Rooftop Guardrail for Wastewater Treatment Facility

*Sniff sniff* “Uhh what’s that smell?” Oh, that’s just the sludge tank at the wastewater treatment facility.

Now that I’ve got your attention, the smell that comes from a place like this isn’t the only hazard that someone working there would have to worry about. 

Fall hazards are all too common in every industry, but they get even more overlooked when there is a “solution” in place that was only meant to be temporary but is now the main form of fall protection. Spoiler alert: temporary guardrail does not qualify as compliant OSHA guardrail.

In this article, we’ll discuss how one of our customers addressed their safety concerns and how we worked with them to develop the best solution for their facility. Got your nose plugs ready? Let’s dive right in.

Fall Hazards at Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Obviously, the smell, contaminants, and other types of biohazards exist within a wastewater treatment facility, but where do fall hazards come into play?

They can be relevant in many scenarios like on rooftops or near water. OSHA code 1917.112(b)(1) states:

“Guardrails shall be provided at locations where employees are exposed to floor or wall openings or waterside edges, including bridges or gangway-like structures leading to pilings or vessel mooring or berthing installations, which present a hazard of falling more than 4 feet (1.22 m) or into the water…”

For our specific case here, there was no direct water fall hazard, but there still were fall hazards to be addressed throughout the facility.

Temporary Guardrail Solution

A contractor recently worked for a wastewater treatment facility, where they helped design and remodel a sludge tank. During this construction, they used a temporary wooden guardrail as fall protection.

Now, this is all well and good so long as it adheres to OSHA’s construction code. OSHA states that during construction, guardrail must be 42 inches tall, plus or minus 3 inches, with a mid-rail in between. The guardrail must also be able to withstand a force of 200 lbs. in the outward and downward direction without more than 2 inches of deflection.

That’s a lot of numbers and guidelines so, how does that pertain here? Well, with temporary guardrail systems they may be able to fulfill these requirements, but only for a short time.

The key word is temporary. This is a solution that is implemented for the duration of the construction and then should be taken down once the job is complete.

However, what often happens is that once the job is done, a facility may just leave the temporary guardrail that’s up there as their “permanent” solution. 

This is dangerous. The temporary railing is not built to withstand long periods of use and weathering. The cheap metal will rust, or the wood beams will rot, and both will all lose their strength and safety.

Thankfully, for this project, our customer knew their temporary wooden guardrail was not the long-term solution. So, after some research for durable and permanent guardrails, they came across us here at Simplified Safety.

Permanent Rooftop Guardrail

Our customer called us and got connected with one of our fall protection experts, Sean. Our customer explained to Sean their need for a permanent guardrail around the perimeter of the rooftop because of how often they access their rooftop to perform routine maintenance on ducts, vents, and other conduits.

They also wanted a guardrail that would mount to the rooftop itself. This is a little bit different than our standard counterweighted guardrail systems, but due to the space and multiple people walking around the sludge tank, a mounted solution was what they were looking for.

“No problem!” Said Sean, or at least that’s what I think he said.

Our customer was also keen on durability. They wanted a guardrail that would last a long time and be able to withstand all the weather elements they face.

Again, Sean said, “No problem!”.

Sean then began drafting up the plans and specs for this new guardrail system to meet all our customers’ demands, while still adhering to OSHA’s guidelines.

Modular Rooftop Guardrail

Using our Kee Guard modular system, Sean was able to design a system that was simple but also able to navigate around pipes located on the rooftop. 

Because there’s no welding in our pipe and fittings system, this makes installing guardrail around these obstacles a breeze and makes every square foot of the rooftop protected. 

Kee Guard is also made from galvanized steel pipe and fittings. This means they are corrosion resistant and can withstand all weather elements without compromising their strength.

With all the specifications met and the plans approved. It’s time to order and install the guardrail.

Installing Perimeter Rooftop Guardrail

Once the guardrail arrived on-site, our customer was able to get to installing it right away. As mentioned, our guardrail is a modular system that doesn’t require any welding and just a few basic tools to install.

So, for an experienced contracting team, installation was done in no time! Using hex keys to assemble the guardrails and drills to mount the guardrail to the surfaces, our customer installed this guardrail in a few hours.

Our customer was overjoyed with how easy it was to install, and their customer was elated that the project was completed so quickly.

Additionally, the wastewater treatment facility was very pleased with the improved aesthetic of the guardrail along with improved safety on the rooftop.

In Review

Temporary solutions are self-explanatory. They are temporary and should be treated as such. Long-term permanent fall protection is the best solution to ensuring your people are safe for years to come.

If you are looking to upgrade to a permanent fall protection system, contact one of our fall protection experts. They can remotely assess your building and beginning designing your new fall protection today!