How to Safely Install Outdoor Railings for Your Home
Outdoor railings can serve as beautiful and creative garnishes for the exterior of your home. Glass railings, in particular, can add a certain liveliness and allure that embodies the personal and unique decorative style of every home owner. They can also inadvertently raise the value and curb appeal of your home aesthetically. But when it comes to railing installation, your personal safety and the safety of the people installing the railings should be a top priority.
Safety Tips for Installing Railings for Your Home
Whether you are installing the railings yourself or hiring a contractor to install them for you, there are a few safety tips you should make sure are being implemented throughout the entire railing installation process.
Experience Only Comes to Those Who Wait/Work
When installing your outdoor railings, whether in the front yard or backyard, try to remember that common sense is not always so common for beginners; this can be said for anyone working in the trades or anyone starting a new job.
The first thing you should do at the onset of the railing installation project is assess any possible health or safety risks that may come up later on. Do not assume that you can simply deal with any problems as they occur because, at that point, it might be too late to adequately execute proper safety measures. It is always better to be overly prepared ahead of time than to be under-prepared when it is most necessary.
If you are working with a contractor, make sure their employees are all properly trained, that they are all familiar with the safety protocols outlined in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s required training materials for all outdoor workers. You are not expected to know everything about outdoor working safety precautions right off the bat, but you should be able to spot potential safety hazards with enough credence to know how to react to them.
Keep Your Workspace Clean and Tidy
Cleanliness is close to godliness, as the saying goes. For outdoor workers, this is not just a saying, it is a way of life. A clean and tidy workspace is a safe and injury-free workspace. Knowing where everything is before you need it and keeping all of your tools organized will not only result in a properly built railing, it will also ensure your safety and the safety of those around you.
Calculate the Height of the Landing
Even the most experienced railing installers know the importance of accurately measuring the height of the landing with which they are working. They need to be aware of the heights they are working with so that they can adequately determine the distance from the ground to their working environment. This knowledge allows for full preparedness in the event that an accident does occur. There are several fall prevention and fall protection lifelines you can use onsite.
Install Necessary Fall Protection Lifelines before Someone Gets Hurt
Remember, railings do not just materialize out of nowhere; they need to be installed by someone. This means that, at one point or another, someone had to install a railing where one did not previously exist, risking their own safety. It is a good thing there are ways to foresee dangerous situations and prevent them ahead of time.
Temporary Railing: Temporary railings are handy if you are installing the permanent railings from an extremely high point. They provide a rooftop barrier so that workers don’t cross certain points while working very high up on a building.
Temporary Anchor Point: Temporary Anchor Points provide weighted support for times when you do not have the proper resources to install parapet railings.
Inspect Your Tools and Equipment Regularly and Thoroughly
It is not sufficient to merely inspect your tools and equipment once before commencing the railing installation project. You must inspect them every day before starting the task at hand and guarantee that they are all in proper working condition and up to code. The last thing you want is to injure yourself due to faulty equipment or become a liability to those working with you.
Trust the Experts at CPL Aluminum Railings & Glass
CPL Aluminum Railings & Glass is a Canadian company founded in 1989. We are a leader in the manufacturing, supply, and installation of aluminum and glass railings in the GTA and Ontario. All our offerings are rust free, ensuring years of maintenance-free reliability. For more information, please call (905)-850-5590 or email cplaluminumrailings@bellnet.ca