A roof anchor point installation is done with other safety protection equipment like lanyard or harness protection systems for safeguarding employees from accidents at the workplace. You can make use of either the temporary or the permanent anchor points for protecting workers from the fall hazards. Correct roof anchor point installation is necessary to prevent accidents at the workplace. It is essential to have a good fall protection system in place if your workers are required to work at great heights. For non-compliant safety system, you could be criminally liable.
Selection and roof anchor point installation is by no means an easy task. It is not as simple as coming across a durable anchor and simply attaching the lanyard. There are various types of roof anchor points and the selection of these anchor points should be done carefully taking into consideration many factors.
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| Roof Anchor Points |
The Key Factors to Consider in Selecting Roof Anchor Points
#1. Determining the Part of The Roof to Which the Anchor Point Would be Attached: Before Roof Anchor point installation, you need to assess whether the structure of the roof you are choosing for the purpose can withstand the force or not. Only an engineer after adequate inspection would be able to determine whether a chosen structure would be able to fulfill the function of an effective fall protection system or not. The I-Beam proves to be an effective structure for roof anchor point installation.
#2. Understanding the Force an Anchor Point is Needed to Bear: In many incidents the accidents had occurred due to selection of improper roof anchor points that cannot bear sufficient force.
#3. The Kind of Roof Anchor Point That Your Lanyard Can Connect Safely To: There are various types of engineered systems such as mobile type anchor points, horizontal lifelines, and permanent engineered roof anchor etc. Each of these engineered systems is available with their share of demerits and merits. Some of the engineered systems are as follows:
- Horizontal Lifeline: This engineered system is fantastic if it is in place. Though the system can be a little expensive it permits the workers to move freely and can be tailor-made to any configuration. It can be installed in a way to eliminate the use of lanyards. This system is perfect to be used for the long-term projects as it requires a lot of time from its installation to the workers being trained to use it correctly. For instance, for a temporary one-day patchwork the horizontal lifeline need not be erected but for carrying out frequent maintenance of the air-handling rooftop units the horizontal lifeline is a must.
- Portable Anchor Point: This engineered fall arrest system is good for irregular and quick jobs to be performed at heights. It is designed in a way that penetration of the rooftop is not required, and its component parts can be broken down for easy portability.
- Permanent Engineered Roof Anchor Points: This is another fall arrest system and designed for penetration of the roof and is attached to the structural steel. This system is used for the long-term projects.
#4. The Type of Work for Which You Need the Roof Anchor Point Installation: Depending on the purpose you need the roof anchor point there are two types that are the fall arrest system and the roof access system.
- Fall Arrest System: This system is needed for arresting the fall of workers mid-air and avoids impact at the lower level.
- Rope Access System: This system helps in fall protection when the other conventional systems do not work. It helps the workers to descend, ascends and for traversing the ropes, all the while suspended by the harness or the work seat.
Thus, you need to take into account several factors for choosing the right anchor point so that it is compliant and meets the safety requirements of your projects.
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