and attaching a first end of a fall-arrest cable to the first mounting assembly and a second end of the fall-arrest cable to the second mounting assembly. The first mounting assembly includes a first offset stanchion comprising a first hollow body and a first bore formed through the first hollow body, and a first mounting tube comprising a first end configured to fit within the first hollow body of the first offset stanchion and a second bore configured to align with the first bore. The second mounting assembly includes a second offset stanchion comprising a second hollow body and a third bore formed through the second hollow body, and a second mounting tube comprising a first end configured to fit within the second hollow body and a fourth bore configured to align with the first bore.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings included in the present application are incorporated into, and form part of, the specification. They illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, along with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. The drawings are only illustrative of embodiments of the disclosure and do not limit the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fall-protection system installed on a building structure according to aspects of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an off-set stanchion secured to a side of a building structure according to aspects of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a side view of an off-set stanchion mounted to the side of a building structure according to aspects of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a mounting tube for use with the off-set stanchion of FIG. 3 according to aspects of the disclosure; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B are top and side views, respectively, of a bypass bracket according to aspects of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION

The fall-protection system of this disclosure is designed to be attached to a portion of a building structure (e.g., a wall, structural support, etc.) with offset stanchions to allow for interference-free manufacturing of the enclosure/building and to provide adjustable temporary lifeline support attachments for certified fall protection equipment.

The fall-protection system of this disclosure is made up of proprietary and custom designed components and is designed to be compatible with commercially available certified fall-protection components. Installation of the fall-protection system begins with locating on a building structure, and/or installing on a building structure, structural wall member-like high strength steel tubes or steel channels as mounting points. In some aspects, the fall-protection system of this disclosure is an offset stanchion system designed to be configured for adjustable heights and allows for various attachment locations at which certified fall protection equipment may be attached. In some aspects, the fall-protection system is designed to allow for interference-free operation of the building structure (i.e., the installation of the fall-protection system does not interfere with access to and use of the building structure).

The fall-protection system is also designed to be universal to allow for the system to be mounted at various points along a wall of a portable building/structure (e.g., at corners, mid-points, and/or intermediate points along an exterior of the building structure). In some aspects, the fall-protection system is for use as a temporary fall-protection system for use during manufacturing, installation, or maintenance of enclosures/buildings. In some aspects, the fall-protection system is for use as a long term or permanent fall-protection system that remains in place.

In various aspects, mounting assemblies of the fall-protection system are mounted on opposing walls of the building structure. In other aspects, the mounting assemblies of the fall-protection system are mounted on the same wall of the building structure.

In various aspects, the fall-protection system can include wall structural supports, stanchion support tubes, adjustable telescoping lifeline tubes, intermediate bypass brackets, fall-arrest cables/anchors, and fall arrest harnesses/lanyards.

In various aspects, the fall-protection system integrates into building wall structural supports (e.g., frame members, reinforced walls, and the like of the building structure). In some aspects, the offset stanchion supports are capable of handling a maximum personnel weight of 500 lbs (for typical 250 lb person with safety factor) to withstand loads induced from a fall.

In various aspects the fall-protection system includes an offset stanchion (e.g., see FIG. 3) designed to interface with a mounting tube (e.g., see FIG. 4). The offset stanchion is designed to be universally mounted on the corners, midpoints, or intermediate locations along an exterior wall of a building structure and is capable of handling the maximum tension load of 5,000 lbs (22.2 kN) for the fall-arrest cable connection and allow for a maximum personnel weight of 500 lbs to withstand loads induced from a fall.

In various aspects, the fall-protection system includes a mounting tube (e.g., see FIG. 4) that telescopes relative to the offset stanchion to provide various height positions that are settable via pins or bolts to accommodate specific work tasks, fall protection equipment configurations, or site conditions. The mounting tube may be moved to a desired height and then one or more pins/fasteners may be inserted through aligned holes of the mounting tube and the offset stanchion to lock in the desired height. The mounting tube integrates with the lower bracket of the off-set stanchion and is also capable of handling a tensile load of at least 5,000 lbs (22.2 kN) for the fall-arrest cable connection and allow for a maximum personnel weigh of 500 lbs to withstand loads induced from a fall. The mounting tube allows safety professionals to configure and install a custom adjustable arrest distance fall-protection system that works with building/enclosure site conditions and available fall-protection equipment.

In various aspects, the fall-protection system includes a bypass bracket (e.g., see FIGS. 5A and 5B) that allows for intermediate stanchion supports (e.g., similar to the offset stanchion of FIG. 3) to be installed between end points to remove slack/sagging in the fall-arrest cables and to account for variable distance wall mount offsets. The bypass bracket is designed to keep the cable from sagging and allow the personnel to stay attached to the fall-arrest cable without detaching as they traverse along the top of the enclosure/building roof.

In various aspects, the fall-protection system is designed to be compatible and integrate with commercially available certified fall-arrest cables/anchors.

In various aspects, the fall-protection system is designed to be compatible with commercially available certified personal fall arrest equipment like harnesses, lanyards, cables, and anchors.

In various aspects, the offset stanchion, arms, and mounting tube may be made from materials such as steels and aluminums.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fall-protection system 100 installed on a building structure 102 according to aspects of the disclosure. Building structure 102 may be any of a variety of buildings. In various aspects, building structure 102 is an equipment enclosure and electrical control building. As shown in FIG. 1, fall-protection system 100 includes four mounting assemblies 104 attached to building structure 102. In the aspect of FIG. 1, mounting assemblies 104 are arranged in pairs disposed at opposite ends of building structure 102 (two pairs are illustrated in FIG. 1). Each mounting assembly 104 includes an offset stanchion 106 and a mounting tube 108 that is adjustably secured to its offset stanchion 106. Each pair of mounting assemblies 104 has a fall-arrest cable 110 connected therebetween. Fall-arrest cable 110 is a safety line to which a user (e.g., a worker) may clip onto for safety.

FIG. 2 is a close-up perspective view of one mounting assembly 104 secured to building structure 102 according to aspects of the disclosure. One mounting assembly 104 is discussed with the understanding that the discussion thereof applies to the remaining mounting assemblies 104. Mounting assembly 104 is secured to building structure 102 via a pair of arms 112. Each arm 112 is secured to offset stanchion 106 at a first end and to building structure 102 at a second end. The second ends of the pair of arms 112 are secured to building structure 102 at a portion of building structure 102 that has enough structural integrity to withstand loads that may be imparted thereto when a user attached to fall-protection system 100 falls over the side of building structure 102. In some aspects, the second end of each arm 112 is secured to high strength steel tubes or steel channels of building structure 102. In some aspects, reinforcing structure may be added to building structure 102 to strengthen the connection between each arm 112 and building structure 102. Reinforcing structure may include plates to distribute the load, tubes, beams, and the like to reinforce the wall of building structure 102. The pair of arms 112 space offset stanchion 106 away from the exterior of building structure 102. Spacing offset stanchion 106 away from building structure 102 positions mounting tube 108 out away from an edge or overhang of building structure 102 so that mounting tube 108 does not contact building structure 102 via bolts and/or brackets. In other aspects with no overhang, arms 112 may be eliminated and offset stanchion 106 could be secured directly to the building structure 102.

Offset stanchion 106 is hollow and dimensioned so that mounting tube 108 may slide into an interior of offset stanchion 106 in a telescoping fashion. Mounting tube 108 may be raised or lowered within offset stanchion 106 to effectively change a height of fall-arrest cable 110 relative to a height of the roof of building structure 102. In various aspects, mounting tube 108 is secured within offset stanchion 106 via more or more bolts that pass through both offset stanchion 106 and mounting tube 108 (see bolts 116 in FIG. 3).

A cable tensioner system 114 is secured to a top end of mounting tube 108. Cable tensioner system 114 includes an energy absorber through which fall-arrest cable 110 passes. Cable tensioner system 114 holds tension on fall-arrest cable 110 to reduce slack and manages the load in fall-arrest cable 110 in the event of a fall. Cable tensioner systems are known in the art and various cable tensions systems may be used in connection with fall-protection system 100 (e.g., the 3M™ DBI-SALA® Sayfline™ Cable Horizontal Lifeline System).

FIG. 3 is a side view of mounting assembly 104 mounted to the side of building structure 102 according to aspects of the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, building structure 102 includes a roof member 124, a wall 125, and a support member 126. FIG. 3 illustrates that arms 112 are secured to wall 125 of building structure 102 via bolts 122. In other aspects, arms 112 can be secured to building structure 102 in other ways. For example, building structure 102 could include pre-installed or built-in brackets that mate with arms 112 to allow arms 112 to easily and securely attach to building structure 102. In other aspects, if a permanent installation were desired, arms 112 could be welded to building structure 102. Arms 112 space offset stanchion 106 away from wall 102 a sufficient distance so that mounting tube 108 does not contact roof member 124. In various aspects, arms 112 may be configured with different lengths to provide enough space for a particular application.

Still referring to FIG. 3, offset stanchion 106 includes a pair of bores 115 through which bolts 116 pass to secure mounting tube 108 relative to offset stanchion 106. FIG. 4 is a side view of mounting tube 108 according to aspects of the disclosure. Mounting tube 108 includes a plurality of bores 120 that are arranged so that pairs of the plurality of bores 120 align with the pair of bores 115. The plurality of bores 120 permit a user to select a particular pair of bores 120 to set a height of mounting tube 108 as needed for a particular application. Mounting tube 108 includes a pair of bores 118 to which cable tensioner system 114 may be attached.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are top and side views, respectively, of a bypass bracket 127 according to aspects of the disclosure. Bypass bracket 127 includes a pair of side plates 130 and a guide plate 132. Bypass bracket 127 attaches to a mounting tube 128 of an intermediate mounting assembly. The intermediate mounting assembly is similar in design to mounting assembly 104 and includes arms (similar to arms 112), an offset stanchion (similar to offset stanchion 106), mounting tube 128, and bypass bracket 127. Using FIG. 1 as a reference, the intermediate mounting assembly is positioned at an intermediate location between a pair of mounting assemblies 104 (e.g., along a length of building structure 102). In some aspects, multiple intermediate mounting assemblies may be installed between pairs of mounting assemblies 104.

The intermediate mounting assembly reduces cable sag and allows personnel to stay attached to the fall-arrest cable without detaching as they traverse along the top of building structure 102. In various aspects, the intermediate mounting assembly attaches to a side wall of building structure 102 and the pair of mounting assemblies 104 attach to opposite end walls of building structure 102. In order for fall-arrest cable 110 to be positioned in a straight line, side plates 130 have a length that positions guide plate 132 to be in line with mounting tubes 108 of the pair of mounting assemblies 104.

Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing from the spirit of the disclosure as set forth herein.

The term “substantially” is defined as largely but not necessarily wholly what is specified, as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. In any disclosed embodiment, the terms “substantially”, “approximately”, “generally”, and “about” may be substituted with “within [a percentage] of” what is specified, where the percentage includes 0.1, 1, 5, and 10 percent.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that those skilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The scope of the invention should be determined only by the language of the claims that follow. The term “comprising” within the claims is intended to mean “including at least” such that the recited listing of elements in a claim are an open group. The terms “a”, “an”, and other singular terms are intended to include the plural forms thereof unless specifically excluded.

Claims

1. A mounting assembly for a fall-protection system, the mounting assembly comprising:

an offset stanchion comprising a hollow body and a first bore formed through the hollow body;

an arm connected at a first end to the hollow body; and

a mounting tube comprising a first end configured to fit within the hollow body and a second bore configured to align with the first bore.

2. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the arm is configured to position the offset stanchion away from an overhang of a building structure so that the mounting tube does not contact the overhang.

3. The mounting assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a third bore formed through the hollow body; and

a fourth bore formed through the mounting tube,

wherein the third and fourth bores are configured to align with one another when the first and second bores are aligned.

4. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting tube comprises a plurality of bores configured to be selectively aligned with the first bore to alter a height of a second end of the mounting tube.

5. The mounting assembly of claim 1, further comprising a bypass bracket connected to a second end of the mounting tube.

6. The mounting assembly of claim 1, further comprising a cable tension system connected a second end of the mounting tube.

7. A fall-protection system comprising:

a first mounting assembly comprising: a first offset stanchion comprising a first hollow body and a first bore formed through the first hollow body; a first arm connected at a first end to the first hollow body; and a first mounting tube comprising a first end configured to fit within the first hollow body of the first offset stanchion and a second bore configured to align with the first bore;

a second mounting assembly comprising: a second offset stanchion comprising a second hollow body and a third bore formed through the second hollow body; a second arm connected at a first end to the second hollow body of the second offset stanchion; and a second mounting tube comprising a first end configured to fit within the second hollow body and a fourth bore configured to align with the third bore; and

a fall-arrest cable extending between the first mounting assembly and the second mounting assembly.

8. The fall-protection system of claim 7, further comprising a third mounting assembly comprising a bypass bracket through which the fall-arrest cable passes.

9. The fall-protection system of claim 7, wherein the first arm positions the first offset stanchion away from an overhang of a building structure to which the fall-protection system is attached so that the first mounting tube does not contact the building structure.

10. The fall-protection system of claim 7, further comprising:

a fifth bore formed through the first hollow body; and

a sixth bore formed through the first mounting tube,

wherein the fifth and sixth bores are configured to align with one another when the first and second bores are aligned.

11. The fall-protection system of claim 7, wherein the first mounting tube further comprises a plurality of bores configured to be selectively aligned with the first bore to alter a height of a second end of the first mounting tube.

12. The fall-protection system of claim 7, further comprising a cable tension system connected a second end of the second mounting tube.

13. The fall-protection system of claim 12, wherein the fall-arrest cable is coupled to the cable tension system.

14. A method of installing a fall-protection system, the method comprising:

securing a first mounting assembly to a building structure by attaching an arm of the first mounting assembly to a first wall of the building structure;

securing a second mounting assembly to the building structure by attaching an arm of the second mounting assembly to a second wall of the building structure;

attaching a first end of a fall-arrest cable to the first mounting assembly and a second end of the fall-arrest cable to the second mounting assembly;

wherein the first mounting assembly comprises: a first offset stanchion comprising a first hollow body and a first bore formed through the first hollow body; and a first mounting tube comprising a first end configured to fit within the first hollow body of the first offset stanchion and a second bore configured to align with the first bore;

wherein the second mounting assembly comprises: a second offset stanchion comprising a second hollow body and a third bore formed through the second hollow body; and a second mounting tube comprising a first end configured to fit within the second hollow body and a fourth bore configured to align with the first bore.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising securing a third mounting assembly to a third wall of the building structure at a position between the first and second mounting assemblies.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the third mounting assembly comprises a bypass bracket.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first, second, and third walls are the same wall.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the securing the first mounting assembly includes installing a reinforcing structure on the first wall to strengthen the first wall.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising setting a height of a second end of the first mounting tube by aligning the first bore of the first hollow body with one of a plurality of bores formed through the first mounting tube.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the arm of the first mounting assembly positions the mounting tube away from an overhang of the building structure.