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Choice can be both a challenging and delightful thing. What type of donut or bagel should I get at Tim Horton’s? Which flavor of ice cream should I choose at Baskin Robbins?
However, choosing the proper fall protection for your building—especially the rooftop—can seem daunting. How do you safeguard workers when they are performing their vital inspection, maintenance, and repair tasks in the face of numerous work-at-height risks?
Ask the people who are doing the job. They can help identify where and when they are at risk. It also helps to consult outside experts to conduct a hazard assessment. They will review worker routines, evaluate risks and hazards, and report recommendations.
A hazard assessment should also note the regulations that apply to the hazards, which frequently include measures to be taken. The Canadian Labour Code provides extensive details about occupational health and safety. Provincial and territorial codes should also be addressed.
Armed with a hazard assessment and an understanding of what must be done to comply with regulatory requirements, a building or business owner, facility or safety manager, or other responsible party can determine which fall protection systems to install.
Guardrails are a fundamental safety feature for any building with elevated surfaces. They provide a physical barrier that prevents falls from edges at loading docks, mezzanines, stairs, machinery, and other areas inside a building. Pipe-fitted aluminum alloy or galvanized steel railings are installed without welding or drilling. They provide strength, durability, and corrosion resistance.
Modular aluminum or steel guardrails for roof fall protection feature counterweight PVC bases so the system does not penetrate the roof membrane. Installed around the perimeter of a flat or low-slope roof, guardrails provide “collective” edge protection in that they protect multiple workers without the need for special equipment or training.
Work platforms provide safe, level working surfaces to access large machinery for maintenance, to work on production lines, or to reach tools, equipment, and inventory. Roof platforms should be installed for inspections, maintenance, and repairs on elevated heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), and other building services equipment.
Modular and easy to customize for the tasks, work platforms feature anti-slip, non-bounce, self-draining treads for platform steps and decks. They are supported by aluminum or galvanized steel frames with guardrails. Platforms can be fitted with a self-closing safety gate that automatically closes behind the worker for added fall protection. Mobile platforms are equipped with heavy-duty locking casters for station-to-station portability.
Roof hatches offer necessary access but pose a significant fall risk. Roof hatch railing kits fit around the hatch opening and include self-closing gates to guard the opening and prevent accidental falls through the hatch. Railings and gates feature modular construction using pipe-fitted aluminum or galvanized steel.
Skylights are a common source of fall accidents if not adequately protected. A skylight is considered a “hole in the roof” because it cannot necessarily support the weight of even one person. Two types of skylight fall protection are available to prevent falls through skylights without blocking the sun from shining through.
Skylight screens are robust, galvanized stainless steel or mesh screens that are adaptable to flat, trapezoidal, and standing seam metal roofs. A skylight railing surrounds a skylight or roof dome.
Featuring anti-slip, non-bounce, self-draining treads supported by steel frames, roof walkway systems provide a safe, level path for workers to traverse the rooftop and protect the roof from excessive foot traffic. Walkways with guardrails offer added fall protection, especially near roof edges. “Crossover” platforms are walkways that enable workers to overcome obstacles (e.g., ductwork, cables, conduits) or a change in the roof level.
Lifelines are essential for environments where guardrails or walkways are impractical and workers must move freely along the roof. A horizontal lifeline is an engineered fall arrest system that provides continuous fall protection along the length of the line. It has galvanized and stainless steel components and can support up to three workers between spans of nearly 39 feet (12 metres) between anchor posts.
Anchors are critical components of fall protection systems, providing secure attachment points for lifelines and personal fall arrest systems. Permanent roof anchors are embedded into the roof and available in various heights, attachment tops, and base fixes. Mobile deadweight anchors can be located throughout a flat or low-slope roof. They feature rubber-coated base weights with suction cups for added friction and a pedestal post.
Some people can never choose which flavor or item from the menu. Selecting the appropriate fall protection equipment for your building may also appear difficult. Yet, the choice can seem like a piece of cake after a hazard assessment, understanding the applicable regulations, and knowledge of the types of fall protection systems and equipment available. Make that angel cake.
Kee Safety Fall Protection Experts perform a critical analysis of the entire rooftop surface to identify the hazards where workers are exposed to the greatest risk. This ensures that the most dangerous areas are protected immediately with state-of-the-art fall protection systems and OH&S compliant solutions.
Kee Safety: Your Fall Protection Experts
Kee Safety is the world’s leading fall protection expert. We engineer, manufacture and install fall protection solutions that safely separate people from hazards. Our OH&S-compliant products and systems are third-party tested and trusted to ensure consistent performance at the highest level.