Portable Safety Railing

Abstract

A portable safety railing includes one or more horizontal bars supported at either end by vertical posts. The posts are positioned in weighted bases having sockets for receiving the posts and slots for receiving the slab-like toe rail.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to portable rails or fences.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Occupational safety standards are continually increasing for many reasons. Among the safety standards presently being imposed is the requirement of a safety railing around elevated working surfaces. While such railings may be fabricated from lumber and the like, the erection of this type of railing tends to be time consuming and expensive, particularly if the need for such railing is temporary, as in the case of applying a roof.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

It is, therefore, the object of the present invention to provide an improved railing suitable for installation on a working surface for rendering the area enclosed by the railing safe for workmen. The railing is simple and easy to erect. Once erected, it is capable of resisting the tipping forces to which it is subjected and is difficult to accidentally dislodge from the working surface. The railing is convenient to store and transport.

Briefly, the present invention contemplates a portable safety railing having at least one raised horizontal bar supported at either end by vertical posts or standards. A slab-like toe rail is located beneath the horizontal railing or bar, typically on the working surface. Weighted bases support the vertical posts. The bases, which typically may be square, have inwardly extending notches at each corner for receiving the toe rails.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the portable safety railing of the present invention installed on a working surface.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a weighted base member which may be incorporated in the safety railing of the present invention and showing fragmentary portions of other elements of the safety railing coupled to the base member.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the weighted base of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1, the portable safety railing of the present invention is identified by the numeral 10. Safety railing 10 is comprised of a plurality of sections 12, hereinafter described in detail, which are positioned on a working surface, for example, roof 14 of building 16.

A raised horizontal bar 18 typically manufactured from tubular stock, is supported at either end by vertical posts 20. While a pair of oppositely extending bars 18 may be attached to a single post 20 for support by mechanical fasteners and the like, it is presently deemed preferable, to form bar 18 and posts 20 from a single piece of bent tubular stock. Each bar 18 is thus supported at either end by a post 20.

A second horizontal bar 22 may be joined to posts 20, as by welding, mechanical fasteners, etc. to extend between the posts below bar 18.

Posts 20 are maintained in the upright position by weighted bases 22. In general, it has been found desirable to form bases 24 in a configuration having a pair of mutually perpendicular transection lines. The periphery of the base is shaped to recede from the termini of the transection lines. Base 24 contains inwardly extending notches or slots 26 at the termini of the mutually perpendicular transection lines for receiving a toe rail, hereinafter described.

Weighted bases 24 are shown in exemplary fashion in FIGS. 2 and 3 as generally square-like in shape. The transection lines comprise diagonals of the squares and notches 26 are located at the corners of the base. See FIG. 3. A base 24, so formed, thus forms a diamond configuration in which the sides of the diamond recede from the points thereof.

In order to provide sufficient stability to safety railing 10 against tipping forces, bases 24 are fabricated from a dense material, such as cast iron. The weight of bases 24 may be determined by the tipping resistance requirements established by administrative or other codes. A base weight of 80-120 pounds has been found to provide a highly desirable stability to railing 10. To facilitate the handling of bases 24, a pair of hand holes 28 may be provided in the base, as shown in FIG. 4. For similar purposes, a loop 30 may be provided in the center of base 24. While the weight of base 24 will generally be sufficient to prevent displacement of the bases along the working surface during use, a ribbed rubber sheet or mat 32 may be applied to the underside of the bases.

One or more sockets 34, capable of receiving the lower ends of vertical posts 20, are incorporated in base 24, as shown in FIG. 2. In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, a pair of sockets 34 are spacedly located along one of the transection lines of the base. In the case of square base 24, sockets 34 are spacedly located along one of the diagonals, as shown in FIG. 3. Toe rail 36 of safety railing 10 may be formed from a plank laid on edge and positioned in notches 26. Notches 26 may be surrounded by flanges 38 which assist in retaining toe rail 36 on edge. Toe rail 36 rests on working surface 14 to prevent small tools, debris, and the like from being kicked off the working surface.

Safety railing 10 may be erected by placing bases 24 around the periphery of the work area. Thereafter posts 20 are dropped into sockets 34 to raise bar 18. Toe rails 36 are placed in notches 26 to complete a section 12 of safety railing 10. The height of vertical posts 20 may be selected to position horizontal bar 18 at a level suitable to the particular application, safety requirements, and work area. Typically bar 18 will be positioned 42 inches off the working surface. Intermediate bar 22 will usually be 21 inches above the working surface. The length of sections 12 of safety railing 10 may also be selected to suit the application and work area. For example, safety railing 10 may be available in 10 foot, 7 1/2 foot, and 5 foot sections.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A portable safety railing comprising:

at least one raised horizontal bar supported at either end by vertical posts and subjectable to forces generating tipping moments in said posts;

square, weighted bases each having a pair of sockets for receiving said posts and for transmitting the tipping moments of said posts to said bases, the sockets in each base being spacedly located along one of the intersecting diagonals of the square base on opposite sides of, and equi-distant from, the diagonal intersection, said bases further having notches in each corner thereof extending inwardly along the diagonals; and

a slab-like toe rail located in said notches beneath said horizontal bar.

2. The safety railing according to claim 1 wherein said weighted bases are locatable on a working surface and said notches extend entirely through said base for permitting said toe rail to rest on the working surface.

3. The safety railing according to claim 1 further defined as including an intermediate bar between said raised bar and said toe rail.

4. The safety railing according to claim 1 wherein said raised horizontal bar and said vertical posts are formed of a single piece of material.

5. The safety railing according to claim 1 wherein said notches have flanges along the sides thereof for retaining the slab-like toe rail in position.

6. The safety railing according to claim 1 wherein said weighted base has a non skid surface applied to the underside thereof.

7. The safety railing according to claim 1 wherein said weighted base includes means for lifting said base.

8. The safety railing according to claim 7 wherein said lifting means comprises a loop in the center of each of said bases between said spaced sockets and along said diagonal, thereby to provide a symmetrical lifting point for said bases.

9. The safety railing according to claim 7 wherein said lifting means comprises one or more hand holes in said base.