As architects continue to imagine and design complex projects; it is becoming increasingly common that fall arrest and tie-back equipment are located on terraces of buildings. As the condominium market is still as competitive as ever; builders and developers are coming up with special features and incentives to lure buyers. Items like barbecues, bars, built in kitchens, gardens, lounges, hot tubs, …
Engineering a Complete Anchor System: Part 1
Fall arrest and tie-back anchors are primarily designed to protect workers from falls while working on or over the roof edge. While a clear understanding of codes, regulations, and standards is of the utmost importance; the first consideration (after safety of course) is function when designing proper window washing, suspended maintenance, and fall protection systems. Often buildings will install a …
Common Misconceptions Series – Part 1
I recently became aware of some very serious misconceptions within our industry and I thought that this would be a great platform to clear them up. One of the most frequent misconceptions that I hear is that “we need davits” for a building/project to complete window washing and suspended maintenance. In certain situations this is definitely the case; however, they …
The Inspections Department
The Inspections Department is an integral part of our company. Fall arrest and tie-back anchors (for window washing systems and fall protection equipment) are required to be inspected annually in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations and the Department/Ministry of Labour. Our mission in this Department is two-fold: To develop first hand experience and maintain an expert team of Inspectors in this highly …
Working At Heights
Everyone is responsible for preventing falls when working at heights. The building owner/property manager/owner’s representative, the self-employed contractor, any subcontractor and the worker are all responsible for safety considerations when on a roof. The concern for health and safety on a roof becomes critical as soon as someone steps foot on a roof (and not just when they “get close” to the edge). All …
Basics of Fall Protection
Our industry is most commonly associated with window washing systems and suspended maintenance systems. Because of this, fall protection (specifically on low-rise buildings) is often overlooked. Fall Arrest vs. Fall Restraint “Fall protection” is actually a term that encompasses the method of either “fall arrest” or “fall restraint”. Fall arrest prevents a person from reaching the ground (once a fall …
Perception vs. Reality
The following is an email that was sent to me from our CEO, Marc Lebel. I thought that it was an interesting message about interpreting “common beliefs” for yourself. I hope that everyone takes something positive from this message and applies it to themselves at some point this year. I recently traveled to an area that is not considered by …