Temporary guard rail system

Abstract

An improved temporary guard rail system for use by residential and commercial builders on construction sites in those areas of building structures where an accidental fall may result in serious bodily injury. In particular, the temporary guard rail system of the present invention includes a plurality of upright stanchions having mounting brackets integrally formed or attached thereto that are connected by a plurality of vertically spaced, generally horizontal side rails extending end to end. The vertically spaced side rails are adapted for 360 degree rotational movement in both horizontal and vertical planes. In addition, the tubular guard rails are fabricated in a plurality of sections that may be slideably engaged, one inside another, to provide a telescoping adjustment of length. The temporary guard rail system may be adapted and secured to various features of a building such as balconies, elevated platforms, stair cases, and the perimeter of a floor prior to the external walls or permanent protective railings being erected to prevent accidental injury. Further, the temporary guard rail system is designed and manufactured to conform to OSHA requirements for temporary guard rails. This system also provides a versatile safety device which is easy to install, easy to dismantle, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

That which is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An improved temporary guardrail system for removable attachment to a building under construction including a plurality of upright stanchions, each respective stanchion having an anchor bracket on a bottom end thereof, said stanchions being connected by a plurality of vertically spaced upper and lower side rails and by a toe board, the improvements comprising: 
 means for rotatably connecting said rails to said stanchions enabling each respective side rail to be rotated 360° about a longitudinal axis of each respective stanchion in a horizontal plane and each respective side rail to be pivoted at varying angles in a vertical plane, said connecting means including a first threaded stud outwardly projecting from a tope end of said stanchions in substantially axial alignment therewith enabling each of said upper side rails to be rotatably mounted thereon at various angles, said upper side rails being pivoted in a vertical plane at varying angles by use of angulation means, said angulation means comprising a generally L-shaped swivel bracket disposed on said first threaded stud at said top end of said stanchion, said L-shaped bracket including a long leg portion and a short leg portion being fixedly attached in perpendicular relation thereto, said bracket further including swiveling means being adapted for pivoting movement in a plane parallel to the plane defining said long leg portion, said swiveling means including a second threaded stud disposed in perpendicular relation to said axis of said stanchion enabling said upper side rails to be mounted thereon and pivoted in a vertical plane at varying angles for installation of said temporary guardrail system on inclines such as stairs;    means for telescopically adjusting the length of each respective side rail and said toe board enabling said temporary guardrail system to be adapted to dimensional features of different buildings under construction; and    means for selectively extending the vertical height of said guardrail system to provide an increased measure of safety for employees performing specialized tasks requiring ladders and stilts adjacent thereto.    
     
     
         2 . The temporary guardrail system of  claim 1  wherein said swiveling means includes a pair of said studs arranged in parallel, spaced-apart relation thereon, said studs being disposed in perpendicular relation to said axis of said stanchion enabling a pair of adjacent upper side rails to be mounted thereon and pivoted in a vertical plane at varying angles for installation of said temporary guardrail system on inclines such as stairs.  
     
     
         3 . The temporary guardrail system of  claim 1  wherein said connecting means for said lower side rails comprises at least one rail support collar cooperating with an angulation means attached to each of said side rails, said at least one rail support collar being disposed about said stanchion and having at least one threaded stud outwardly extending therefrom and being perpendicular to a center axis of said collar enabling said angulation means of said side rails to be fixedly mounted on said at least one threaded stud.  
     
     
         4 . The temporary guardrail system of  claim 3  wherein said angulation means of said side rails comprises a mid-rail, swivel bracket disposed on said on at least one threaded stud extending from said rail support collar, said mid-rail, swivel bracket including an elongated body member and further including swiveling means being adapted for pivoting movement in a plane parallel to the plane defining said elongated body member, said swiveling means of said mid-rail, swivel bracket including a threaded stud mounted in perpendicular relation to said axis of said stanchion enabling said lower side rails to be mounted thereon and pivoted in a vertical plane at varying angles for installation of said temporary guardrail system on inclines such as flights of stairs.  
     
     
         5 . The temporary guardrail system of  claim 4  wherein said swiveling means of said mid-rail, swivel bracket includes a pair of threaded studs arranged in generally parallel, spaced-apart relation enabling a pair of said lower side rails to be mounted thereon and pivoted in a vertical plane at varying angles for installation of said temporary guardrail system on inclines such as flights of stairs.  
     
     
         6 . The temporary guard rail system of  claim 3  herein a plurality of rail support collars are disposed about said stanchions at a pre-determined vertical location in an operative relationship between at least two rail stops.  
     
     
         7 . The temporary guardrail system of  claim 1  wherein said extending means includes a plurality of extension posts being adapted for sliding engagement about the outside diameter of said stanchions at the upper ends thereof, said extension posts including connecting means so as to permit attachment of a plurality of vertically spaced side rails thereon enabling the vertical height of said temporary guard rail system to be selectively extended to provide increased safety to employees performing specialized tasks adjacent thereto.  
     
     
         8 . The temporary guard rail system of  claim 1  wherein each respective stanchion is fixedly attached to a ground anchoring means for installation directly onto a ground surface adjacent an excavation site.  
     
     
         9 . The temporary guard rail system of  claim 8  wherein said ground anchoring means is fabricated from a heavy gauge, corrugated sheet metal material that is adapted to receive a plurality of anchor pins therethrough for securing said ground anchoring means directly to the surface of the ground.  
     
     
         10 . The temporary guard rail system of  claim 1  wherein each respective stanchion is adapted for installation on a roof anchoring means fabricated from corrugated sheet metal.  
     
     
         11 . The temporary guard rail system of  claim 10  wherein said roof anchoring means is matched to the configuration of said corrugated sheet metal used in the construction of a roof.