Scaffold guard rail assembly

Claim 1

In a scaffolding structure formed of a plurality of interconnected frame units and horizontally arranged floorboards defining a platform carried by the frame units, each of the frame units being upright and having spaced inner and outer tubular legs with the upper ends of the legs being of reduced size for aiding in matingly stacking and securing the frame units in vertical alignment for obtaining the desired height scaffolding structure and with each of the upper ends of the legs having a hole extending transversely therethrough, the combination therewith of a protective guard rail assembly comprising: a plurality of spaced tubular guard rail posts having their lower ends matingly receiving the reduced upper end portions of said outer legs and being supported thereby, each of said guard rail posts having a hole extending transversely through the lowEr end thereof in alignment with a corresponding hole extending through the reduced upper end portion of a corresponding one of said legs, post fastening means extending through said aligned holes for releasably interconnecting said legs and guard rail posts and for securing said guard rail posts against rotation relative to said frame units and floorboards, a plurality of guard rail brackets affixed to said guard rail posts in vertically spaced relation and including for each guard rail post at least one toeboard bracket aligned with corresponding ones of said aligned holes and enclosing a corresponding one of said post fastening means and at least one upper rail bracket adjacent the upper terminal end of the corresponding guard rail post, each of said brackets comprising an upwardly opening U-shaped channel member extending horizontally outwardly from a side of said corresponding guard rail post with said toeboard brackets having lower portions substantially flush with the lower end of the respective guard rail post, a plurality of horizontal guard rails supportingly carried by said guard rail brackets and interconnecting the guard rail posts to provide protective railings along the outer sides of the platform, certain of said horizontal guard rails being received in said toeboard brackets and cooperating therewith in enclosing said post fastening means, and rail fastening means for penetrating said upper rail brackets and those ones of said horizontal guard rails which are supportingly carried by said upper rail brackets for releasably securing said penetrated rails against accidental dislodgement.