WO2010106371A1

WO2010106371A1 - Safety barrier

Info

Publication number: WO2010106371A1
Application number: PCT/GB2010/050468
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nicholas John Kidner; Lea Mark Adams
Original assignee: Slick Systems (Uk) Limited
Priority date: 2009-03-19
Filing date: 2010-03-19
Publication date: 2010-09-23
Also published as: GB2468688A; GB0904663D0

Abstract

A safety barrier (10) suitable for being removably secured on an upper surface (51) of a first supporting surface (50) of a building. The safety barrier (10) includes a lower barrier portion (14), and is characterised in that it further includes two telescopic poles (12) adapted to be removably secured between the upper surface (51) of a first supporting surface (50) of a building and the lower surface (53) of a second supporting surface (52) of the building, the poles (12) each bearing a pair of lower barrier portion receiving formations (35) and a pair of upper barrier portion receiving formations (43), and an upper barrier portion (16). The upper barrier portion may be telescopic.

Description

Safety Barrier

Description of Invention

The invention relates to a safety barrier for use on multi-storey building sites to prevent workmen and/or equipment or building materials falling out of the side of the partially erected building.

On multi-storey building sites it is common for a partiaily erected building to comprise a number of stacked floor slabs and columns to separate and support them well before walls are in piace. During that phase of a building there are dangers if workmen fall out of the partially erected building, as clearly they can be seriously injured by the fall, or if equipment or building materials fall out as they can seriously injure people working on the ground or on lower floors. It is therefore desirable to have barriers that can be erected to prevent these events occurring during this phase of a building.

It is well known to have barriers which can be temporarily and removably secured to the floor slabs and which extend upwards by about 1 m to 1 ,3m, however whilst they make it fairly unlikely that a person can fail out they do not prevent that occurring and they do not prevent equipment or materials failing out. An improved form of safety barrier is therefore desirable.

According to the invention there is provided a safety barrier suitable for being removably secured on an upper surface of a first supporting surface of a building, the safety barrier including a lower barrier portion, and characterised in that it further comprises: a) two telescopic poles adapted to be removably secured between an upper surface of a first supporting surface of a building and a lower surface of a second supporting surface of the building, the poles each bearing a pair of iower barrier portion receiving formations and a pair of upper barrier portion receiving formations, and b) an upper barrier portion.

The upper barrier portion may be telescopic.

The telescopic upper barrier portion may include a first generally planar panel with a channel running down each side, the channels extending out of a first face of the plane, and a second generally planar panel which is slidabty located in the channels.

The first and second generally planar panels may each comprise a frame having a bottom rail, side rails and top rail, and a mesh infill.

The lower barrier portion may include a frame having side rails, a top rail, a bottom kick panel, and a mesh infill within area defined by the frame and kick panel.

The mesh infill may be a wire mesh and the wire mesh may be located within the thickness of the frame.

The first generally planar panel may also include a lower rail which extends outwardly of the first face of the plane along a bottom edge and which is spaced from and below the lower rail of the frame to define a void there between.

The telescopic barrier may further include at least one tie strap fixed at one end to the first generally planar panel and at the other end to the second generally planar panel to prevent the first and second generally planar panels separating from each other. Each telescopic poie may comprise: a) a bottom portion having a bottom plate and a means to connect with a middle portion; b) a middle portion with a lower end adapted to be connected to the bottom portion, and including a fine adjustment mechanism and a means to connect to an upper portion in a telescopic manner; c) an upper portion with a lower end adapted to be connected to the middle portion in a telescopic manner and including securing means to secure the upper portion at the desired position relative to the middie portion, and having a top plate.

The top plate may have a plurality of straight sides and comers there between and the corners are bent upwardly out of the plane of the plate. Likewise the bottom plate may have a plurality of straight sides and corners there between and the corners are bent downwardly out of the plane of the plate.

The fme adjustment mechanism may include a screw which permits the effective length of the middle portion to be adjusted.

One of the middle and upper portions of the poles may be received within the other and the securing means to secure the upper portion at the desired position relative to the middle portion may comprise a pair of holes through one of the middle or upper portions and a plurality of pairs of holes through the other of the middle or upper portions and a pin to secure them at the desired relative positions.

The pair of lower barrier portion receiving formations may be present on the bottom portion of each pole, the upper one of the pair being a hook and the lower one of each pair being a catch. Of the pair of upper barrier portion receiving formations the upper one may be located towards the top of the upper portion of each pole and the lower one may be located towards the bottom of the middle portion of each pole below the fine adjustment mechanism.

The upper barrier portion receiving formations may each comprise a catch.

Each catch may include a pivotable catch member having a catch portion and a release portion with the pivot there between, such that the catch is gravity activated, and is manually releasable.

Each telescopic pole of the safety barrier may comprise a) a bottom portion having a footplate and a means to connect to an upper portion; b) an upper portion adapted to be connected to the bottom portion in a telescopic manner; c) a securing means to secure the upper portion in position relative to the bottom portion; and d) a fine adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the upper portion relative to the bottom portion.

One of the bottom and upper portions may be receivable in the other and the securing means may comprise a pair of holes through one of the upper and bottom portions and a plurality of pairs of holes in the other of the upper and bottom portions, the securing means further comprising a pin receivable in aligned pairs of holes of the upper and bottom portions to secure the upper and bottom portions in position relative to one another.

The pair of lower barrier portion receiving formations may be present on the bottom portion of each pole, the upper one of the pair being a hook and the lower of the pair being a catch. Of the pair of upper barrier portion receiving formations, the lower one may be a catch located towards the top of the bottom portion and the upper one may be a hook located towards the top of the upper portion of the telescopic pole.

Each catch may include a pivotable catch member having a catch portion and a release portion with a pivot therebetween, such that the catch is gravity activated and manually releasable.

The fine adjustment mechanism may include a threaded sleeve and a nut for adjusting the effective length of the telescopic poie.

An embodiment of a safety barrier according to the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a safety barrier according to the invention partially erected, from outside the building in which it is being used;

Figure 2 illustrates a safety barrier of Figure 1 fully erected, also from outside the building in which it is being used;

Figure 3 illustrates part, being middle and upper portions, of one of the telescopic poies which comprises part of the safety barrier of Figures 1 and 2 in compressed form;

Figure 4 illustrates the part of one of the telescopic pole of Figure 3 once extended;

Figures 5 & 6 illustrate the middle and upper parts of one of the telescopic poles from a different orientation to Figures 3 and 4;

Figure 7 provides a close up of the base of the middle portion of one of the telescopic poies with a telescopic upper barrier portion in place on it;

Figure 8 provides a partial cross section from the side of a catch member and two telescopic upper barrier portions in place on it; Figure 9 provides a partial cross section from above of a catch member and two telescopic upper barrier portions in place on it;

Figures 10 & 11 illustrate schematically a catch as included in the safety barrier of Figures 1 and 2, in closed and open positions respectively, and Figure 12 illustrates in partial cross section the two generally planar panels of a telescopic upper barrier portion of the safety barrier of Figures 1 and 2. FIGURE 13 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a telescopic pole which forms part of a safety barrier;

FiGURE 14 illustrates a bottom portion of the telescopic pole of Figure 13; FIGURE 15 illustrates an upper portion of the telescopic pole of Figure 13; and FIGURES 16A-C illustrate a safety barrier in accordance with the invention, including the telescopic poles of Figure 13, extended to different heights.

Referring now to the drawings a safety barrier 10 will be described. The safety barrier 10 includes two telescopic poles 12, a lower barrier portion 14 and a telescopic upper barrier portion 16.

Referring in particular to Figures 3 and 4, but also to Figures 1 and 2, the telescopic poles 12 will be described in more detail. Each pole 12 comprises a bottom portion 18, a middle portion 20 and an upper portion 22.

The bottom portion 18 Includes a bottom plate 24 and an open upper end 26. The bottom plate 24 is generally square with each comer bent downwardly out of the plane of the plate to provide downwardly facing teeth (not shown}.

The middle portion 20 includes a narrower end part 28 for receipt in the open end 26 of the bottom portion 18, a fine adjustment mechanism 30 and a tube part 32 with a pair of holes 34 therethrough near an open upper end 36 thereof. The fine adjustment mechanism 30 is of known kind and is based on a screw thread 30a and winder 30b, where the winder 30b is turned to rotate the screw thread 30a and increase the effective length of the middle portion 20. This is known in the art as a leadscrew or jack screw. The screw thread 30a may be an Acme thread or other suitable form of thread. The middle portion 20 further includes a lower receiving formation 35 for the upper barrier portion 16, as will be described later, which is located below the fine adjustment mechanism 30. The lower receiving formation 35 is in the form of a catch.

The upper portion 22 includes a narrower tube part 38, which is slidable within the tube part 32 of the middle portion 20, and which has a plurality of pairs of holes 40 therethrough. The upper portion 22 also includes a collar 42 bearing an upper receiving formation 43 for the telescopic upper barrier portion 16 in the form of a hook, and a top plate 44. The collar 42 is located around the tube part 38 and includes a pair of holes 41 there through, such that they can be aligned with a selected pair of holes 40, usually the upper most, and secured in that position with a pin and clip 45. The top plate 44 is generally square with each corner bent upwardly out of the plane of the plate to provide upwardly facing teeth 44a.

The bottom portion 18 of each poie 12 bears upper and lower receiving formations (not shown) for the lower barrier portion 14. The upper receiving formation takes the form of a hook, which extends outwardly from the bottom portion 18 of the pole 12, and the lower receiving formation takes the form of a catch. These upper and iower receiving formations are of the same form as the upper and Sower receiving formations 35, 43 for the telescopic upper barrier portion.

The catches 35 comprise a catch housing 35a and a catch member 35b pivotabie on a pin 35c within the housing 35a. The catch member 35b has a catch end 35b' towards the pole 12 and a release end 35b" distant from the pole 12. The catch 35 is operated by gravity in that the catch end 35b' of the catch member 35b hangs down below the side of the catch housing 35a because it is heavier than the release end 35b". The catch 35 is released, as shown in Figure 11 , by operating the release end 35b" with hand or foot, to bring the catch end 35b' up into the housing 35a.

The lower barrier portion 14 has a U-shaped frame 60 with two side rails 60a and 60b and a top rail 6Qc, a bottom kick plate 62 and a wire mesh infill 64. The bottom kick plate 62 has a fold along its length from side to side which adds rigidity to the barrier portion 14 without adding weight. The wire mesh infill 64 is located within the thickness T of the frame 60.

The telescopic upper barrier portion 16 includes a first generally planar pane! 70 and a second generally planar panel 72. The first generally planar pane! 70 includes a frame 74 having two side rails 74a and 74b, a top rail 74c and a bottom rail 74d with a wire mesh infill 76 within the frame 74 and located within the thickness of the frame 74. The first generally planar panel 72 further includes a lower rail 78 partially in the same plane as the frame 74 but extending outwardly from the plane and spaced from the bottom rail 74d to form a void 79 there between. The first generally planar panel 70 also includes a channel 80 secured to each side rail 74a and 74b which extends out of the plane of the panel in the same direction as the iower rail 78. The size of the channels 80 is such that the second generally planar panel 72 is a sliding fit within them. The channel 80 is formed by a pair of L-shaped brackets, each of which is connected to the side rails 74a, 74b by welding, as shown in figure 12. in an alternative embodiment, the channel 80 is formed by a pair of generally C-shaped brackets each of which is riveted or welded to the side rails 74a, 74b.

The second generally planar panel 72 includes a frame 82 having two side rails 82a and 82b, a top rail 82c and a bottom rail 82d with a wire mesh infill 84 within the frame 82 and located within the thickness of the frame 82. The telescopic upper barrier portion 16 is constructed by sliding the second generally planar panel 72 into the channels 80 on the sides of the first generally planar panel 70, The Sower rail 78 of the first generally planar panel 70 prevents the second generally planar panel 72 from dropping out of the bottom of the channels 80. Ties (not shown), comprising lengths of wire braid and clips, are used to secure the first and second generally planar panels 70, 72 together in such as way as to permit the required range of movement but to prevent the first generally planar panel 70 from being dropped while the second generally planar panel 72 is held.

The method of erection of the safety barrier 10 wil! now be described. The basic order is to install the two telescopic poies 12 between two supporting surfaces of a building, e.g. between two floor slabs, then to add the lower safety barrier portion 14 and then the telescopic upper barrier portion 16. It is to be understood that the reference to a first floor slab and a second floor slab are not limiting the invention to use between only the first and second floors of a building. The "first" and "second" floor slabs may be part of any floor of a building. The second supporting surface is generally above the first supporting surface.

To install a telescopic pole 12 between an upper surface 51 of a first floor slab 50 and a iower surface 53 of a second floor slab 52 the bottom plate 24 is placed on the upper surface 51 , the upper portion 22 is lifted upwards until it is close to the lower surface 53 and a pin 54 is inserted through the pair of holes 40 in the upper portion 22 of the pole 12 aligned with the pair of holes 34 in the middle portion 20 of the pole and secured there with an integral clip. At the same time the collar 42 is secured in the chosen location around the tube part 38, usually at the height of the uppermost pair of holes 40 in the upper portion 22 of the pole 12 as illustrated in Figures 4 and 6. The fine adjustment mechanism 30 is then operated to increase the effective length of the middle portion 20 and thus of the telescopic pole 12 as a whole, until the top plate 44 is in contact with the lower surface 53 of the second floor slab 52. The fine adjustment mechanism 30 is then further operated until the teeth 44a on the bottom and top plates 24, 44 bite into the material of the upper and lower surfaces 51 , 53, respectively. The telescopic pole 12 is thus secured in place without further fixings until such time as the fine adjustment mechanism 30 is operated to shorten the pole 12 and remove the pole 12 from that location. The winder 30b of the fine adjustment mechanism 30 should be left aligned parallel, or nearly so, to the line in which the safety barrier 10 is being installed.

The lower barrier portion 14 is then located on the bottom portion 18 of each pole 12. First, the lower barrier portion 14 is placed over the hooks forming the upper receiving formations, with the hooks passing through the wire mesh 64 just below the top frame rail 60c, and then pivoted such that the catches forming the lower receiving formations pass through the wire mesh 64 just above the kick plate 62. As the lower barrier portion 14 is pushed over the catches 35 the catch members 35b pivot upwards into the catch housings 35a and allow the lower barrier portion 14 to pass onto the catch 35. The catch members 35b then pivot downwards back out of the housings to retain the lower barrier portion 14 in place on the catches 35.

The upper barrier portion 16 is then located on the middle and upper portions 20, 22 of each pole 12, First the telescopic upper barrier portion 16 is extended flat on the floor slab 50 and a barrier lifting too! (not shown) is inserted into each channel 80 to retain the telescopic upper barrier portion 16 in that extended position. The barrier lifting tools each include a part which is received in the respective channel 80 and a handle for lifting.

The extended upper barrier portion 16 is then lifted and the second generally planar panel 72 located on the hooks 43 forming the upper receiving formations, with the hooks 43 passing through the wire mesh 84 just below the top frame rail 82c. The extended upper barrier portion 16 is then pivoted inwards towards the poles 12 such that the first generally planar panel 70 is located on the catches 35 forming the lower receiving formations. The catches 35 pass through the void 79 between the bottom frame rail 74d and the tower rail 78. The catches 35 operate as described above.

When more than two poles 12 are erected, as will normally be the case, then each pole 12 can receive two overlapping edges of lower and upper barrier portions 14, 16, as shown with respect to upper barrier portions in Figures 8 and 9. Thus an extended length of safety barrier can readily be installed.

With the lower barrier portion 14 and telescopic upper barrier portion 16 in place the safety barrier 10 covers most of the area between the floor slabs 50, 52. With the upper barrier portions 16 in place on the poles 12 it is not possible to turn the winders 30b of the fine adjustment mechanisms 30 and thus to loosen and remove the poles 12.

It has been found that two size ranges of poles 12 and barrier portions 14, 16 is ail that is needed to provide safety barriers according to the invention which are suitable for almost all flooring slab separations.

Preferably the wire mesh used in both the lower and upper barrier portions 14, 16 is of a cell size which prevents small tools that are dropped by workers on the building site passing through and acting as a weapon to those on the ground below. A suitable cell size is in the range 75mm by 25mm to 75mm by 150mm.

Ideally the hooks and catches forming the receiving formations for the lower and upper barrier portions are of such dimensions that they are a relatively tight fit in the ceils of the wire mesh. The hooks should be a relatively tight fit in the lateral direction while the catches should be a relatively tight fit in both the lateral and the vertical directions. This means that the barrier portions are retained in a fashion which prevents them shifting and coming out of alignment. Alternate wires at the top and bottom of each wire mesh infill, 64, 76, 84 may be cut, to enable the wire barrier to be erected easily. This measure enables the catch housings 35a of the telescopic poies 12 to pass through the openings in the wire mesh and locate positively within the cut-out sections. This allows a user to centre the lower barrier portion 14 and the panels 70, 72.

A second embodiment of a safety barrier 110 will now be described with reference to figures 13 to 16. The safety barrier 110 is advantageous in situations where a full height barrier is required from the start of the construction process. The safety barrier 110 includes two barrier support poles 112. Each barrier support pole 112 includes a bottom portion 118 and an upper portion 122.

The bottom portion 118 has a first end 118a and a second end 118b. The bottom portion 118 includes a footplate 124 which is positioned at the first end 118a of the bottom portion 118, such that the bottom potion 118 can stand substantially upright on a supporting surface 150. The second end 118b of the bottom portion 118 is open. The bottom portion 118 includes an elongate aperture 129 towards its second, upper end 118b in which a locking pin 141 is receivable, as will be described in detail below.

The bottom portion 118 includes a first catch 135 towards the first end 118a of the bottom portion 118, and a second catch 135' towards the second end 118b for receiving and holding a barrier portion 114. Each catch 135, 135" is similar to the catches 35 described in relation to the first embodiment of the invention. The bottom portion 118 also includes a hook 146 for engaging the barrier portion 114. The upper portion 122 has a first end 122a and a second end 122b, and is receivable in the bottom portion 118, such that each barrier support poie 112 is telescopic. The upper portion 122 includes a series of spaced openings 140, in which the locking pin 141 is receivable. The spaced openings 140 are provided in pairs, which are diametrically spaced, such that the locking pin 141 is able to pass through the upper portion 122. The upper portion 122 includes a hook 146' which is positioned towards the second end 122b of the upper portion 122. The upper portion 122 also includes a top plate 144 at its second end 122b for engaging an upper surface.

Each barrier support poie 112 includes an adjustment mechanism 130 for fine adjustment of the relative position of the upper portion 122 relative to the bottom portion 118. The adjustment mechanism 130 includes an externally threaded sleeve 130a which is located towards the second end 118b of the bottom portion 118. The sleeve includes an elongate aperture 133 which is aligned with the aperture 129 in the bottom portion 118. A nut 130b which corresponds with the threaded sleeve 130a is threaded onto the threaded sleeve 130a. Rotation of the nut 130b relative to the threaded sleeve 130a causes the nut 130b to move towards the first end 118a or the second end 118b of the bottom portion 118, depending upon the direction of rotation of the nut 130b. The position of the nut 130b relative to the threaded sleeve 130a thus determines the effective length of the aligned apertures 129, 133.

In use, each barrier support pole 112 is positioned with the footplate 124 on a supporting surface 150, such that the bottom portion 118 extends generally upwardly from the supporting surface 150. The upper portion 122 is received in the open second end 118b of the bottom portion 118. The upper portion 122 extends upwardly from the bottom portion 118, towards an upper surface 152. The iocking pin 141 is inserted through the aperture 129 of the bottom portion 118 and through one of the pairs of openings 140 in the upper portion 112 which is aligned with the apertures 129, 133, to retain the bottom and upper portions 118, 122 in position relative to one another. Since the aperture 129 is elongate, the locking pin 141 which is inserted in the openings 140 of the upper portion 122 is moveable between the two ends of the aperture 129. The distance through which the locking pin 141 is abie to travel upwardly relative to the aperture is defined by the Socking pin 141 abutting the upper end of the aperture 129 or the top plate 144 abutting the upper surface 152, whichever occurs first. The movement of the locking pin 141 in a generally downward direction is iimited by the locking pin 141 abutting the lower end of the aperture 129. This is the effective length of the aperture 129, The upper portion 122 is slidabie relative to the bottom portion 118 to an extent which corresponds with the effective length of the aperture 129, The extent to which the locking pin 141 is moveable in both directions relative to the aperture 129 determines the amount of fine adjustment that is attainable by use of the adjustment mechanism 130.

In order to inhibit the sliding movement of the upper portion 122 relative to the bottom portion 118, so as to finely adjust and fix the length of the telescopic poles 112, the nut 130b is rotated relative to the threaded sleeve 130a, to adjust the effective length of the aperture 129. The nut 131b acts as the lower end of the aligned apertures 129, 133, and thus defines the effective length of the aperture 129. The locking pin 141 abuts the nut 131 b, such that downward movement of the locking pin 141 relative to the aperture 129 and hence downward movement of the upper portion 122 relative to the bottom portion 118 beyond the position of the nut 131 b, is prevented. The barrier support pole 112 is adjusted such that it extends between the support surface 150 and the upper surface 152 such that the top plate 144 abuts the upper surface 152,

A barrier portion 114 which is similar to the barrier portion 14 of the first embodiment of the invention is engaged with a pair of barrier support poles 112, The barrier portion 114 is engaged with the lower catch 135 and the hook 146 of the bottom portion 118 in a manner which is similar to that described in relation to the first embodiment of the invention.

An upper barrier portion 116 is then attached to the pair of barrier support poles 112 by engaging the upper barrier portion 116 with the upper catch 135' of each bottom portion 118, and the hook 146' of the upper portion 122. The upper barrier portion 116 may be a telescopic upper barrier portion which can be extended to the requisite height to extend between the lower barrier portion 114 and the upper surface 152, or may be of a standard height as shown in figure 16C.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1. A safety barrier suitable for being removably secured on an upper surface of a first supporting surface of a building, the safety barrier including a lower barrier portion, and being characterised in that it further comprises: a) two telescopic poles adapted to be removably secured between the upper surface of a first supporting surface of a building and the lower surface of a second supporting surface of the building, the poles each bearing a pair of lower barrier portion receiving formations and a pair of upper barrier portion receiving formations, and b) an upper barrier portion.

2. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the upper barrier portion is telescopic.

3. A safety barrier according to claim 2 characterised in that the telescopic upper barrier portion includes a first generally planar panel with a channel running down each side, the channels extending out of a first face of the plane, and a second generally planar panel which is slidably located in the channels.

4. A safety barrier according to claim 3 characterised in that the first and second generally planar panels each comprise a frame having a bottom rail, side rails and top rail, and a mesh infill.

5. A safety barrier according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the lower barrier portion includes a frame having side rails, a top rail, a bottom kick panel, and a mesh infill within area defined by the frame and kick panel.

6. A safety barrier according to claim 4 or 5 characterised in that the mesh infill is a wire mesh and the wire mesh is located within the thickness of the frame.

7. A safety barrier according to claim 4 to 6 characterised in that the first generally planar panel also includes a lower rail which extends outwardly of the first face of the plane along a bottom edge and which is spaced from and below the lower rail of the frame to define a void there between.

8. A safety barrier according to any one of claims 3 to 7 characterised in that the telescopic barrier further includes at least one tie strap fixed at one end to the first generally planar panel and at the other end to the second generally planar panel to prevent the first and second generally planar panels separating from each other.

9. A safety barrier according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that each telescopic pole comprises: a) a bottom portion having a bottom plate and a means to connect with a middle portion; b) a middle portion with a lower end adapted to be connected to the bottom portion, and including a fine adjustment mechanism and a means to connect to an upper portion in a telescopic manner; c) an upper portion with a lower end adapted to be connected to the middle portion in a telescopic manner and including securing means to secure the upper portion at the desired position relative to the middle portion, and having a top plate.

10. A safety barrier according to claim 9 characterised in that the top plate and/or the bottom plate has a plurality of straight sides and corners there between and the corners are bent out of the plane of the plate.

11. A safety barrier according to claim 9 or claim 10 characterised in that the fine adjustment mechanism is a screw which permits the effective length of the middle portion to be adjusted.

12. A safety barrier according to any one of claims 9 to 11 characterised in that one of the middle and upper portions is received within the other and in that the securing means to secure the upper portion at the desired position relative to the middle portion comprises a pair of holes through one of the middle or upper portions and a plurality of pairs of holes through the other of the middle or upper portions and a pin to secure them at the desired relative positions.

13. A safety barrier according to any one of claims 9 to 12 characterised in that the pair of lower barrier portion receiving formations are present on the bottom portion of each pole, the upper one of the pair being a hook and the lower one of each pair being a catch.

14. A safety barrier according to any one of claims 9 to 13 characterised in that of the pair of upper barrier portion receiving formations the upper one is located towards the top of the upper portion of each pole and the lower one is located towards the bottom of the middle portion of each pole below the fine adjustment mechanism.

15. A safety barrier according to claim 14 characterised in that the upper barrier portion receiving formations each comprise a catch.

16. A safety barrier according to claim 13 or 14 characterised in that each catch includes a pivotable catch member having a catch portion and a release portion with the pivot there between, such that the catch is gravity activated, and is manually releasable.

17. A safety barrier according to any one of claims 1 to 8 characterised in that each telescopic pole comprises a) a bottom portion having a footplate and a means to connect to an upper portion; b) an upper portion adapted to be connected to the bottom portion in a telescopic manner; c) a securing means to secure the upper portion in position relative to the bottom portion; and d) a fine adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the upper portion relative to the bottom portion.

18. A safety barrier according to claim 17 characterised in that one of the bottom and upper portions is receivable in the other and in that the securing means comprises a pair of holes through one of the upper and bottom portions and a plurality of pairs of holes in the other of the upper and bottom portions, the securing means further comprising a pin receivable in aligned pairs of holes of the upper and bottom portions to secure the upper and bottom portions in position relative to one another.

19. A safety barrier according to claim 17 or 18 characterised in that the pair of lower barrier portion receiving formations are present on the bottom portion of each pole, the upper one of the pair being a hook and the lower of the pair being a catch.

20. A safety barrier according to any one of claims 17 to 19 characterised in that of the pair of upper barrier portion receiving formations, the lower one is a catch located towards the top of the bottom portion and the upper one is a hook located towards the top of the upper portion of the telescopic pole.

21. A safety barrier according to claim 20 wherein each catch includes a pivotable catch member having a catch portion and a release portion with a pivot therebetween, such that the catch is gravity activated and manually releasable.

22. A safety barrier according to any one of claims 17 to 20 characterised in that the fine adjustment mechanism includes a threaded sleeve and a nut for adjusting the effective length of the telescopic pole.

23. A safety barrier substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

24. A telescopic barrier portion for a safety barrier substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

25. A telescopic pole for a safety barrier substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

26. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or in the accompanying drawings.