LRFD for safety handrail

[trainguy]

Hi all.

Can someone point out the loads and load factors typically used in the North Eastern USA for a safety handrail, for example at the edge of a floor slab under construction?

I have AISC 2005, but I do not have loads from a local code, etc. This is actually for an industrial application on a locomotive being overhauled.

Please let me also know what factors need to be applied to the nominal moment resistance that I'll calculate with Section F10 of AISC.

Thanks!

tg

 

[cntw1953]

Do a word search on OSHA, it has loading requirement for handrailing. Not sure building code has it or not.

I would treat it as live load and apply the factor accordingly.

 

[bridgebuster]

see attached.

 

[trainguy]

Thanks very much.

tg

 

[JStephen]

Safety rails fall under varying rules. In general places open to the public, they'll be subject to building codes. In most workplaces, they will be covered by OSHA. However, OSHA doesn't cover every workplace. A mining environment falls under MSHA, which has different handrail requirements than OSHA. I would think railroad-related safety items would be covered either by separate railroad-specific federal rules or by safety rules of the individual railroads.

I'm thinking some of the railroad handrails I've seen also didn't match the OSHA-required 42" height required for General Industry, too.

Note that OSHA specifies minimum handrail member sizes. Also note that OSHA General Industry handrails are 2-rail handrails, which don't meet some of the building code requirements.

 

[jenDL]

Essentially for guardrails the design loads are: 200 lb. point load in any direction and (not simultaneously) a line load of 20 plf? (can't remember, may be 50 plf) For an industrial setting guardrails generally are 42" high and have a "midrail". More info can be found at OSHA website and, if applicable, your local state OSHA requirements. Also, like JStephen wrote, you'll have to check various sources for the physical requirements of the guardrail. The building codes and OSHA do not have exactly the same text and perhaps for railroads there are some other requirements or exceptions. I do think I remember reading somewhere that if you are doing maintenance on a truck that some of the guardrail requirements do not apply, but I don't have my references with me. I can provide some specific OSHA and IBC section numbers when I get to work tommorow if you'd like.

 

[trainguy]

Can anyone tell me the load factor and the resistance factor one would use in the calculation?

In Canada, I'd simply use 1.5 in front of the live load and 0.9 in front of the nominal bending resistance.

However, the Canadian load is approx 360 lb, not 200 as in the US.

What would you use in the US?

tg

 

[fade2blue]

OSHA calls for a SF of 4 on platform components. The guardrails are 200 lbs for the top rail as mentioned above. The spec. only states the rail should support this weight without failure.