How to Save Money When Buying metal beam guardrail

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Personal fall arrest systems seem to get all the attention in discussions revolving around fall protection, but safety harnesses and lanyards should be a last line of defense since they are considered personal protective equipment. Short of eliminating the fall hazard (which often isn’t possible), engineering controls are the next best method. Now, while the term “Engineering Controls” may make the concept seem daunting, engineering controls can be something as simple as setting up railings.

Railings are a great option for construction sites where things change on a daily basis. Some sites will opt to have their carpenters build the rails from scratch, but products exist that can save you money in labor as well as in materials since they can be moved and reused from job to job. How, though, do you determine which ones are right for your project?

First, understand that all engineered rail systems you can purchase on the market from a reputable source are designed to meet OSHA requirements. Assemble them properly, inspect, and maintain them and no further engineering is required. Second, determine where they’ll need to be placed. Safety rail systems come in a variety of different types so that you can most likely find the right product for your situation.

Some systems such as Guardian G-Rail are designed to rest directly on your flat roof, floor or other surface. These systems work with a set of bases that the rails can be dropped into (base-mounted systems are usually designed with fully constructed rails). The bases themselves are constructed so that they are not damaging the surface of the roof (unless they are being mishandled). One concern when it comes to base-mounted systems is that they may take away your ability to work right to the edge without removing them. If you have to do this, even momentarily, you are going to need an alternate means of fall protection while the rail isn’t in place.

Other systems like parapet clamp guardrail or a concrete slab grabber may work. These will give you maximum work area because there are no bases to deal with. Instead, these systems are anchored to the very perimeter of the building with different types of clamps. HUGS construction guardrail is similar and works for residential roofs. Unlike the base-mounted systems, the clamped systems often require the installer to use their own 2x4s to make the rails. The posts - which are clamped to the building – have guides or channels for your boards to run through.

Working on a wooden structure? Rail systems exist that were designed just for that purpose such as metal construction guardrail systems or metal gusset guardrail systems . Nail these brackets right to the side of the wooden structure or the top or side of a wooden substrate, insert the posts and rails and you’re good to go. If that wooden structure happens to have a sloped roof and the residential roof under-eave clamps would be too far away from where the work is taking place, then you can look into temporary guardrail that attaches to the roof itself (remember, rails must be able to withstand 200 lbs. of force in a downward and outward direction – if you were to slide down a roof before striking the rail, your momentum could build up enough force to break through the protection. The closer to you the rails are, the safer your work).

Considering all of this, even if you were to decide that constructing your temporary rails with 2x4s was the way you wanted to go, you could still purchase mounting boots that you could re-use from job to job. These are made of a sturdy plastic and allow you to quickly mount your boards. Many provide a channel for easy installation of toe boards.

The options are varied, but that’s great because it means you should be able to find a solution for your situation. A little research and a little outlay of money up front and you could have a solution for many jobs to come. Just keep in mind one thing: if you want to be truly safe, ensure that your employees are protected WHILE these systems are being put into place.

Many driveways have an area that require some type of safety guard rail to prevent vehicles from sliding off the driveway in inclement weather or maybe just a driver error. Steel roadway guardrails may cost you an arm and a leg and require a post drving machine to set the guardrail posts, which is another cost to compelte the job. So is there any other choice to make and to save money? Believe it or not, with some sweat and a lot of effort, you can construct a guardrail for almost no money.

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You know that power and telephone companies continually replace their poles on a regular basis. This may be simply an upgrade to a pole to carry new transformers or to raise a section of wires for vehicle traffic and so on.These companies need to pay to have these old poles disposed of and that's where you step in. Contact your local power or telephone company and ask where they store the damaged or old poles and tell them you would like to have a few. They will in almost all cases be glad to get rid of them. It saves them money. 

Here you don't need full-sized poles, so you will need a chain saw with some old worn chains to cut the poles into manageable six foot long sections. Please notice I said old worn chains for your saw. Sharpen them before you cut but be prepared to discard them when your done cutting the poles. Power poles are usually full of hidden nails from your neighbors posting their garage sale signs but are also littered with screws, pins and all kinds of metallic items. Each and every metal piece is death to a chain saw chain. You can or course visually scan for these items before you cut but the concealed ones are the problem. Make sure you wear heavy work gloves when handling these poles as there will be splinters galore and any sharp objects will tend not to cut or stab you as easily. Be careful while you work and always wear eye and ear protection well.

Usually, a guardrail system will need a post every six or eight feet and of course at any point where the guardrail turns a corner. A straight twenty four foot guardrail with post at six foot centers would need five posts. Also a reminder that power poles are coated with creosote so wear old clothes when handling them. You will also need the longest pieces you can handle for a top rail. A top rail will provide much better protection but just plain posts close enough together can also provide very good protection. With all the pole and rail pieces now at home, lay out the centers of each post. Remember to measure from the starting edge of the first post and not the center line. Intermediate posts are measured to center line and the last post is the far edge away from the first post.

Here's where you need to decide if you want to dig the holes for the poles yourself or hire someone with a auger truck to do it for you. Your labor is free but very time consuming, the auger truck is quick and easy but costs some cash. If your short on time or help, the auger truck may be a good investment. With the holes dug, set your starting post. Once in the correct position check to assure the post sticks a minimum of two feet above finished grade. Back fill the post tamping the material in place as you go. Now move on to the rest of the posts making sure each one is on the proper center line and height.

A good trick here is if your guardrail is in a straight line, set the first and last posts first. Place a nail in the center of these two posts and string a line between them. You now have a quick guide to both center lines and heights of all the intermediate posts without having to measure each one. Once all the posts are in place let them sit for a few days and hopefully some rainfall will come to further settle the soil around the posts. If you have a water source close by, a good soaking of the back fill soils will hasten the settlement process along nicely. Cleanup around your posts removing all rocks and excess spoils and perhaps toss down some grass seed to restore the area. It is much easier to do this before the top rail is placed. Raking under the rail and climbing back and forth over it wears out really quickly.

Once ready for your top rail, place the top rail alongside the posts on the ground with one end over hanging the first post a few inches. Mark the top tail for both sides of the all the post locations. Once marked, you must carefully notch out a two inch deep slot to receive the post top once the rail is set on top of the posts. Try to be as neat as you can but you are cutting with chainsaw. A half inch wider notch is no big deal. Place the cut top rail onto the posts. I use sixty penny galvanized landscaping spikes to fasten the to rail to the posts. You may want to pre-drill the holes in the top rail and you will need at least a five pound lump hammer. Two spikes in each post should be sufficient. Once all the rail is in place you can either simply let it weather naturally or add a new coat of stain or sealant.

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