SLOPING ROOF FALL PROTECTION
An inclined roof, otherwise known as a sloping roof, is a roof with a slope of more than 15 degrees.
Such roofs are more difficult to protect against falls from a height than flat roofs. Therefore, fall protection on it is much more complicated- the very construction of the systems and their assembly requires much more work and energy. Different security standards apply on such roofs.
- Fall protection basics
The worker is attached to the work rope, which in turn is attached to the anchorage point. Before he enters the roof, he must connect the rope hook to the safety harness he is wearing to prevent him from falling.
- Throwing rope
This rope can be used to pass the rope over an inclined roof. A rope runs from the end of one roof, through the middle to the other end of the roof. Then you need to find a safe, strong object that can serve as a temporary anchoring point. It can be, for example, a tree or a steel structure. We anchor ourselves to this object, at the other end we attach the weight to keep the rope taut. This ensures that the rope hook works properly and enables the system to function properly.
The throwing rope is strong, light and has a special throwing bag attached. Brief instructions on how to use the system:
- We unfold the throwing rope with the bag, connect it with the safety rope, throw the bag on the sloping roof so that it is thrown completely through this roof.
- We go to the other side to the place where the bag fell. We pull the throwing rope until we have a safety rope in hand.
- Are we disconnecting the throwing line from the safety line- now we only need a safety rope.
- We tie adjustable straps around a tree or some other object. This will be a temporary anchoring point
- We go to the other side of the building, attach the weight to the rope- it guarantees the tension of the rope and the proper functioning of the fall protection system.
- We attach the rope to the work harness (it must be an attachment point at the chest).
- We are ready to work.
The rope attachment point works like the seatbelts in the car- it moves with you, but when you make a sudden movement, the clamps will trip and the point will stop- if you fall off the ladder, the system will stop you from falling and you are safe.
Comments
There are limitations to using this fall protection system for an inclined roof. First of all, we must have access to the roof on both sides. In addition, there must be a solid anchoring point on one side to hold the person falling. The most frequently used points are trees. In addition, you need to be able to throw the bag with the rope far enough. With a really large and high roof, this may be difficult to do.