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]]>What do you do when you need something? You Google it right!
When you need a guardrail, selecting the suitable barrier requires more involvement than initially expected. It can be overwhelming with so many options. You find out that there are so many options available. GI, SS, FRP Aluminum, Welded, Non-penetrating, … The possibilities go on. With all of this in front of you, how do you make the right choice?
You should consider many points and features available while you make this decision.
1. What is the application of the guardrail?
2. Where do you need the guardrail?
3. how long do you need the guardrail to last?
4. What codes apply to your guardrails?
5. How fast do you need the guardrail to install?
6. How do you want the guardrail to look?
We'll review each area you should consider while making this decision.
1. What is the application of the guardrail?
It’s a simple question but an important one. There are a few factors that will change the type of guardrail that you need.
If you need the industrial guardrail for protection, then you need to make sure that the guardrail meets the standards applicable to you, like BIS, OSHA, or EN. The type of protection you need would also change the guardrail you want. We suggest using a 40 NB Structural Fittings based modular pipe guardrail for fall protection. However, the size and code will change if you want a more robust barrier system to protect people from forklift traffic. If you need to use it as a warning line, then the requirements are easier to manage by light duty handrail.
Then it would help if you considered whether the guardrail would be temporary or permanent. For example, if you plan on taking the guardrail down when the work is done, then you want to focus on temporary guardrails like a parapet clamp guardrail or temporary guardrail. On the other hand, if you wish for the guardrail to remain in place so that the working or walking surface is always protected, then you want a system designed to stay in place.
2. Where is the guardrail going?
The most common locations that we see are STP, ETP, WTP, Industrial Buildings perimeter, Solar rooftop, and machine guarding. Other potential sites include a mezzanine, a dock, or inside a warehouse. Each location has its own set of considerations that would change the guardrail you choose.
Weather plays a role in the system that you choose. Saline and water-rich areas, corrosive gas fumes, snow, and heavy rain will corrode the material if you don’t choose carefully. If you live in a windy area, you’ll want to ensure that any system is designed to meet your local requirements. Ensure that you take this into account so that you don’t have a guardrail flying off your structure, damaging equipment, or, more importantly, putting lives at risk.
The roof material will influence how you want to mount a guardrail. If you have a roof warranty, you don’t want to lose it by poking holes in the roof. If you don’t have a roof warranty, then you don’t want to exasperate potential roof leaks by poking holes in the roof. A complete modular aluminum lightweight guardrail constructed from tube clamp fittings is an ideal solution.
3. How long do you need the guardrail to last?
You may think this is a meaningless question, but I see the answer to this is ignored more often than you realize. A cheaper short-term solution will cost less initially, but when you consider money, energy, and time spent on maintenance and replacing that mean stuff, it becomes more costly. Guardrail is not immune to this problem. Some options are temporary and used for permanent solutions because they are cheaper. However, those savings come at a cost. Powder-coated steel will not last as long as galvanized steel, and you will have to replace the railing sooner than you expect. Welding has pros and cons as well. The weld points will be an area of accelerated corrosion despite galvanization. Aluminum and SS 316 do not rust and provide a better life in a humid and corrosive environment.
If you only need it for a year or two, then buying a lower-quality option may make sense. However, if you want something that will protect people long, you need to stop and ask yourself if the option you’re considering will do just that.
4. What codes apply to your guardrail?
We found a lack of understanding, most often in this area. We noticed in India IS 4912 code is ancient and needs updating as per OSHA or EN code. They talk about a lot and set the minimum safety standard that employers must provide. For rooftops, we do not have any set standards. Edge protection and safety in roof work require an area of consideration. Check your local regulations and company standard to select the correct guardrail.
You might have a presumption that welded railing only offers good strength. Still, proven evidence is that EnduRail built from Structural Fittings and slip-on pipe fittings, has surpassed the load requirement of OSHA and EN standards if configured correctly.
5. How fast do you need the guardrail to install?
Installing guardrails is part of project management. Procurement and execution both involve proper detailing. Mild steel welded guardrail needs site welding, grinding, and post-fabrication sandblasting and painting. All are time-consuming and skilled staff requirement jobs. Prefabricated GI railing management is not easy. You have to consider volume management and transit damages. If a small part needs modification or procurement, the handover process will get delayed and, in turn, project.
A modular aluminum guardrail system is easy to procure, manage and install without a skilled workforce. Procure structural fittings and pipes in pre-coated finish and start the installation as the project progresses. On-site modification and dismantling are also easy if required.
6. How do you want the guardrail to look?
Why does the look of the guardrail matter if safety is the only important thing? Of course, ensuring that the guardrail you choose is appropriate to your location and maintains the correct safety parameters is vital. However, compliance is not the only element of a proper solution.
In the Industrial area, during regular operations, guardrails are the first visible barrier when visitors enter the premises. Branding is also essential to a company’s success; for instance, yellow is often connected to construction, and it can give off that feel to visitors to your facility. Industrial modular Aluminum looks to become more popular over the years. Likewise, making a gray and silver finish combination more appealing in water treatment facilities. If you have a professional building with glass windows and a bright yellow guardrail on the roof, you tend to send mixed signals on what’s important to you. Often the color of the guardrail will set the tone of the environment.
Color isn’t the only aesthetic. Do you like the welded look? Welding has pros and cons; you’ll have to consider that when choosing. For example, many construction rails are sold in panels, which will have gaps and show a less cohesive system. Maybe you like that. Or perhaps you prefer to have a guardrail that looks like one solid and continuous piece. Selection of appearance with available options and finish with durability make sense in selection.
Whatever the reasons, make sure that you consider this as you make your choice.
Choosing the right guardrail can be more involved than the project may initially expect. However, you now know some essential things to consider as you pursue a safe and healthy work environment.
Need help? We have a team of professionals that can help you sort through each of these questions to find the right solution for you.
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]]>What is Slip-on Pipe Fittings?
Structural pipe fitting, also known as a slip-on pipe fitting, tube clamp, or pipe clamp is used to build structures such as handrails, guardrails, modular barricades, solar panel support, and other types of pipe or tubular structure. Endurail fittings are the best option for DIY enthusiasts for more creative applications such as bench, coffee table, modular GYM, clothing racks, shelves, and building architectural use. Because of the modular design of standard fittings, assembly is easy without welding or threading and only simple hand tools are required.
The primary advantage of Endurail fittings is their simplicity to use. The fittings slip on the pipe and are usually locked down with a set screw. Through the use of only Allen key when the knurl point set screw is tightened down it locks the fittings into the pipe and a connection equivalent to a weld is created. Don’t let its simplicity fool you into thinking the connection is weak. Endurail fittings are rated for more than 400 kg of pull-out force. This strength qualifies for use in most industrial applications.
Other advantages of using structural pipe fittings are:
- Easy installation and reconfigurable design.
- Since there are no permanent welds in the structure, the set screws of the fittings can simply be loosened, allowing them to be repositioned
- The project can be disassembled and stored if needed, or even taken apart with fittings and pipe recycled into a new project.
- There is no welding, threading, or special permits required when you use EnduRail modular handrail system.
- EnduRail Handrail advantage for large projects
- Just plan for Pipe and Fittings
- No specialized Labor, Permits, or tools
- No – Welding & Threading while installing.
- A last-minute change in configuration/location – easy to implement.
- Quick dismantling while an ongoing project
- Easy Assembly & Reusability
- Nicer aesthetic look
- Widely used in a water-rich environment without the risk of corrosion
- Can use prefinished powder-coated pipe and fittings – No Painting After Installation for many years
- Lowest life cycle cost-effective alternative to welded metal rail and brittle FRP railings.
If you are looking for a variety of fall protection systems in one place, then get in touch with us. We are a leading fall protection solution providing company in Ahmedabad, India. We offered different types of systems used in industries, such as structural pipe fittings, barricades, safety gates, lifelines, and safe access solutions like mobile scaffolding, work platforms, and crossover platforms.
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]]>The post Fall Protection: Safety Gate Applications appeared first on Chemey.
]]>(1) Handrail or Guard Rail openings or Roof Access Points
Self-closing safety gates are used at entryways through safety guard railings or installation into railings which surround equipment or machinery. Safety gates allow access yet provide fall protection.
A self-closing gate protects access points to a roof. The safety gate fall protection systems are useful for ladder openings, stairs, walkway access, catwalks, and transition points to a different level roof.
(2) Ladder Safety Gates
Protecting the entrance of a ladderway is key to preventing falls in your facility. One way to do this is with single side openable swing gates that attach to the guardrail system used to protect the elevated surface the ladder leads to. In fact, a self-closing gate is the preferred method of protecting ladder entrances in most facilities.
Ladder safety gates and other types of self-closing gate must meet the general requirements per OSHA 1910.29.
(3) Mezzanines or Other Industry Platforms: Pallet safety gate
Certainly, protecting personnel working above and working below a mezzanine must be done without impeding the loading area. A mezzanine safety gate allows access to move materials and yet provide safe restriction to the loading area.
Pallet gates open from the outside and allows pallets and other items to enter the mezzanine or platform with a forklift.
Are Safety Gates Required by OSHA?
OSHA’s new rule (November 2016) on walking-working surfaces and fall protection, OSHA states, “OSHA believes that double chains do not fully protect workers from falls at hole entrances, and therefore, is adopting the existing and proposed requirements that entrances to ladderway floor and platform holes have a self-closing gate or be offset to prevent workers from falling.” Therefore, according to OSHA, a gate is required at the top of all ladders. Below is the new OSHA code reflecting this requirement:
1910.28(b)(3)(iv) – Each employee is protected from falling into a ladderway floor hole or ladderway platform hole by a guardrail system and toe boards erected on all exposed sides, except at the entrance to the hole, where a self-closing gate or an offset must be used.
EnduGate safety gates meet and exceed OSHA regulations for fall protection. Preventing falls by using safety gates is beneficial to your bottom line. If you have questions about safety gate fall protection systems, please reach out to us.
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]]>The post Why Aluminum tubular fittings offer the best solution for handrails? appeared first on Chemey.
]]>Handrail and guardrail systems play a vital role in providing a safe barrier between people and hazards, so it’s essential that you can always guarantee the performance of the system and that its integrity is maintained many years after installation.
Fabricated handrails
Many people believe that fabricated handrails offer greater strength and stability and are quick to install as they’re fabricated on-site/off-site and then simply installed into place. While fabricating off-site may be a faster solution for other forms of construction, it’s not the case when it comes to safety barrier systems.
Designing a fabricated handrail is not a quick process. Firstly, a detailed site survey is required before drawings can be prepared. Once the design is finalized, sections are then fabricated off-site before the system can be installed on-site by a skilled worker. Installation on-site also requires welding which in turn leads to several health and safety implications, for example special work permits will be required for on-site welding.
Fabrication does not guarantee strength and stability. Fabricating a system involves cutting which breaches the metal’s anti-corrosion properties, this is further compromised by the on-site welding. Corrosion properties can be restored by applying zinc rich paint, but this must be applied meticulously otherwise it could merely offer protection to the external welded area only. The tube could still be unprotected internally which will lead to corrosion over time. The problem here is that the corrosion won’t be evident until it is too late which could mean the barrier breaks or collapses when it is supposed to be offering protection at a critical moment.
If a fabricated structure is found to be faulty, then damaged sections will need to be cut out and a new section welded. The new section will then need to be prefabricated off-site and then transported to the location.
Handrails made from Aluminum Structural fittings
Fittings tend to be aluminum structural castings in mill finish / anodized /powder coated along with precoated pipes so systems constructed from modular fittings and pipes are more resilient to corrosion, in some cases lasting up to 10 times longer than fabricated ones. In harsh environments of water treatment or sewage treatment plants and at saline area near sea or Desalination plant, Aluminium structural tubular fittings will provide the highest level of corrosion resistance. Fit it and forget it. No maintenance is required for many years and modular so you can remove an reinstall if required.
The Modular handrail solution
Fittings have proven their longevity and resistance to the harsh environments at many locations all over the world for many years, e.g. at
- Water Security Mega Reservoir- PRSP1, Package-A,B,C,D ,Qatar General electricity and Water Corporation, Qatar.
- Al Madina Al Shamaliya STP, Ministry of Housing Bahrain, Bahrain
- SWTP-9 Phase 1, MARAFIQ Sewage Treatment Plant project at Jubail, KSA
- Reliance Jamnagar, Adani Hazira Port, Ultratech Cement, Torrent Pharma, India
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