GB2355751A - Scaffold guard having tensionable safety screen - Google Patents

Abstract

A guard comprises storage means (16) attached by attachment means (23) to a first part of a scaffold construction (22), a rotatable spindle (13) and a length of flexible screen material (10) one end being attached to the spindle and being extendable along a scaffold platform and attachment means permit connection to a second part of the scaffold construction (21). The screen may be tightened between the two points of connection by tensioning means (20) provided on the spindle. Preferably, mesh supports (Figure 3, ref 27) are located along the screen to provide vertical support.

Description

2355751 Scaffold Guards The present invention relates to guards for

resisting the falling of objects from exposed scaffold platforms, and methods of guarding platforms 5 using such guards.

Scaffold platforms having at least one walk-way are commonly erected in and around buildings during construction or maintenance work. Construction workers move along and work on these platforms. In order that they may carry out whatever tasks they are performing, they usually require lo other objects such as tools and materials (e.g. bricks) to be on the scaffold with them.

It is highly advantageous that these loose objects do not accidentally fall from the scaffold platforms, as they may cause damage or injury to objects or people underneath the scaffold platform. This is especially important in areas where scaffolding is erected above busy streets. Furthermore, the safety of the construction workers is also very important, and devices that improve the safety of workers are becoming ever more necessary to meet the Health & Safety Regulations.

Previously, for the safety of the construction workers and also to aid the structural integrity of a scaffold system, guard rails have been attached around the platform at approximately waist height. These are useful for workers, though far from foolproof, but of no value for small objects. In an attempt to prevent objects from failing from scaffold platforms through the gap between the scaffold boards and the guard rail, it is known to provide some form of screening for that gap, e.g. by suspending rigid wire mesh panels from the guard rail.

Screening already known for addressing the problem is commonly referred to as a "brick-guard" and this term will generally be used in this 5 specification.

The most common form of prior art brick-guard is a rigid wire mesh panel supplied with hooks at its upper edge, which hooks are hung over the guard rail thereby suspending the panel in the space between the guard rail and the scaffold boards. Generally a number of these brick-guards are lo arranged side by side along a scaffold platform so as to provide protection along the full length thereof. In order to function adequately these wire mesh panels have to be sufficiently rigid to hold their shape, and prevent objects from falling. In addition, they must be relatively large to prevent objects falling between adjacent boards, and in consequence they are of a considerable size and dimension and so difficult to handle.

The size and rigidity of these conventional brick guards means that they are both difficult to store when not in use and extremely difficult to transport up and down a scaffold system. What is more, by their very design they are reliant on some form of external restraint (such as a part of the scaffold construction) at the bottom of the guard to prevent the panel simply pivoting around the guard rail upon which it is hooked, when an object falls against it.

The present invention aims at overcoming the problems associated with conventional brick guards as described above, and is designed to increase both the flexibility and protection afforded by a guard as well as significantly easing their set up and storage requirements.

Therefore in accordance with the present invention there is provided a guard for resisting the failing of objects from a scaffold platform, which guard comprises storage means adapted for attachment to a first scaffold member associated with platform, the storage means having a rotatable spindle; a length of flexible screen material having first and second ends, the first end being attached to the spindle so that the material may be wound therearound for storage, said flexible screen material being extendable from the storage io means at least part way along the scaffold platform, attachment means permitting the connection of the second end of the screen material to a second scaffold member, and tensioning means designed to tighten an extended length of the screen material extending between said two scaffold members.

Advantageously the first and second scaffold members would be scaffold members that are in a substantially vertical arrangement. In normal scaffold constructions vertical supports are located at regular intervals along a the structure and so various positioning of the guard is easily possible.

In preference the storage means comprises a frame element on which the spindle is rotatably mounted, the adaptation for attachment to the first scaffold member being provided on the frame element. It is further preferred that the frame element actually comprise an elongate substantially hollow housing and the spindle is mounted internally of this housing. In this case the -4housing would be provided with an aperture through which the screen material may pass.

For ease of construction and to reduce the complexity and/or cost of the present invention it is advantageous that the storage means and the second end of the screen material are attachable to the appropriate scaffold members using conventional techniques. For example scaffold poles may be connected together using various types of connector (clip). If the second end of the screen material and the storage means are provided with bars of similar cross-sectional configuration to the scaffold members, it is possible to lo easily connect these bars to the scaffold members using conventional scaffold clips. Such clips are readily available and therefore connection of the present invention to scaffold constructions would not require the provisions of any further specialised equipment.

When the screen material is extended between two scaffold members spaced a significant distance apart, or perhaps when the screen material goes around a corner in a scaffold platform, it may be advantageous to provide further means to connect the screen material to the scaffold construction. If for example the screen material is extended over a long distance the tension in the screen material is unlikely to be sufficient to prevent a certain degree of sag at the centre of the screen material. Preferably therefore support members may be provided either separately or integrally formed with the screen material. The support members may be configured to attach to any part of the scaffold construction but advantageously they hook over the horizontal guard rail provided around the -5scaffold construction. Preferably these supports take the form of an elongate rod, of sufficient tensile strength, provided with attachment means for engaging with the screen material, and a hook at the top of the elongate rod which passes over the guard rail and allows the rod to hang therefrom. In this fashion the screen material may be supported whilst permitting the easy removal of the additional supporting means for storage or realignment.

If the screen material is required to go around a corner in a scaffold construction, it may be desirable to fix the screen material into the corner to prevent it moving when tension is applied along the length of the screen lo material. In the case where the tensioning of the screen pulls the screen material against one of the existing upright scaffold members, there may be sufficient tension to hold the screen material in the correct orientation. However when the tensioning of the screen material pulls the mesh away from a corner, connectors are advantageously provided which removably connect the screen material to the scaffold construction. These corner connectors allow any part of the screen mateeial to be easily and removably connected to a corner, or any other appropriate point on the scaffold construction.

Conveniently the storage means may be provided with places for locating and storing the connectors and screen material supports when the guard is not in use.

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

-6 Figure I is a view of a mesh screen associated with its storage means; Figure 2 is a similar view of the same embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 2 but showing more of its method of operation; Figure 3 is a view of one embodiment of screen support; and Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention connected to a scaffold platform.

Referring initially to Figure 1, a mesh screen 10 having a first end 11 and a second end 12 is shown. The first end 11 of the screen is attached to a spindle 13, the spindle 13 being rotatably mounted within a storage housing lo 16. A bar 15 is attached to the second end 12 of the screen 10.

The storage housing 16 is elongate with a generally cylindrical or prismatic shape. If prismatic in shape the housing would require at least 3 sides, but could have any number more than that.

The spindle 13 locates in the housing by its upper and lower ends.

The lid 17 of the housing 16 may be hinged to allow opening. The spindle may be permanently fixed into the housing, or may be simply held in a suitable position by the connection between the lower end of the housing 16, and the underside of the opening lid 17 of the housing. For this reason, a recess 18 is provided on the underside of the lid 17, such that when the lid 17 is in a closed position the upper end of the spindle 13 may be rotatably located in the recess 18.

A first bar 19 is attached to the housing 16, to connect the storage housing 16 to the scaffold construction. If the first bar 19 is located adjacent a part of the scaffold construction (not shown), then conventional scaffold clips (also not shown) may be used to connect them together. Similarly, a second bar 15 is connected to the second end 12 of the screen 10 and may be attached to the scaffold construction (not shown) by using the same or similar types of conventional scaffold clips (not shown) as used to connect the 5 storage means.

Figure 2 shows a similar embodiment to that shown in Figure 1, but in this case the lid 17 of the housing 16 is closed. In use, the second bar 15 is connected to a first scaffold member 22 by using scaffold clips 23. The storage housing 16 is then moved away from the first scaffold member 22 lo along the intended line of deployment. As the housing 16 is moved, the screen 10 unrolls from the spindle 13, and is paid out through an aperture 24 in the housing.

When the desired length of screen has been deployed, the storage housing 16 is connected to a second scaffold member 22 by aligning the first bar 19 therewith and utilising conventional scaffold clips 23. A handle 20 is then connected, (or may remain permanently connected if the lid 17 of the housing does not open) to the top end of the spindle in such a way that turning the handle 20 rotates the spindle 13 in a desired direction. The handle 20 acts as the tensioning means and thereby allows the tightening of the screen. Advantageously the tensioning means is provided with some form of releasable one-way clutch mechanism which permits tightening of the screen but prevents reverse rotation of the spindle and the consequent loosening of the screen unless specifically intended. An example of a suitable mechanism is a conventional pawl and ratchet.

When extended over a long distance the screen may sag by an unacceptable amount, even when tensioned. The screen therefore may be further provided with vertically supporting elements. Figure 3 shows a section of mesh screen 25 arranged below a generally horizontal guard rail 26 5 forming part of the scaffold construction. A mesh support generally indicated 27 is shown, and comprises a elongate rod 28 provided with projections 29 for engagement with the mesh screen 25. The upper end of the rod 28 is adapted for connection to the guard rail 26. In this case the upper end of the rod is formed into a hook 30 which hangs over the guard rail 26. The mesh lo support hangs from the guard rail and is engaged with the screen 25 via the projections 29, thereby supporting the weight of the mesh and minimising sag.

Figure 4 shows an example of a scaffold platform with a guard according to the present invention provided thereon. A scaffold construction comprises a plurality of scaffold members 40 fixed together to form an appropriate construction using conventional scaffold connectors 41. Scaffold boards 42 are incorporated in the construction and supported on horizontal scaffold members (not shown) to form walk ways upon which construction workers may operate. Access to the raised scaffold platform may be gained using the ladder 43. A guard rail 44 is provided along the outside of the walk way and forms part of the overall scaffold construction.

A guard according to the present invention is arranged in the gap between the scaffold boards 42 and the guard rail 44. A second end of the mesh screen 45 is provided with a second bar 46 and is connected to a scaffold member using the bar and conventional scaffold connectors 41. The screen 45 is then extended along the scaffold platform by moving the storage means 47 away from the point of connection of the first end of the screen with the screen unrolling from the storage means, as described above. When the desired length of screen has been deployed, the storage means 47 is also connected to an appropriate scaffold member using conventional scaffold connectors 41.

Where the screen passes around internal corners 50, or any other suitable point, the screen must somehow be fixed into the corner. This is conveniently achieved by using connectors 51 which attach to the scaffold construction and also attach to the material of the screen anywhere along its length.

The mesh screen is tightened using the handle 52 as described above, i.e. the rotation of the handle 52 can wind any slack in the screen onto the spindle, and suitable ratchet and pawl or other non return means prevent the accidental loosening of the screen once tightening.

Screen supports 53 may be connected to the screen before or after tightening and hang from the handrail 44. Removal of the screen is also easily performed by conducting these operations in the reverse order. In other words the screen supports are removed, the screen is slackened the fixing parts 51 are disconnected, the housing means 47 is disconnected from the scaffold construction and the screen is rolled back onto the spindle using the handle 52.

The operation of the guard has been described with reference to the second end of the screen and the connected second bar being attached to -10the scaffold construction first and the storage means being moved away form that point whilst paying out the screen material. However it will be appreciated that the opposite of this is also feasible. The storage means may be connected to the construction first and the screen material may be paid out by moving the second end to a desired location and subsequently connecting it to a scaffold member.

Whilst the present invention has been described with reference to both ends of the guard being attached to parts of the scaffold construction, in practice it does not necessarily have to done exactly like this. For example io two or more guards could be connected end to end to make a longer length, as long as the free ends are connected to the scaffold or other suitably firm point. There is a practical limit to the amount of guards that could be connected together whilst still maintaining the functionality of the system, however this is dependant on the characteristics of the scaffold construction and the guard.

Claims (15)

1 A guard for resisting the falling of objects from a scaffold platform, which 5 guard comprises storage means adapted for attachment to a first scaffold member associated with platform, the storage means having a rotatable spindle; a length of flexible screen material having first and second ends, the first end being attached to the spindle so that the material may be wound therearound for storage, said flexible screen material being extendable from lo the storage means at least part way along the scaffold platform, attachment means permitting the connection of the second end of the screen material to a second scaffold member, and tensioning means designed to tighten an extended length of the screen material extending between said two scaffold members.

2. A guard as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage means comprises a frame element on which the spindle is rotatably mounted, and which is adapted for attachment to the first scaffold member.

3. A guard as claimed in claim 2, wherein the frame element comprises an elongate substantially hollow housing with the spindle mounted internally thereof, the housing having an aperture through which the screen material may enter or leave the interior thereof.

4. A guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a first bar similar in cross-sectional shape to the first scaffold member is attached to the -12storage means, and is connectable to the first scaffold member using standard scaffold clips to link the scaffold member and the bar.

5. A guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a handle is provided to facilitate rotation of the spindle and the winding of the screen 5 material therearound.

6. A guard as claimed in 5, wherein the handle also facilitates tensioning of the screen between the first and second scaffold members.

7. A guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment means for connecting the second end of the screen to the second lo scaffold member comprises a second bar, similar in cross-section to the second scaffold member, attached to the second end of the screen, said second bar and second scaffold member being inter-connectable using standard scaffold clips.

8. A guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein screen ties 15 capable of releasably attaching any part of the screen to a scaffold member are further provided to ensure the correct positioning of the screen when tensioned.

9. A guard as claimed in claim 8, wherein the screen ties are attached to the screen and a scaffold member at a corner of the scaffold construction, so as to hold the screen into the corner when tensioned.

10. A guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the flexible screen material is a netting or mesh.

11. A guard as claimed in claim 10, in which the netting has sufficiently small holes to prevent a standard house brick from passing therethrough.

12. A guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein vertical mesh support members are provided along the screen.

13. A guard as claimed in claim 12, wherein the vertical mesh support members are not integral with the screen but are connectable thereto as 5 required.

14. A guard as claimed in claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the vertical mesh support members are adapted to hang from a horizontal scaffold member running above the scaffold platform and connect to the screen thereby supporting it.

io

15. A guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims and substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.