Ladder safety device

Abstract

A safety device 100 for a ladder. The device comprises a flexible resilient sheath 110 for covering an end of a rail of the ladder. The device may comprise fastening means for fastening the sheath to

Description

5 TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to safety devices. Some relate to safety devices for securing a ladder against a surface. 10 BACKGROUND When resting ladders against surfaces such as walls, ledges, beams, or window sills, the ladder can slide along the surface. This can damage the surface, by for instance chipping away paint, leading to further problems such as rust or corrosion of the . 15 material beneath the paint. CM Furthermore, sometimes the ladder can slide and fall from the surface, which poses a significant safety risk for users of the ladder. 20 BRIEF SUMMARY According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments there is provided a safety device for a ladder, the device comprising a flexible resilient sheath for covering an end of a rail of the ladder, wherein the sheath comprises one or more mounting points 25 for attaching a tool, clip, lanyard or carabiner to the sheath, and wherein the one or more mounting points comprises at least one loop. The device may comprise fastening means for fastening the sheath to a rung of the ladder. The fastening means may comprise an opening in the sheath for receiving the 30 rung of the ladder and a fastener for securing the rung in the opening for receiving the rung. The sheath may be elongate, and an opening for receiving the end of the rail of the ladder may be provided at a longitudinal end of the sheath. The sheath may include a 35 channel extending between the opening for receiving the end of the rail of the ladder and the opening for receiving the rung of the ladder. The fastener may be configured to fasten one side of the channel to the other side of the channel to secure the rung in the opening for receiving the rung. The sheath may comprise an aperture for receiving the fastener on each side of the channel. 5 The sheath may be made from an elastomeric material. The sheath may be made from a rubber material or a silicone material. The sheath may be made from a natural rubber material. The sheath may be made from Shotblast rubber. 10 The longitudinal end of the sheath opposite to the opening for receiving the end of the rail may be closed. The sheath may have a substantially rectangular longitudinal cross section. The sheath may include a front wall for abutting against a surface when the sheath is mounted to the ladder. The front wall of the sheath may be of increased thickness relative to other walls of the sheath. The front wall of the sheath may be textured. The one or more mounting points may be provided on a rear wall of the sheath. One or more handles may be provided adjacent to the opening for receiving the end of the rail of the ladder. The walls of the sheath may be between 0.5mm and 10mm in thickness. The walls of 25 the sheath may be between 1mm and 5mm in thickness. According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments there is provided a pair of safety devices according to any of the preceding paragraphs. 30 According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments there is provided a system comprising a pair of safety devices according to any of the preceding paragraphs and a ladder including two or more rails, the safety devices each being mounted to an end of one of the two or more rails of the ladder. 3 According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments there is provided examples as claimed in the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION 5 Some examples will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a side view of a first device; Fig. 2 is a further side view of the first device; 10 Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first device along the plane A - A of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a further cross-sectional view of the first device along on the plane B - B of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a side view of a second device; Fig. 6 is a further side view of the second device; . 15 Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the second device along the plane A - A of Fig. 5; \| Fig. 8 is a further cross-sectional view of the second device along the plane B - B of Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is a side view of an example ladder; and Fig. 10 is a top view of the example ladder. CM 20 DETAILED DESCRIPTION Figs. 1 to 4 show a first safety device 100 for a ladder 500. An example ladder 500 is shown in Figs. 9 &10. The first safety device 100 comprises a flexible resilient sheath 25 110 for covering an end 515 of a rail 510 of the ladder 500. The flexible resilient sheath 110 is configured such that the inner surface of the walls of the sheath 110 are resiliently biased against the front, rear, inner and outer external surfaces 511, 512, 513, 514 of the rail 510 of the ladder 500 once the sheath 110 has 30 been mounted to the end 515 of the rail 510. The flexible resilient sheath 110 can thus grip onto the rail 510 of the ladder 500, and can also be mounted to ladders with rails of differing dimensions. In this example, the flexible resilient sheath 110 is made from an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material could be for instance a rubber material or a silicone material. The sheath 110 may be made from a natural rubber 35 material, such as Shotblast rubber. The sheath 110 of Figs. 1 to 4 is elongate, with the length dimension of the sheath 110 defining a longitudinal axis 20 of the sheath 110. An opening 120 for receiving the end 515 of the rail 510 of the ladder 500, herein referred to as the rail opening 120, is 5 provided at a longitudinal end of the sheath 110. In this example, the longitudinal end 130 of the sheath 110 at an opposite end of the sheath 110 to the rail opening 120 is closed, such that the rail 510 is unable to pass through the closed end 130. Thus a blind hole 122 for receiving the end 515 of the rail 510 of the ladder 500 is provided in the sheath 110 of Figs. 1 - 4. The closed longitudinal end 130 of the sheath 110 may 10 be curved to locate a curved end of a rail 510 of the ladder 500. In some examples, a handle 180 is provided adjacent to the rail opening 120. The handle 180 enables a user to pull the sheath 110 over the rail 510 of the ladder 500 once the end 515 of the rail 510 of the ladder 500 has been inserted into the opening 15 120. CM The sheath 110 has front and rear walls 141, 142 and first and second side walls 143, 144, which define the longitudinally extending blind hole 122 for receiving the rail 510 of the ladder 500. In this example, the sheath 110 and the hole 122 through the sheath 20 have a substantially rectangular longitudinal cross section, as illustrated in the cross-sectional diagrams of Figs. 3 and 4. The shorter sides of the substantially rectangular longitudinal cross section provide the front and rear walls 141, 142 of the sheath 110. The longer sides of the substantially rectangular longitudinal cross section provide first and second side walls 143, 144. In this example, the front wall 141 is for abutting 25 against a surface when the sheath 110 is mounted to the end 515 of the rail 510 of the ladder 500. In the example of Figs. 1 to 4, the front wall 141 is of increased thickness relative to the rear wall 142 and the first and second sides 143,144 of the sheath 110. The front wall 141 may be between 0.25mm and 1 mm thicker than the other walls 142, 143, 144. In some examples, the front wall 141 is textured. The textured surface of the 30 front wall 141 may be provided by a plurality of projections extending from the front wall 141, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4. In some examples, the sheath 110 comprises one or more mounting points 150 for attaching a tool, clip, lanyard or carabiner to the sheath 110. In the example of Figs. 1 35 to 4, a plurality of mounting points 150 are provided on the rear wall 142 of the sheath 110. The mounting points 150 may be in the form of at least one loop for attaching a tool, clip, lanyard or carabiner, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The mounting points 150 enable a user of the device 100 and the ladder 500 to more readily maintain three points of contact with the ladder 500 whilst working at height, by attaching their tools to the mounting points 150 using a carabiner or otherwise. This further improves user safety, and also allows a user to work more efficiently at height. In some examples, the safety device 100 comprises fastening means for fastening the sheath 110 to a rung 530 of the ladder 500, which in this example is the uppermost rung 530 of the ladder 500. In the example of Fig. 2, the fastening means comprises a fastener (not shown) and an opening 160 for receiving the rung 530 of the ladder 500 (herein referred to as the rung opening 160) in a first side wall 143 of the sheath 110. The fastener is for securing the rung 530 in the rung opening 160. In Figs. 1 - 4, the sheath 110 is configured to be mounted to the upper end 515 of the right hand rail 510 of the ladder 500 in use. The first side wall 143 therefore faces the other rail 520 of the ladder 500 when the sheath 110 is mounted to the end 515 of the right hand rail 510. The rung opening 160 may be substantially rectangular, as shown in the example of Fig. 2. As further shown in Fig. 2, the sheath 110 includes a channel 170 extending between the rail opening 120 and the rung opening 160. In this example, the channel 170 is narrower than the rung opening 160. The channel 170 is configured to enable a portion of the rung 530 of the ladder 500 to pass between the rail opening 120 and the rung opening 160. In the example of Fig. 2, the sheath 110 further comprises an aperture 172 for receiving the fastener on each side of the channel 170. The fastener (not shown) is configured to pass through both the apertures 172 to fasten one side of the channel 170 to the other side of the channel 170 and prevent the rung 530 moving through the channel 170. The fastener thus secures the rung 530 in the rung opening 160, thereby further securing the sheath 110 against the ladder 500. The fastener may be a piece of string or a cable tie. In some examples, the longitudinally extending blind hole 122 of the sheath 110 is between 100 and 400 mm in length. Preferably, the longitudinally extending blind hole 122 of the sheath 110 is between 150 and 350 mm in length. Most preferably, the 6 longitudinally extending blind hole 122 of the sheath 110 is between 200 and 300 mm in length, such as 240mm. In some examples, the front and rear walls 141,142 and the first and second side walls 143, 144 defining the blind hole 122 are between 0.5 mm and 10 mm in thickness. Preferably, the front and rear walls 141, 142 and first and second side walls 143, 144 are between 0.5 mm and 5 mm in thickness. Most preferably, the front and rear walls 141, 142 and firstand second side walls 143, 144 are between 1 mm and 2.5 mm in thickness, such as 1.5mm. In some examples, the rail opening 120 has a width of between 40 mm and 80 mm (such as 62.5 mm) and a height of between 10 mm and 30 mm (such as 22.5 mm). The width and height dimensions of the rail opening 120 are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 20 of the sheath 110. In the example of Figs. 1 -4, the width and height of the rail opening 120 corresponds to the width 22 and height 24 of blind hole 122 of the sheath 110. The width 22 and height 24 of the blind hole 122 is shown for example in Fig. 3. In use, the end 515 of the right hand rail 510 of the ladder 500 is inserted into the rail opening 120. The sheath 110 is then pulled over the rail 510 of the ladder 500 until the end 515 of the rail 510 abuts against the closed end 130 of the sheath 110. The sheath 110 may be pulled by a user using the handle 180. 25 After pulling the sheath 110 onto the rail 510, the rung 530 is located in the rung opening 160. The fastener for securing the rung 530 in the rung opening 160 is then fastened, to further secure the sheath 110 against the ladder 500. Figs. 5 to 8 show a second safety device 200, which is similar to the first safety device 100, but the second safety device 200 is intended for mounting to the end 525 of the left hand rail 520 of the ladder 500 in use, rather than the end 515 of the right hand rail 510. Therefore, the rung opening 260, the channel 270, and the apertures 272 on either side of the channel 270 are provided in the second side wall 244 of the sheath 210, rather than the first side wall 243 as in the first safety device 100. In use, both the first and second safety devices 100, 200 may be mounted to the same ladder 500, onto the ends 515, 525 of the right hand and left hand rails 510, 520 of the ladder 500 respectively. The safety devices 100, 200 described herein provide a number of advantages. The devices 100, 200 protect surfaces from damage by the ends 515, 525 of the rails 510, 520 of a ladder 500, by cushioning impacts. Furthermore, the safety devices 100, 200 increase the coefficient of friction between the ladder 500 and the surface, thereby reducing the risk of the ladder 500 slipping from the surface. It is to be realised that a wide range of modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, differently shaped sheaths may be used, or the sheath may be made from different materials. The term ‘comprise’ is used in this document with an inclusive not an exclusive meaning. That is any reference to X comprising Y indicates that X may comprise only one Y or may comprise more than one Y. If it is intended to use ‘comprise’ with an exclusive meaning then it will be made clear in the context by referring to “comprising only one...” or by using “consisting”. 25 In this description, reference has been made to various examples. The description of features or functions in relation to an example indicates that those features or functions are present in that example. The use of the term ‘example’ or ‘for example’ or ‘can’ or ‘may’ in the text denotes, whether explicitly stated or not, that such features or functions are present in at least the described example, whether described as an example or not, and that they can be, but are not necessarily, present in some of or all other examples. Thus ‘example’, ‘for example’, ‘can’ or ‘may’ refers to a particular instance in a class of examples. A property of the instance can be a property of only that instance or a property of the class or a property of a sub-class of the class that includes some but not all of the instances in the class. It is therefore implicitly disclosed that a feature described with reference to one example but not with reference to another example, can where possible be used in that other example as part of a working combination but does not necessarily have to be used in that other example. Although examples have been described in the preceding paragraphs with reference to various examples, it should be appreciated that modifications to the examples given can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. 5 Features described in the preceding description may be used in combinations other than the combinations explicitly described above. Although functions have been described with reference to certain features, those functions may be performable by other features whether described or not. 0 Although features have been described with reference to certain examples, those features may also be present in other examples whether described or not. The term ‘a’ or ‘the’ is used in this document with an inclusive not an exclusive 15 meaning. That is any reference to X comprising a / the Y indicates that X may comprise only one Y or may comprise more than one Y unless the context clearly indicates the contrary. If it is intended to use ‘a’ or ‘the’ with an exclusive meaning then it will be made clear in the context. In some circumstances the use of ‘at least one’ or ‘one or more’ may be used to emphasis an inclusive meaning but the absence of these terms 20 should not be taken to infer any exclusive meaning. The presence of a feature (or combination of features) in a claim is a reference to that feature or (combination of features) itself and also to features that achieve substantially the same technical effect (equivalent features). The equivalent features include, for 25 example, features that are variants and achieve substantially the same result in substantially the same way. The equivalent features include, for example, features that perform substantially the same function, in substantially the same way to achieve substantially the same result. 30 In this description, reference has been made to various examples using adjectives or adjectival phrases to describe characteristics of the examples. Such a description of a characteristic in relation to an example indicates that the characteristic is present in some examples exactly as described and is present in other examples substantially as described. Whilst endeavoring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features believed to be of importance it should be understood that the Applicant may seek protection via the claims in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and / or shown in the drawings whether or not emphasis has 5 been placed thereon. l / we claim: 21 11 24

Claims

1. A safety device for a ladder, the device comprising a flexible resilient sheath for covering an end of a rail of the ladder, wherein the sheath comprises one or more mounting points for attaching a tool, clip, lanyard or carabiner to the sheath, and wherein the one or more mounting points comprises at least one loop.

2. A safety device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises fastening means for fastening the sheath to a rung of the ladder.

3. A safety device according to claim 2, wherein the fastening means comprises an opening in the sheath for receiving the rung of the ladder and a fastener for securing the rung in the opening for receiving the rung.

4. A safety device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sheath is elongate, and an opening for receiving the end of the rail of the ladder is provided at a longitudinal end of the sheath.

5. A safety device according to claim 4 when dependent on claim 3, wherein the sheath includes a channel extending between the opening for receiving the end of the rail of the ladder and the opening for receiving the rung of the ladder, the fastener being configured to fasten one side of the channel to the other side of the channel to secure the rung in the opening for receiving the rung.

6. A safety device according to claim 5, wherein the sheath comprises an aperture for receiving the fastener on each side of the channel.

7. A safety device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sheath is made from an elastomeric material.

8. A safety device according to claim 7, wherein the sheath is made from a rubber material or a silicone material.

9. A safety device according to claim 8, wherein the sheath is made from a natural rubber material.

10. A safety device according to claim 4 or any of claims 5 to 9 when dependent on claim 4, wherein the longitudinal end of the sheath opposite to the opening for receiving the end of the rail is closed.

511. A safety device according to claim 4 or any of claims 5 to 10 when dependent on claim 4, wherein the sheath has a substantially rectangular longitudinal cross section.10 12. A safety device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sheathincludes a front wall for abutting against a surface when the sheath is mounted to the ladder.1513. A safety device according to claim 12, wherein the front wall of the sheath is of increased thickness relative to other walls of the sheath.

14. A safety device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the front wall of the sheath is textured.20 15. A safety device according to claim 12, wherein the one or more mounting pointsare provided on a rear wall of the sheath.

16. A safety device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein one or more handles are provided adjacent to the opening for receiving the end of the rail of the 25 ladder.

17. A safety device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the walls of the sheath are between 0.5mm and 10mm in thickness.30 18. A safety device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the walls ofthe sheath are between 1mm and 5mm in thickness.

19. A pair of safety devices according to any of the preceding claims.

20. A system comprising a pair of safety devices according to any of claims 1 to 18 and a ladder including two or more rails, the safety devices each being mounted to an end of one of the two or more rails of the ladder.521 11 24

Images