Skylights are often used in order to permit natural sunlight to enter into an interior space of a residential home, building, church and the like. Due to the relative spatial location of skylights and other roof openings, they create an occupational hazard. Fatalities and serious injuries have been related to falls through skylights and/or protective screening for skylights. For instance, impact falls have occurred from workers falling through unguarded skylight openings. Such falls have also occurred when conducting routine roof and/or skylight maintenance and replacing and/or providing protective screening for skylights.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard 29 CFR §1926.500(b)(4) requires that skylights be protected with railings and covers to protect against falls through a skylight/vent and/or a skylight/vent opening. In accordance with OSHA standard 29 CFR §1926.500(b)(4), if there is a danger of falling through a skylight, the skylight must be guarded with a standing railing or a cover strong enough to sustain the impact load of a person. In an attempt to meet the need to become OSHA compliant, various designs such as protective screens and railings have been employed. These devices, however, have proven inadequate or otherwise disadvantageous due to manufacturing costs and/or the lack of a robust structural design, and/or, the complexity of assembly/disassembly, and/or the lack of portability, and/or the lack of adequate space to permit maintenance be done to replace or install a skylight.
Embodiments relate to a portable skylight safety assembly which facilitates the replacement and/or installation of skylights, vents and the like and the addition of protective screening for skylights that are typically installed on flat roofs such as corrugated roofs of buildings, homes, churches and the like.
Embodiments relate to a portable safety assembly to provide protection against falls over skylights, skylight openings, floor openings, vent openings and other types of roof openings. The portable safety assembly is adaptable for all structural skylight models, such as flat, domed, circular, etc.
Embodiments relate to a portable skylight safety assembly that may include at least one of the following: a first support frame including a first support array having a plurality of parallel-spaced transverse members and a plurality of parallel-spaced longitudinal frame members, a plurality of first support handles, a plurality of support members extending substantially perpendicularly from the first support frame for supporting the first support frame over the skylight on a working surface, and a first releasable attachment mechanism provided on a distal one of the plurality of parallel-spaced transverse members; a second support frame including a second support array having a plurality of parallel-spaced transverse members and a plurality of parallel-spaced longitudinal frame members, and a second releasable attachment mechanism provided on a distal end of the second support frame for receiving the first releasable attachment mechanism to provide a releasable attachment or connection between the first support frame and the second support frame.
Embodiments relate to a portable skylight safety assembly that may include at least one of the following: a first support frame including a first support array having a plurality of parallel-spaced transverse members, a pair of parallel-spaced outer longitudinal frame members and an inner longitudinal frame member spaced in parallel from the outer longitudinal frame members; a first releasable attachment mechanism provided on the first support frame; a second support frame including a second support array having a plurality of parallel-spaced transverse members, a pair of parallel-spaced outer longitudinal frame members and an inner longitudinal frame member spaced in parallel from the outer longitudinal frame members; a second releasable attachment mechanism provided on the second support frame for receiving the first releasable attachment mechanism to provide a releasable attachment between the first support frame and the second support frame; a plurality of support handles extending from the first support frame and the second support frame; and a plurality of support members extending substantially perpendicularly from the first support frame and the second support frame for supporting the first support frame and the second support frame over the skylight on a working surface.
Embodiments relate to a portable skylight safety assembly that may include at least one of the following: a first support frame including a plurality of parallel-spaced transverse members, a pair of parallel-spaced outer longitudinal frame members and an inner longitudinal frame member spaced in parallel from the outer longitudinal frame members; a second support frame including a plurality of parallel-spaced transverse members, a pair of parallel-spaced outer longitudinal frame members and an inner longitudinal frame member provided between the outer longitudinal frame members; a releasable attachment mechanism for releaseably attaching the first support frame to the second support frame; and a plurality of support members for supporting the first support frame and the second support frame predetermined vertical distance above the skylight on a working surface.
In accordance with embodiments, the transverse members, the longitudinal members and the releasable attachment mechanism may be composed of at least one of a lightweight metal-based material, a lightweight composite material or a lightweight polymeric material. The metal-based material may be composed of aluminum. The lightweight nature facilitates the portability of the assembly by two persons. Once the two support frames are manipulated into an operating position, one may perform routine maintenance on a skylight, replacement of a skylight, routine roof repair and/or provide a protective screen over the skylights. The handles may be pivotable between a working position and a non-working position. The support members may displace the support frames (at a bottommost surface) thereof to a predetermined distance above a working surface in order to permit access to a skylight/vent in order to perform maintenance and/or replacement. This predetermined distance may be at least six inches.
Embodiments relate to an assembly that may include at least one of the following: a first support frame having fore and aft first support members spaced apart and extending substantially perpendicularly from the first support frame for supporting the first support frame on a working surface; a second support frame releasably connected to the first support frame and having fore and aft second support members spaced apart and extending substantially perpendicularly from the second support frame for supporting the first support frame on a working surface; and a plurality of support handles provided on the first and second support frames, wherein the support handles are pivotably moveable with respect to a respective one of the first and second support frames between a non-operating position and an operating position.
Embodiments relate to a portable skylight safety assembly that may include at least one of the following: a first support frame including a first support array having a plurality of parallel-spaced transverse members, a pair of parallel-spaced outer longitudinal frame members and an inner longitudinal frame member spaced in parallel from the outer longitudinal frame members; a first releasable attachment mechanism provided on the first support frame, wherein the first releasable attachment mechanism includes a hook member; a second support frame including a second support array having a plurality of parallel-spaced transverse members, a pair of parallel-spaced outer longitudinal frame members and an inner longitudinal frame member spaced in parallel from the outer longitudinal frame members; a second releasable attachment mechanism provided on the second support frame, wherein the second releasable attachment mechanism includes a bar that receives and engages the hook member of the first releasable attachment mechanism to releasable connect the first support frame to the second support frame; a plurality of pivotably moveable support handles provided on the first support frame and the second support frame; and a plurality of support members extending substantially perpendicularly from the first support frame and the second support frame for supporting the first support frame and the second support frame on a working surface.
Embodiments relate to a portable skylight safety assembly that may include at least one of the following: a first support frame including a mesh surface; a second support frame including a mesh surface; a plurality of support members for supporting the first support frame and the second support frame a predetermined vertical distance above a working surface; and a plurality of pivotably moveable support handles provided on the first support frame and the second support frame such that the support handles are pivotably moveable with respect to a respective one of the first and second support frames between a non-operating position on sidewalls of the first and second support frames and an operating position extending outwardly from a respective sidewall and in the same plane as the respective sidewall.
Example
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A plurality of support members 23, 33 extending substantially perpendicularly therefrom are provided for supporting support frame 20, 30 on and/or over an opening or skylight at a predetermined distance above the working surface. Such predetermined distance may be at least six inches. Support members 23, 33 may each include a leg member extending substantially perpendicularly from support frame 20, 30 and a foot member extending from the leg member. For example, the support member 33 includes a leg member 331 and a foot member 332 as shown in
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Accordingly, in accordance with embodiments, a portable skylight change out assembly is provided having a bifurcated or unitary design that offers protection against falls over skylights, skylight openings, floor openings, vent openings and other types of roof openings. The portable skylight change out assembly is composed of lightweight materials, and thus, is easily transportable by one or more persons. Due to its lightweight, the assembly does not impose undue loads on and/or an opening or skylight that would place a worker at risk when installing, replacing or repairing a roof skylight. A pair of support handles are provided at distal ends of the assembly to permit one or more workers to safely transport and position the assembly on and/or over skylights, skylight openings, floor openings, vent openings and other types of roof openings.
Although embodiments have been described herein, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art
The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/259,020 (filed Oct. 27, 2008), now U.S. Pat. No. 8,122,673, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/983,163 (filed on Oct. 27, 2007), which are each hereby incorporated by reference in their complete entireties.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20120137604 A1 | Jun 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60983163 | Oct 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12259020 | Oct 2008 | US |
Child | 13354017 | US |