Product Profile: Horizontal Lifeline Cable Systems

Window washing, suspended maintenance and fall protection systems all have one thing in common: they are all fall protection systems. Each and every one of them is 100% designed around the worker having a lifeline to either prevent them from falling or arrest the fall in the event that one happens. The difference with a fall protection only system is that there are no considerations given to how the building's exterior will be serviced from roof level. Nine times out of ten, the most practical solution for a fall protection only situation on a roof top, is to utilize a horizontal lifeline cable system.

A horizontal lifeline cable system utilizes a series of roof anchors that are either an end, a corner or an intermediate cable support anchor. Through the u-bar's or the roof anchors the cable is supported.

As opposed to individual anchor points, the cable system provides more coverage for workers, allows workers to be continuously tied off, and typically requires less anchor points than a system that does not utilize a horizontal cable. In narrow walkway's such as the one shown in the picture above, a cable system is really the only way to design the fall protection system.

There are two main types of horizontal lifeline cable systems: hands free and double lanyard. The hands free system utilizes specially designed intermediate anchor points. See below:

These special intermediate anchor points allow a worker's lanyard rope grab to pass through them without unclipping. With a double lanyard system, as the worker approaches an intermediate anchor point, the worker must unclip and reclip passed each intermediate support. It's called double lanyard because while the worker is doing this, his secondary lanyard rope grab is engaged to make sure the worker is tied off at all times. Double lanyard systems are far cheaper than hands free and most of the time they provide as adequate a level of safety as the hands free.

The horizontal lifeline cable is actually aircraft cable and comes in either a galvanized or stainless steel finish. These systems are ideally designed to come from above a workers back to limit the distance of a fall in the instance that one happens. See below.

Another important note on cable systems is that the spacing in between anchor points is usually around thirty feet. Fall protection systems that utilize only anchors and not cable require anchors on more frequent intervals or centres. Therefore, less anchor points for a cable system equals a better system for typically a cheaper price (considering the additional reinforcing required on steel structure with just anchor points).

Any building that has a low parapet with any reason whatsoever for workers to go close to the edge should have a permanent fall protection system. More often than not, a cable system is the way to go. Its cheaper and its a more functional system.



Michael Gray
Ontario and Eastern Canada
Marketing and Sales Support
Pro-Bel Enterprises Ltd
e: mikegray@pro-bel.ca
t: @Pro_Bel
w: http://www.pro-belgroup.com/

Pro-Bel: A Brief Company Overview

Pro-Bel Enterprises Ltd designs, engineers, manufactures, installs and inspects window washing, suspended maintenance and fall protection systems worldwide. To date, we have successfully completed over 11,000 projects and have offices in 6 different countries: Canada, United States, Brazil, Belgium, China and Abu Dhabi. With over 200,000 square feet of office space and more than 200 employees we are one of the largest firms of our kind in the world.

Marc Lebel, owner, started the company in the 1970’s operating it as a high rise window cleaning company called Pro-Bel Services. When high rise window washing and exterior maintenance operations were carried out at this time, buildings did not have properly identified and engineered anchorage points. Without proper anchorage points on roof tops, workers would essentially ‘tie-off’ to whatever they could to do the job. This gap in building construction and obvious safety hazard led Pro-Bel to a shift in focus from window cleaning services, to the development of proper anchorage systems for window washing, suspended maintenance and fall protection.

Over the past 30 years, Pro-Bel Enterprises has acquired a reputation for being a highly qualified authority on fall protection and suspended access systems. Some of what sets us apart is our attention to customer service, the fact that we manufacture our own equipment, we carry $10,000,000.00 in legal liability insurance, and $2,000,000.00 in errors and omission insurance.

From roof anchors to cars Pro-Bel safety systems are engineered for life. For more information on what Pro-Bel Enterprises Ltd has to offer please visit our website at http://www.pro-belgroup.com/.


Best,

Michael Gray
Marketing and Sales Support
Ontario and Eastern Canada
e: mikegray@pro-bel.ca
t: @Pro_Bel

Ontario Fall Protection and Non-Routine Roof Maintenance

Ontario, and Canada for that matter, have relatively strict codes and regulations when it comes to safety. Fall protection is no exception. There are a myriad of codes and standards that
address fall protection for construction workers, window cleaners and restoration workers. 

The problem is that construction workers, window cleaners and restoration workers, aren't the only ones who should be covered by the codes and standards for fall protection. What about other kinds of workers performing non-routine roof top maintenance, dangerously close to a roof edge? To name a few:

- school janitor
- hvac repair person
- satellite installer
- green roof maintenance worker

The Ontario Building Code 2006 (4.4.4.1 - Anchor Systems On Building Exterior) addresses buildings that have roof heights exceeding eight meters from ground level and only relates to window washing or exterior maintenance practices.

Canadian Standards Association Z-91, or Z-271, only address window cleaners and suspended maintenance workers at heights with respect to fall protection. Z-91 4.9 Fall Protection for example, states that workers who come within two meters of a roof edge that has a low parapet and potential to fall three meters or more must utilize some form of fall protection.

If window cleaners and suspended maintenance workers have to tie off to something when they can fall ten feet or more, why doesn't a school janitor who is cleaning a scupper, or getting a ball off the roof have to do the same?

The window cleaners go through rigorous safety training and spend the majority of their jobs (and indeed a good portion of their lives) working at heights. The school janitor has minimal fall protection training, and spends a relatively small amount of time working at heights.

Shouldn't they be just as regulated as window cleaners?

Michael Gray
Pro-Bel Enterprises Ltd
Ontario and Eastern Canada
P: (905) 427-0616 x 2457

mikegray@pro-bel.ca
@Pro_Bel