Abstract: This invention provides fall protection systems comprising a suspension fabric, supported by a grid-work of longitudinal and lateral bands, in metal building construction. The fall protection system uses safety clips to attach lateral bands to intermediate purlins, and also provides novel attachments of the lateral bands to eaves and ridges whereby the respective eave and/or the ridge absorbs an enhanced portion of the force of impact when an object falls onto the fall protection system. The invention further provides methods of installing such systems, and buildings embodying such systems.

Abstract: This invention provides fall protection systems, in metal building construction, and methods of installing such systems. A given such system comprises a suspension fabric, supported by a grid-work of longitudinal and lateral support bands. The distance of the safety band from the rafter corresponds to about 40 percent to about 75 percent of the diameter of the bag. Thus for a 30-inch diameter bag, the distance between the edge of the rafter and the middle of the safety band is about 12 inches to about 23 inches. The safety band protects the suspension fabric from being cut by the near edge of the rafter when a falling object impacts the fall protection system near the edge of the rafter.

Abstract: This invention provides fall protection systems comprising a suspension fabric, supported by a grid-work of longitudinal and lateral bands, in metal building construction. The fall protection system uses the combination of relatively softer banding, a safety band spaced a particular distance from each rafter, and safety clips to attach the safety bands to the intermediate purlins, thus to distribute the force of impact of a load, falling close to a rafter, to better absorb and dissipate the force of the impact, including distributing the impact of the falling load over a greater area of the roof structure. The invention further provides methods of making elements of such systems, methods of installing elements of such systems, and buildings embodying such systems.

Abstract: This invention provides fall protection systems comprising a suspension fabric, supported by a grid-work of longitudinal and lateral bands, in metal building construction. The fall protection system uses safety clips to attach lateral bands to intermediate purlins, and also provides novel attachments of the lateral bands to eaves and ridges whereby the respective eave and/or the ridge absorbs an enhanced portion of the force of impact when an object falls onto the fall protection system. The invention further provides methods of installing such systems, and buildings embodying such systems.

Abstract: This invention provides suspension fabric product, methods of making such product, and methods of installing such product, in fall protection systems used in metal building construction. The fabric product is presented Z-folded on a core, with essentially all surface air removed, and wrapped in a protective plastic wrapping which extends into the roll alongside outer layers of the roll of fabric. Essentially all surface air is removed from the Z-folded fabric at a compression station as the roll is being fabricated. Use of the roll includes extending a shaft through the core, elevating the roll to a working height at the roof elevation, temporarily mounting the shaft to existing roof structural members of the building being constructed, and drawing a leading edge of the fabric from the roll and along a run of the space between next adjacent ones of the purlins and across the space between first and second ones of the rafters.

Abstract: This invention provides fall protection systems, in metal building construction, and methods of installing such systems. A given such system comprises a suspension fabric, supported by a grid-work of longitudinal and lateral support bands. At least one of the lateral support bands is a relatively softer steel having greater elongation properties, while having lower yield and tensile strengths. The balanced properties better distribute the force of a falling object to the respective members of the fall protection system so as to limit the force which must be tolerated by the suspension fabric, such that the system can catch and hold a dropped test load, or a worker falling onto such system, without catastrophic failure of the suspension fabric.