Below is a comprehensive list of safety railing solutions that are available to our customers. Not every safety railing solution is a fit for every environment, so we've called attention to where each railing works best. All of these safety railing solutions are OSHA compliant unless otherwise noted.
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Environments: Flat Roofs or Low Slope Roofs
KeeGaurd is a non-penetrating guardrail that uses counterbalanced or post weights to keep the railing firmly anchored on the roof.
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Environments: Standing Seam or Corrugated Metal Roofs
KeeGuard metal roof can be attached to standing seam roofs with non-penetrating S-5! clamps. The railing attaches to corrugated metal roofs with a special plate that must be screwed into the roof surface.
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Environments: Flat Roofs and Job Sites with Flat Surfaces
Portable guardrail can be used as a permanent solution or a temporary guardrail that can be moved from location to location. Portable guardrail has 5'-10' sections of railing that are held up by weighted bases.
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Environments: Roofs with Structural Parapets
This railing can be attached to existing roof parapets to provide a guardrail that meets OSHA requirements.
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Environments: Flat and Sloped Surface (ground or wall) that can receive a fastener.
This is a very flexible option when it comes to creating guardrail and safety railing. It can attach to virtually any surface and provides barrier protection that is OSHA compliant.
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Environments: Flat Surface (ground) that can receive a fastener.
This railing kit can be purchased in three kits: corner, straight and extension. It is galvanized and then powder coated safety yellow. It comes partially assembled in the box and is very simple to complete the assembly.
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Environments: Construction Site
There are various types of railings that attach to many different kinds of surfaces. Most of the railings in this category are designed to be temporary and meet OSHA standards for guardrail.
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Environments: Ramps, Stairs and Flat Areas that Require Handicap Access
ADA railing can be designed to provide OSHA fall protection, but the default configuration for ADA railing only takes into consideration handicap access laws.
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Environments: Around Roof Hatches
OSHA compliant railing that attaches to a roof hatch. This railing also provides a grab point for people entering and exiting the hatch.
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Environments: Around Skylights
OSHA considers a skylight to be a hole in your roof. Skylights must be protected with the appropriate railing. KeeDome is a non-penetrating railing that hugs the edge of dome skylights.
For memorial day our family is headed to San Francisco to take in the sights. I was doing some research and came across this movie produced by Bethlehem Steel, one of the primary contractors for the Golden Gate Bridge. The movie itself is facinating, but I've embedded it at 20 min. 35 sec. where it starts to talk about the fall protection methods that were used in the construction of the bridge.
You'll be amazed at the fall protection methodologies employed, and even in spite of these measures 24 people died during the bridge's construction.
I think you'll agree that fall protection has made a lot of progress over the year. OSHA and other organizations have helped to introduce standards that make work safer. As you celebrate Memorial Day, remember the men and women who gave their lives in their line of work. Remembering their loss may help us to be more proactive about creating safe working environments so that more families can spend next Memorial Day together!
A man named Joe, who worked for the same roofing company for 25 years, fell through the skylight pictured above to his death. He was not wearing any fall protection and the skylight was not protected in any way. California's Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) put together this short video to honor Joe's life to remind us all that safety is not about statistics, but about real people who do not go home at the end of the day. On average 16 people die at work every day in the United States. That number is too high! This video will inspire you to work safer in any environment, but especially on roofs, working around unprotected skylights.
This Could Have Been Prevented with Skylight Fall Protection
As the video points out there are several types of fall protection available for protecting skylights.
Skylight Screens
The most popular skyilight fall protection option is the skylight screen. The skylight screen is designed to connect to the outside of the skylight and form a protective barrier when people trip or fall into the skylight. The screen will prevent the worker from falling through the skylight, saving their life and protecting them from a potentially fatal fall.
Skylight Guardrail
Another option for protecting a skylight is to use a guardrail system that forms a protective boundary around the skylight screen. Skylight guardrail, like Kee Dome, is designed to be non-penetrating so it will not cause any problems with the roof.
Further options, such as temporary weighted anchor points are available for the contractor who has to access the roof in many locations on a limited basis.
Connect with our solutions team to learn more about skylight fall protection solutions.
In order for a roof parapet to provide adequate fall protection, a roof parapet should be at least 42" in height. Unfortunately, many buildings get close to this height without quite meeting the height required by OSHA to provide fall protection. There are several solutions to help you raise the height of your parapet that are cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing.
Here are several solutions if you find yourself in a situation where your parapet does not meet the fall protection height requirement.
1. Raise the Parapet Height with a Railing
This is the simplest solution. If you can penetrate your roof parapet, there are several roof parapet railing solutions. We offer railings that attach to the top of the parapet or the outside of the building. Find our more about these types of railings on our roof parapet railing page.
2. Install a Non-Penetrating Full-Height Railing
If penetrating the outside of the wall is not an option, a freestanding, non-penetrating railing can be used to keep people back to from the roof edge. Find out more about KeeGuard, our non-penetrating roof railing.
3. Use Temporary Parapet Railing Clamps to Build a Railing
If you only require temporary access to a roof with a lower parapet, then parapet clamps are a cost-effective option. The clamps are designed to clamp onto the roof parapet. The railing is then formed by inserting 2x4s between the clamps to form a safe, temporary barrier. Click here to find out more about temporary parapet railing brackets.
Whatever the situation you find yourself in, reach out to our trained sales staff. They can recommend products and help you understand the benefits of the different parapet railing solutions that are available.
When it comes to safety, it may seem like a no-brainer that those who have OSHA to guide them would not become complacent. However, for those who work in the construction or warehousing fields, it does not work like that.
Workers need regular reminders about safety so that accidents do not occur as often. With some simple implementations, the idea of being safe will always be on their minds.
Even Marines Forget About Safety
Combat engineers are an important part of the Marine Corps' operations. A good friend of mine was telling me, though, that back in 2005 when he was in Fallujah, they had a workplace accident.
The platoon was clearing debris into a 7-ton truck and began making a game of launching it from 50 feet away, not knowing that a fellow lance corporal was on the side of the truck. A piece of 2"x4" missed the truck and hit him in the head, cutting him.
It was a needless non-combat injury, further proving the importance of being safe.
How Many Days Since the Last Accident?
One of the best ways to have a regular reminder about safety is to set goals for how many days a team can go without a workplace incident. When certain benchmarks are met, such as a month, 50 days, 100 days, and so on, there should be a celebration. Perhaps the team can get out of work an hour early, get creative!
This needs to be implemented with a visual reminder so that people can see it. When the day is over and it has been without accidents, a team member should be asked to change the number so as to reinforce the good day that was just had.
Safety Awards
Recognition goes a long way in the workplace. When a person does something exceptional, whether it is revising a safety program, taking on extra responsibilities, or finding a defect in a piece of machinery, they need to be publicly rewarded. A plaque, a gift card, or even a trophy can accompany this reward.
This inspires safety and lets people on the team know that they are truly valuable. There are few times that people are recognized, and when they save lives, they need to know that the leadership of the team recognizes their contributions.
Incentives for being safe can be a touchy subject, check out this active discussion on LinkedIn.
Encourage Open Communication
Open communication with safety managers and co-workers is essential to create a safety conscious work environment. Employees need to know they can come to management without fear of retribution to report violations of safety procedure.
When workers are encouraged to communicate about safety they begin to take an actionable approach to workplace safety. This keeps safety at the forefront of their minds.
