Happy Birthday Safety Pole: The Evolution of the Safety Pole Fall Protection System

2022 marks the 20th year of operation for the Safety Pole Company. The Safety Pole Company originated from motivation by Gary Franke, a successful framer in southern California, to make fall protection in construction more efficient for his multiple crews.

California OSHA had recently implemented fall protection rules for residential framing and Gary had attended a meeting where scaffolding had been introduced as a guard rail around the outside of the structures. Gary thought that with all the different structures he built and configurations of outside dimensions, the amount of scaffolding pieces needed and the labor to install them would make it almost impossible to make a profit and meet building deadlines.

Gary said there must be a better way and sat down to develop the Safety Pole System for not only his use but for any framer that was concerned with the safety of their employees and looking for an efficient system that met the OSHA requirements.

20 Years Later…Here We Are

Now after twenty years, the Safety Pole System can be seen on jobsites protecting workers from falls throughout the United States. Used in over 30 states and by some of the largest companies, the Safety Pole System has saved countless workers from serious injury when they trip, inadvertently fall off the top plate or blown from a roof while installing sheathing.

While using the Safety Pole System in construction, none of the companies have reported an injury claim after a fall. What does that mean to the company? Lower insurance rates, lower hospital claims, no OSHA violations and safer workers.

Passing the Torch…

None of this is new to those companies already using the Safety Pole System on their jobsites. What is new now is Gary’s son Jase, a recent graduate of the University of Colorado – Boulder – football team…..Go Buffaloes….is ready to take over day to day management of the Safety Pole Company and take the Safety Pole System to the next level of efficiency for implementation on the jobsite.

Jase immediately started work on the next generation of the Safety Pole System. He heard from framers around the country that they liked the current system, but found it a bit heavy to implement and transport. Jase researched materials, structural requirements and thought through the framing process to make it easier to install while meeting all the testing requirements to certify the system safe and meet all OSHA requirements for a fall arrest system. Also, the system had to be compatible with the current Safety Pole System

The Next Generation…

His research landed him on the new lightweight, telescoping, aluminum GEN3 Safety Pole System. Setting the stage for the next twenty years the new GEN3 system weighs in at a little over 100 lbs. The telescope system can go to a max height of 20’ without the use of a forklift or crane. The system can be stacked from the concrete foundation using existing system sections or moved up every single floor. The system can easily manhandled and transported from job to job.

According to Jase, GEN3 is currently in production and many of his larger customers are placing orders for the initial production runs. Videos will soon be available on the Safety Pole System website, https://www.safetypole.com and Jase will be available for onsite demonstrations.

For more information please contact Safety Pole Inc. at 805-233-0428