We carry a complete line of fall protection solutions
to keep your employees safe.
Explore our product based upon type: Fall Prevention,
Fall Arrest, & Fall Restraint.
What's the difference?
Would you like to exit this roof hatch without a railing? This picture is not a fake. It was sent to us by one of our customers. It is a shame to say it, but sometimes safety is not the number one priority when a building is being designed and constructed. Whoever installed this roof hatch was clearly not thinking about the implications of their installation.
Do you need a roof hatch railing?
Unequivocally YES! OSHA considers a roof hatch to be a hole in your roof and it must be protected with the proper fall protection railing. This is what your roof hatch should look like:
A roof hatch should be protected with a perimeter railing that has a spring loaded industrial safety gate to allow entrance and exit from the hatch. This is a safe roof hatch. See our Roof Hatch Safety Railing page for more information on protecting your roof hatch.
In addition to providing perimeter protection to prevent falls, it also provides a place for the person exiting and entering the hatch to grab onto. This meets the OSHA requirement that calls for the proper grab bars when climbing to the top of a ladder.
What about ladder extension bars?
These provide assistance to someone who is entering and exiting the hatch, but they do not provide protection against someone falling into the hatch.
How difficult is it to install a roof hatch railing?
It's very easy. The KeeHatch Railing is designed to attach to the outside of the hatch with special brackets. In a couple of hours you will have the hatch railing attached and ready to use.
Is it compatible with all roof hatch types?
Yes! When you place your order we will ask questions about the exact type and dimensions of your roof hatch. The railing uses standard pipe that can be cut to size on site. Be sure to select the style that matches the configuration of your hatch.
What materials is the KeeHatch Railing available in?
It is available in galvanized steel and aluminum. Both versions are very durable and do not rely on paint for corrosion resistance.
Do you have other questions?
Get in touch with our sales engineers and we will be happy to answer any questions you have about KeeHatch or any other railing system.
If you are ever driving through a residential construction project take note on how much fall protection equipment is being used. Yes, there might be a safety bucket lying in a corner in case OSHA shows up, but generally it is not used. OSHA recently released a new directive that calls all residential builders to come into compliance to a new guideline within three months.
My understanding of this new guideline is that residential fall protection is now considered feasible for the residential roofing industry. What this means is that OSHA is not going to listen to excuses about fall protection not being feasible for residential construction. It seems as if the kinds of fall protection equipment available have made OSHA think, “now there is no excuse”. In the past you might have been able to say, “there’s no way to keep those people safe.” Now that kind of excuse will be ignored and the organization will simply be fined.
Why the Change
My belief is that OSHA is simply updating their policies to be consistent with the kinds of equipment that are now readily available to all builders. 10 years ago people may have been able to say that there was not any equipment to protect people who were working on a residential rooftop. Today that is not the case. Today there is a proliferation of fall protection products that are designed to help people who are working in the residential building industry.
One of the constant complaints of builders is that fall protection encumbers their work and makes them uncomfortable (try as we may, the argument that death isn't comfortable seems to fall on deaf ears). One of the best products that I have seen answers a common complaint and keeps workers safe, the HUGS guardrail system. The HUGS system attaches underneath the eve of a residential or commercial frame roof building. The bracket attaches and detaches easily and provides perimeter guardrail protection around the edge of a roof.
Another readily available solution is a system that uses anchors and retractables. A system like swivel skyhook allows workers a complete range of motion without having to work with ropes and trip hazards lying around on the roof.
This is Simple.. Don't Complicate the Issue
The simple reality is that for about a thousand dollars a worker you can outfit someone with the proper fall protection to keep them safe while working on a residential rooftop. When you consider the cost of losing a friend, a brother, a father, that seems cheap! No excuses! When it comes to residential fall protection it is time to work safe!
No one would want to get on an airplane and hear: "Well folks, we got about half way through the safety inspection and decided that was good enough. Now sit back and enjoy the flight." You need to provide total protection for the sake of the person who is working at heights. Industrial safety gates are a measure of fall protection or barrier protection that protect an area of transition. Here are three areas of transition where an industiral safety gate will help protet people from injury.
Ladder Openings
Whether on a rooftop or an elevated working platform, a ladder requires a gap in the guardrail that is protecting an edge. Leaving a ladder opening unprotected is leaving the job of fall protection half done. Industrial safety gates are made to attach to the railing or ladder structure so that the gap in the railing is closed with a spring loaded self-closing gate.
Roof Hatch Openings
Similar to ladder openings, roof hatches should be surrounded by the necessary guardrail. Self-closing safety gates allow the person who is exiting and entering the hatch to do so safely.
Safe Walking Areas
In plants where there are motorized vehicles and pedestrians working together, safe walking areas are often demarcated by railing. In order to provide the safest possible senario, the pedestrian needs to know when they are entering and exiting a safe walking area. Industrial safety gates help to provide an additional level of awareness when exiting and entering a safe walking area.
Is self closing necessary? Won't a chain work?
Chains have a very low reliability factor: they require human intervention. Self closing industrial safety gates have spring loaded hinges that cause the gate to close automatically after the person has gone through the opening. Our reasearch has indicated that OSHA does not view a chain as a compliant solution (especially because a better solution is readily available).
Recently I came across some really nice pictures of a KeeGuard toeboard installation. These are some great shots that show how well toeboard integrates with our railing systems. I decided to do a little Q&A on toeboard with Sales Manager, Dan Wampler.
When is a railing required to have toeboard?
Toeboard is required on a railing whenever it would be potentially hazardous for an object to fall from the edge. Ask this basic question: "If my hammer were to fall at this edge, could it hit a person or any dangerous machinery?" If "yes", you need toeboard. If you have an edge that does not pose this risk, you should be OK with standard railing without toeboard.
What are the general requirements of toeboard?
According to OSHA, toeboard needs to be at least 4" tall, with no more than a 1/4" gap at the bottom. It also must be able to withstand 50lbs being applied to it.
How do you integrate toeboard into your railing?
There are several different ways to mount toeboard onto a railing system
Weld it. Welding is probably the most labor intensive and dangerous route. It also leaves a system that is prone to rust in the future. Toeboard is usually used in situations where there is quite a bit of water (think water treatment plants or rooftops) so the last thing you want to do is leave an entry point for rust.
Drill and attach with u-bolts. This option is a bit better than welding but can still leave rust potential where the drill penetrates into the unprotected metal.
Use extruded toeboard and special toeboard base flanges. This is the option that we recommend. Extruded aluminum toeboard is very strong, corrosion resistant and has a channel to receive the hardware. The hardware is attached through special holes on the base flange fitting. (example toeboard fitting). This option forms the most secure connection without penetrating the metal to leave an opportunity for rust.
If you have other questions about toeboard we're always eager to help. Contact us and we'll get your connected to the right solution.
Dan is our on site safety genius. He reads OSHA manuals for fun. Kidding aside, Dan's experience in the safety industry will be an asset to you and your company as you evaluate safety products and services. He likes receiving calls on his new iPhone, so give him a ring to talk about safety standards, equipment and services.
Organizations like Habitat for Humanity use volunteer labor for residential roofing projects. The use of volunteer labor can be quite a dilema when it comes to keeping everyone on the worksite safe from injury. One of the most dangerous areas of a volunteer work site is a roof. An innovation in guardrail technology from HUGS now makes residential roof work much safer and more efficient.
The HUGS guardrail system allows the project manager to setup a safe working perimeter on a residential or commercial truss based roof. This solution is ideal for volunteer organizations who want to provide a safe working environment for volunteers working on the roof. Instead of requiring skills training and fall arrest equipment, the HUGS guardrail perimeter can be erected easily and for low cost, proving the safest possible work environment.
Here is what Dave Hall, House Leader of Harford Habitat for Humanity had to say:
We have used the HUGS for about three years at my Habitat Affiliate - I think our original cost was near $2000. They have been used about 15 times, so we are approaching $100 per house; Cheap! No work on a roof without the HUGS system installed, period. No exceptions for new construction.
Dave's quote points to the value that HUGS can bring: excellent roof top safety for volunteers at a reasonable cost.
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