A handrail system that is constructed and arranged to be coupled to a stairwell such that at least a portion of a hand railing may be in an upright position or a lowered position. In an upright position, the system provides a complete top-to-bottom handrail. In the lowered, stowed position, the upper railing portion is conveniently stowed away within the stairwell. In a bulkhead embodiment, a full handrail is provided in the upright, use position and the upper railing is stowed within the bulkhead when the bulkhead doors are closed.

The present invention relates to a facility comprising: a fixed frame fixedly installed on an outer wall of a veranda or a balcony of a high-rise building; a foldable evacuation box which can be unfolded in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped having an open top side and has and evacuation door on a side thereof; a fall prevention and evacuation means which can be structurally changed to an emergency stairway for fire evacuation; an evacuation box locking means which allows the foldable evacuation box to be unfolded in a rectangular parallelepiped form; a locking means which holds and fixes the fall prevention and evacuation means to the fixed frame; and an entry prevention door which prevents an evacuee from entering inside a veranda or a balcony from the foldable evacuation box through the fixed frame.

An elbow joint connector includes an elbow portion and a locking mechanism detachably coupled to a distal end of the elbow portion. The locking mechanism including a pair of locking members translatable relative to one another along an interface transverse to a longitudinal axis of the elbow joint connector. Divergent translation of the pair of locking members relative to one another along the interface increases a portion of an outer periphery of the locking mechanism to lock the elbow portion to an adjoining member. The elbow joint connector is configured for detachable coupling to an adjoining elbow joint connector and pivotally rotatable relative thereto from a first configuration in which respective center axes of the connectors form an acute angle to a second configuration in which the respective center axes are collinear.

An example system in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure includes an opening assembly and a guard assembly installable in a floor above an enclosed region. The opening assembly is actuatable between an open configuration to provide access to the enclosed region, and a closed configuration in which the opening assembly provides a closed surface. A guard assembly is mounted to the opening assembly and actuatable independent of the opening assembly, between a retracted configuration flush with the closed surface of the opening assembly, and a deployed configuration to serve as a guard for the opening assembly.

A railing system having a number of spaced apart support bases and a railing is provided. The railing includes a number of vertically extending stanchions connected to the support bases and a number of horizontally extending members extending between the vertically extending stanchions. The railing is configured to be shifted relative to the support bases between a stored position and an erected position. The railing is automatically secured in the erected position when the railing is shifted from the stored position to the erected position.

This invention relates to a stair assembly to be arranged in a stairwell opening of an upper floor, comprising: —a girder assembly; —a plurality of steps mounted to the girder assembly; and —a guard structure, wherein the girder assembly is pivotably mountable to the upper floor to pivot about a pivot axis between an operational position, in which the girder assembly extends obliquely downwards, and a hidden position, in which the girder assembly extends horizontally, wherein the moveable guard structure is moveable between an operational position, in which the guard structure extends upwards, and a hidden position, in which the guard structure has moved downwards, and wherein the stair assembly is configured such that when the girder assembly and the guard structure are in their respective hidden positions a person is able to walk over the stair assembly as part of the upper floor.

The present disclosure relates systems and methods involving movable/adjustable guardrails. An example system includes at least one rotating mount having a lower weldment rotatably coupled to an upper weldment. The lower weldment is coupled to a walking surface. The system also includes a guardrail weldment coupled to the upper weldment of the at least one rotating mount. The system additionally includes an actuator configured to controllably adjust a configuration of the guardrail weldment between an extended configuration and a retracted configuration with respect to the walking surface. In some embodiments, the system could include a remote unit configured to control a position of the actuator. For example, the remote unit could include a wired remote controller having a user interface and at least one button.

An example system in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure includes an opening assembly and a guard assembly installable in a floor above an enclosed region. The opening assembly is actuatable between an open configuration to provide access to the enclosed region, and a closed configuration in which the opening assembly provides a closed surface. A guard assembly is mounted to the opening assembly and actuatable independent of the opening assembly, between a retracted configuration flush with the closed surface of the opening assembly, and a deployed configuration to serve as a guard for the opening assembly.

A shelter includes a body having a wall. A stairs and platform system is connected adjacent the wall of the shelter. The stairs and platform system includes a platform and a stair assembly. The platform includes: (i) first and second spaced-apart side rails and a platform floor located between the first and second side rails; and (ii) first and second platform handrail assemblies respectively located on opposite first and second lateral sides of the platform. The stair assembly is connected to the platform to provide access to the platform and is movable relative to the platform from a first operative position in which the stair assembly projects outwardly away from the platform to a second stowed position in which the stair assembly is retracted relative to the platform and at least part of the stair assembly is supported adjacent the platform. The first and second platform handrail assemblies are each selectively configurable to be in: (i) an operative position in which the first and second platform handrail assemblies project respectively upwardly from the opposite first and second lateral sides of the platform; and (ii) a stowed position in which the first and second platform handrail assemblies engage both the platform and the stair assembly to capture and retain the stair assembly in its stowed position.

A portable safety rail system includes one or more railings inserted into one or more stackable rail bases. Each rail base can include a plurality of apertures for receiving end rail posts of railings through a raised hub defining an open region between the bottom of the hub and the surface on which the rail base rests. Each end rail post can have a stop flange that engages an upper surface of the hub when inserted therein and an aperture through the end portion that extends into the open region beneath the hub for receiving a pin to lock the post while allowing rotation of the post. The system can also include toe boards that are attached to railings with a mount having an aperture through which railings are extended, allowing the toe boards to also be rotated to be aligned with railings.