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Structural Design and Load Testing of Façade Access Equipment

August 8, 2017

INTRODUCTION
Façade access equipment is used on
mid- and high-rise buildings to wash
windows, perform maintenance, implement
repairs, and replace glazing. Design
of this equipment is governed by both
the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) and
state and local laws, including
building codes. Before façade
access equipment is put into
initial service, OSHA requires
equipment be inspected and
tested in the field to verify that it
meets OSHA regulations, which
include structural requirements.
Although OSHA leaves
responsibility for determining
the specific requirements for
the “test” in the hands of the
engineer or architect, field tests
for structural components typically
consist of load tests. Load
test practices and procedures
vary widely in the industry (and
are often technically flawed).
Some engineers test only a limited
portion of the components;
others test to a fraction of the
full design forces, often in a
non-critical direction. This article
is intended to describe some
common misconceptions and
poor engineering practices in
the industry, and to help provide
guidance regarding how the
authors believe load testing of
façade access equipment should
be conducted, with due consideration to
code requirements for such testing.
COMMON TYPES OF EQUIPMENT
Façade access equipment (a.k.a. exterior
building maintenance equipment) comes in
all shapes and sizes, from rooftop carriages
that traverse the perimeter of a building, to
individual davits that can be mounted at
discrete points on the roof, to anchorages
to which workers connect their lifelines or
tie back temporary suspension equipment.
Figures 1 through 3 show typical façade
access equipment. Provided below are very
A u g u s t 2 0 1 7 RC I I n t e r f a c e • 1 1
Figure 1 – Large, rail-mounted rooftop carriage.
specific requirements for design and
testing of façade access equipment, of
which many engineers and architects
have historically been unaware.
GOVERNING DESIGN LOADS
Design of façade access equipment
can be broken down into two primary
types: equipment that supports powered
motors or hoists that typically
support suspended platforms, and
equipment that supports rope descent
systems and fall arrest equipment,
such as lifelines. While other elements,
such as work platforms, have structural
requirements, this paper focuses
on the primary elements that support
hoists and elements that support fall
arrest equipment.
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Figure 3 – Anchorage on a roof.
Figure 2 – Typical davit-supported
work platform.
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Design Loads for Elements
that Support Hoists
OSHA operates under a federal mandate
to regulate workplace safety and to develop
minimum safety standards nationwide.
OSHA requires that elements that support a
hoist be able to resist at least 4.0 times the
rated load of the hoist. The rated load is the
safe working load that the hoist for a suspended
window-washing platform is intended
to lift. Equipment that is used to perform
construction—including mundane activities
such as painting and hanging of signs and
holiday lights—is required by OSHA to be
able to resist 1.5 times the stall load of the
hoist, where the stall load is the maximum
load that can be mechanically exerted by
the hoist. OSHA permits stall loads to be as
high as 3.0 times the rated load of the hoist.
So where the exact stall load of the hoist is
unknown or where different hoists may be
used over the life of the equipment, equipment
used for construction must be able to
support 1.5 x 3.0 = 4.5 times the rated load
of the hoist. While these load factors might
appear high to engineers not particularly
experienced in façade access design, these
loads are dynamic and are generated by
machines, which means that starting and
stopping forces can be significantly larger
than the weight of the suspended platform
and workers. Further, if the platform snags
an obstruction while ascending, the hoist
can continue to increase tension in the
suspension cable until it stalls, resulting in
an effective factor of safety against failure
of only 1.33 or 1.5 (calculated by taking
the factored load and dividing by a stall
load of 3 times the rated load), depending
on whether the equipment was designed
for building maintenance or construction
purposes.
OSHA regulations are not written in conventional
engineering terms, and confusion
regarding the requirements is fairly common
throughout the industry. Fortunately,
the 2015 International Building Code (IBC)
and the American Society of Civil Engineers’
Minimum Design Loads and Associated
Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures
(ASCE 7-16) both define the loads in terminology
that is more commonly understood
and used by engineers. Wherever the 2015
IBC or ASCE 7-16 have been legally adopted,
the elements that support hoists for
façade access equipment must be designed
for a minimum unfactored live load equal to
the larger of the following:
• 2.5 times the rated load of the hoist
• 1.0 times the stall load of the hoist
These loads are provided in Section
1607.9.3 of the 2015 IBC, and ASCE 7-16
mandates similar loads. When multiplied by
the typical live load factor of 1.6 (as defined
in the IBC), the factored load is equal to the
larger of the following:
• 4.0 times the rated load of the hoist
• 1.6 times the stall load of the hoist
Where the stall load of a hoist is
unknown, it should be assumed to be 3.0
times the rated load of the hoist (i.e., the
maximum allowed by OSHA), which results
in an equipment design load of 1.6 x 3.0 =
4.8 times the hoist’s rated load.
These loads match or slightly exceed
OSHA’s minimum requirements, and they
eliminate the need to differentiate between
building maintenance and construction
loads, the boundary between which is often
not clear and is defined by OSHA based on
the work task being performed rather than
the access equipment being used.
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Design Forces for Lifeline/
Fall Arrest Anchorages
OSHA requires that lifeline/fall arrest
anchorages be able to resist a minimum of
5000 pounds per attached worker in any
direction that the anchorage can be used
to arrest a fall. Although OSHA provides an
exception that allows designers to reduce
the load to the expected load times 2.0, the
exception requires “supervision” by a “qualified
person” during design, installation,
and use. Designers who use this exception
should advise the building owner of the
potential costs associated with requiring
supervision by a person “with extensive
knowledge, training, and experience” for
using the system over the life of the equipment,
a requirement that may dwarf the
cost of designing the anchorages without
relying on the exception. The exception is
not permitted to be applied to anchorages
for rope descent systems, so if anchorages
are used or may be used in the future to
wash windows from boatswain’s chairs, the
full 5000-pound load should be used.
Additionally, OSHA does not clearly
specify what constitutes “supervision of
use,” and practices vary widely in the
fall protection industry. Consequently, the
residual safety risks associated with potential
misuse of the fall arrest anchorages and
increased administrative and operational
challenges for such anchorages should also
be considered before using this exception to
reduce fall arrest anchorage design loads.
Section 1607.9.4 of the 2015 IBC provides
an analogous unfactored design live
load of 3100 pounds for lifeline/fall arrest
anchorages, and ASCE 7-16 has a similar
provision. When multiplied by the typical
live load factor of 1.6, the factored load is
equal to 4960 pounds, essentially equaling
OSHA’s requirements. Neither the IBC nor
ASCE 7-16 permits reduction of the design
live load using the OSHA exception.
TESTING REGULATIONS
OSHA requires building owners to provide
assurance that the exterior building
maintenance equipment meets certain critical
requirements, including the requirements
regarding minimum capacity and
design loads. OSHA further requires that
such assurance be based on a “field test”
prior to initial use and following any major
modification, or if documentation of the initial
certification is not available. Although
OSHA does not define “field test,” it is typically
interpreted to mean an in-situ load
test. Determination of the correct test setup
and test load is left to the engineer responsible
for the testing and certification program.
Further, OSHA has issued conflicting
requirements and interpretations. OSHA
requires certification for the required
strength in Section 1910.66 (e.g., having a
minimum capacity with a factor of safety of
4.0) and Section 1910.27 (i.e., having a minimum
strength of 5000 pounds per attached
person), but it also issued a poorly worded
interpretation 24 years ago that illogically
indicates that testing to the full load is not
required by Section 1910.66.
Controversy Regarding Load Tests
Some engineers advocate for load testing
to a maximum of 50 percent of the
minimum required strength (a.k.a. the full
factored load). However, other engineers
believe that if façade access equipment is to
be tested to certify compliance with a particular
required strength, then the test load
needs to be a minimum of 100 percent of
that required strength. To determine whether
a given test load or procedure is logical,
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well-established principles of mechanics,
materials science, and statistics must be
considered.
Testing to 100 Percent of the
Minimum Required Strength
If load testing is performed to 100 percent
of the minimum required strength and
the equipment successfully holds the test
loads, the tester (and the workers using the
equipment) can be confident that the equipment
has the minimum required strength,
quod erat demonstrandum.1 Successfully
passing the test load includes confirming
that the tested elements did not suffer damage
during the test (e.g., significant yielding,
fracture, etc.).
Unfortunately, not all equipment should
be load tested. For equipment that must
develop significant inelastic deformations
to resist the minimum required loads (for
example, fall arrest anchors that bend over
if the anchor is ever used to arrest a falling
worker), testing to 100 percent would
likely result in unusable equipment, but
testing to only 50 percent would be reckless,
because these designs are pushing the
envelope more than typical, and if significant
strain hardening must occur to develop
the required strength, these designs are
more likely to result in premature failure.
In these relatively rare cases, load testing is
generally not an option, and other methods
must be employed if the capacity of the
equipment is to be verified.
Testing to 50 Percent of the
Minimum Required Strength
Advocates for 50 percent load tests on
elements that support hoists have historically
tested davits and outriggers to a maximum
of only 2.0 times the rated load of the
supported hoists, and fall arrest anchorages
to only 2500 pounds. So both test loads are
half of the minimum required strength (or
less than half of required strength for hoists
used for construction). In addition, many
proponents of this approach recommend
only testing a sampling of the equipment
rather than every element. Advocates of 50
percent testing falsely claim that this level
of testing is standard in the industry, but
we have seen testing levels vary from as
little as 18 percent to slightly more than
100 percent. Advocates of 50 percent testing
also occasionally claim it is necessary to cap
load tests at 50 percent to avoid damaging
the roofing; however, damage to roofing can
happen during any load test, and artificially
limiting a structural load test of life-safety
equipment to avoid hypothetical damage to
an architectural element that can be easily
repaired constitutes negligence.
Although some industries may conduct
load tests to less than the full factored loads,
there is absolutely no scientific or structural
engineering justification for a 50 percent
cap on loads during load tests. One cannot
extrapolate a 50 percent load test and properly
conclude that the element being tested
has a capacity of at least twice the load used
in the test. Arbitrary limits on test loads
ensure that critical design, fabrication, or
installation defects and/or damage will not
be detected. Similarly, one cannot load test
a fraction of the equipment and properly
conclude that the untested equipment does
not have any defects or damage that would
cause it to fail prematurely.
To better illustrate these points, we
offer the following actual examples of the
illogical, indefensible nature of 50 percent
load tests.
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Case A: An engineer tested a group of
apparently identical fall arrest anchorages
to 2500 pounds. Several of these anchorages
were unable to resist the 50 percent
test load. The engineer then certified that
the remaining anchorages, which had only
been tested with 2500 pounds, could all
support 5000 pounds, despite the knowledge
that apparently identical anchorages
had contained significant hidden defects
that precluded them from being able to
resist even half of this load.
Case B: An engineer tested a group of
anchorages used for fall restraint and fall
arrest purposes. The engineer only loaded
them to 900 pounds during the tests—a
shockingly low test load—and then certified
that they met the minimum strength
requirement of OSHA. For several years,
these anchorages were used as both fall
restraint and fall arrest anchorages, and
some were even used as anchorages for
horizontal lifelines, which means that in
the event of a fall, they could be subject
to forces two or three times larger than
5000 pounds due to geometric effects of
loading a cable perpendicular to its length.
Subsequent review revealed that each
anchorage was only connected to a 2½-in.-
thick concrete slab with a single bolt, clearly
inadequate to resist the full load. Had the
anchorages been called to resist an actual
fall arrest load, the likelihood of failure
would have been unacceptably high.
Case C: An engineer certified that a
group of davit bases had the required
strength based on testing to only half of
the required strength. Subsequent testing
to higher loads revealed that several bases
did not have the strength needed to carry
the minimum OSHA-specified loading. The
davit bases failed due to brittle fracture of
welds. Had those davit bases been required
to resist the full load, such as during a stall
situation, the bases would have failed.
Load Test Requirements of the IBC
In jurisdictions where the 2015 IBC has
been adopted, Section 1708 governs in-situ
load tests. Where load tests are not specified
by the relevant IBC-referenced material
design standard (e.g., components constructed
of wood), Section 1708.3.2 requires
that the minimum load applied during the
test be the factored design load. In the case
of davits, outriggers, and their supports,
the factored design loads are shown below,
which means the minimum permissible test
load is the greater of the two.
1) 4.0 times the rated load of the hoist
2) 1.6 times the stall load of the hoist
(which equals 4.8 times the rated
load of the hoist if the stall load is
3.0 times the rated load, or if the
stall load is unknown)
For fall arrest anchorages, the factored
design load, and therefore the minimum load
test, is 1.6 x 3100 pounds = 4960 pounds.
Where load tests are specified by the relevant
IBC-referenced material design standard
(e.g., components constructed of steel
or concrete), Section 1708.3.1 requires load
testing to be conducted according to the provisions
of that standard, as described below.
Load Test Requirements of AISC
Load test requirements for steel structures
are provided in Section 5.4 of Appendix
5 of AISC 360-10, Specification for Structural
Steel Buildings, published by the American
Institute of Steel Construction (AISC). Like
the IBC, the load test provisions require
the factored load to be applied. As the load
factor for live loads is 1.6, the net result
is identical to that required by Section
1708.3.2 of the IBC.
Load Test Requirements of ACI
Load test requirements for concrete
structures are provided in Section 27.4
of the Building Code Requirements for
Structural Concrete (ACI 318-14), published
by the American Concrete Institute (ACI).
ACI requires that the magnitude of the load
test be determined using a load factor of
1.5. In the case of davits, outriggers, and
their supports, the minimum test load can
be calculated as the greater of the following:
1) 1.5 x 2.5 times the rated load of the
hoist = 3.75 times the rated load of
the hoist
2) 1.5 times the stall load of the hoist
(which equals 4.5 times the rated
load of the hoist if the stall load is
3.0 times the rated load, or if the
stall load is unknown)
For reinforced concrete components of
fall arrest anchorages and their supports,
the minimum load test can be computed by
multiplying the live load factor of 1.5 times
3100 pounds, which equals 4650 pounds.
These values are within 6 percent of the
test loads required by AISC and the IBC,
which is a negligible difference.
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Voluntary Standards
There are two voluntary (i.e., not referenced
by the building code) standards
that limit testing to only 50 percent of the
minimum required strength: IWCA I-14.1,
Window Cleaning Safety, and ASME A120.1,
Safety Requirements for Powered Platforms
and Traveling Ladders and Gantries for
Building Maintenance. Neither standard can
supersede the requirements of mandatory
standards or engineers’ duty to use rational
engineering principles when developing a
load test. Further, both have significant
technical flaws, a few of which are discussed
below.
IWCA I-14.1
The International Window Cleaning
Association’s IWCA I-14.1 standard was
published only once, in 2001. Many technical
errors in the standard were pointed
out by the authors of this article as well as
other engineers and the National Council
of Structural Engineering Associations
(NCSEA); however, the committee never
incorporated the comments into an updated
standard. After the IWCA failed to update
its standard for a decade, the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI) administratively
withdrew the standard in 2011.
Furthermore, ANSI suspended the IWCA’s
accreditation for cause in 2012, and again
in 2016. Half a year later, ANSI took the
unusual step of permanently withdrawing
the IWCA’s accreditation, citing “repeated
serious procedural and administrative concerns…
including but not limited to unreasonable
restrictions on consensus body
membership and failure to properly process
public review comments, substantive
changes and appeals.” Consequently, the
IWCA I-14.1 standard should not be relied
upon for any technical information.
ASME A120.1
The American Society of Mechanical
Engineer’s A120 committee has a similar
history of ignoring public comments
regarding problems with its load testing
provisions. The A120 and the I-14.1 committees
have significant overlap in terms of
membership, and both committees are dominated
by individuals without engineering
degrees or licenses; thus, it is not surprising
that in 2010, the A120 committee proposed
load testing restrictions essentially identical
to those in I-14.1. Despite an exceptionally
large number of public comments objecting
to the proposed changes, the flawed limits
on load testing were adopted into the 2014
edition. Since A120.1 is only a voluntary,
advisory standard, engineers should ignore
its load testing provisions, which are in
direct conflict with reputable, non-voluntary
standards such as 2015 IBC, AISC 360-10,
and ACI 318-14.
How Proper Load Testing Is Conducted
The following examples show how proper
load testing can be conducted in the
field to verify that façade access equipment
meets the minimum structural requirements.
Such testing should be performed
prior to initial use to satisfy OSHA Section
1910.27, Section 1910.66(c), after a major
modification, if there is doubt regarding the
capacity of the equipment due to lack of
documentation regarding initial testing, or
if damage or deterioration has occurred or
is suspected.
Figure 4 shows a hydraulic ram pushing
upwards against an inward-projecting
load test apparatus beam that is connected
to a davit base. Pushing upward on the
beam creates a moment towards the side
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of the building, simulating the overturning
demand that would result from a work
platform suspended over the side of the
building. Deflections of the equipment were
monitored during the load test to confirm
that the davit bases remained undamaged
under the required full-factored loads.
Figure 5 shows load testing of a lifeline/
tieback anchorage. In this photo, the load is
being applied toward the edge of the roof to
match one of the potential directions for a fall
arrest load. Since lifeline loads could come
from a number of directions, this anchor was
also pulled toward the edge of the building
behind the engineer in the photo.
Figure 6 shows the load testing of a
davit. In this case, the davits had been
designed in the 1950s, long before the
development of modern design standards
for façade access equipment. At some point,
the original 675-pound hoists had been
replaced with 1000-pound hoists, a significant
mismatch that
calculations indicated
the davits were unlikely
to be able to support.
Since replacement
675-pound hoists are
no longer commercially
available, it was necessary
to verify that the
davits could support
the next best available
choice: slightly larger
750-pound hoists. The
load was applied downward
at the tip of the
davit, simulating the
bending caused by a
suspended work platform.
Deflection was
monitored to ensure
that the davit remained
elastic. Load testing of the carriage and
the perimeter rails that support the davit
was performed separately using a cantilever
loading beam similar to that shown in
Figure 4.
CONCLUSIONS
The 2015 IBC and ASCE 7-16 now
provide design live loads for façade access
equipment. When factored by the required
live load factor of 1.6, the loads closely
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Figure 4 – Load testing
of a davit base.
Figure 5 – Load testing of a
lifeline/tieback anchorage.
match or slightly exceed the loads required by OSHA. Due to the critical
nature of this equipment, load tests are commonly performed prior
to initial use, after major alterations, and whenever there is reason to
believe that damage or deterioration may have reduced the capacity of
the equipment. Misunderstanding regarding how to perform the load
testing is common within the industry, largely due to two technically
flawed voluntary standards: the IWCA I-14.1 (which has been administratively
withdrawn, and which lost its ANSI accreditation) and the
ASME A120.1. Both of these standards violate common sense and
basic engineering principles when it comes to load testing; they also
conflict with the legally required codes and standards wherever the
latest versions of the IBC, ASCE 7, AISC 360, and ACI 318 are adopted.
Engineers conducting or specifying load tests of façade access
equipment must fully understand both fundamental engineering principles
and the requirements governing such testing. Failing to understand
the requirements, or basing certifications on inappropriate
testing, may result in equipment users experiencing excessive risks.
For new or replacement façade access equipment, the authors
recommend the following:
1) Elements that support hoists (e.g., davits, outriggers, rooftop
carriages, and tiebacks and their structural supports) should
be designed elastically or essentially elastically to support the
loads provided in Section 1607.9.3 of the 2015 IBC when multiplied
by the required live load factor of 1.6.
2) Rope descent anchorages and lifeline/fall arrest anchorages
and their supports should be designed elastically or essentially
A u g u s t 2 0 1 7 RC I I n t e r f a c e • 1 9
Figure 6 – Load testing of a davit mounted on a carriage.
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elastically to support the loads provided
in Section 1607.9.4 of the
2015 IBC when multiplied by the
required live-load factor of 1.6.
3) All façade access equipment should
be load tested to satisfy OSHA
requirements prior to initial use.
Testing should be performed according
to Section 1708 of the 2015 IBC,
Section 5.4 of Appendix 5 of AISC
360-10, and Section 27.4 of ACI
318-2014, using the full-factored
loads required by the 2015 IBC and
ASCE 7-16, in the direction that the
loads will be applied. No significant
deformation or failure should occur
during or immediately after the test.
Design and testing of façade access
equipment can be complicated; a more comprehensive
discussion regarding these topics
can be found in ASCE’s Façade Access
Equipment: Structural Design, Evaluation,
and Testing.
REFERENCES
2015 International Building Code.
Country Club Hills, IL. International
Code Council (ICC), 2015.
“ANSI ExSC Audit Appeals Decision.”
Washington, DC. American National
Standards Institute, June 11, 2012.
Façade Access Equipment: Structural
Design, Evaluation, and Testing.
Reston, VA. American Society of Civil
Engineers (ASCE), 2015.
Minimum Design Loads and Associated
Criteria for Buildings and Other
Structures (ASCE 7-16). Reston, VA.
American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE), 2016.
Safety Requirements for Powered
Platforms and Traveling Ladders and
Gantries for Building Maintenance
(A120.1). New York, NY. American
Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME), 2014.
Window Cleaning Safety (IWCA I-14.1).
Alexandria, VA. International Window
Cleaning Association (IWCA),
2001.
“Withdrawal of the Accreditation of
ASC I14, Window Cleaning Safety
as an ANSI-Accredited Standards
Developer.” Washington, DC.
American National Standards
Institute, November 30, 2016.
ENDnote
1. “That which was to be demonstrated”;
also known as QED or Q.E.D.
Gwenyth Searer
is an associate
principal at Wiss,
Janney, Elstner
Associates, Inc.
(WJE), and is a
licensed structural
engineer in six
states. She has
23 years of experience,
and has evaluated,
designed,
and tested
numerous façade
access installations. She can be reached at
gsearer@wje.com.
Gwenyth Searer
Frank Laux is a
principal structural
engineer and
architect at CTL
Group with over 39
years of experience
in the design and
forensic evaluation
of reinforced concrete,
steel, wood
and masonry
structures, as well
as interior partition
and ceiling
systems. His current focus is on building
envelopes and new technologies. His email
address is flaux@ctlgroup.com.
Frank Laux
Jonathan Lewis is
an associate principal
structural
engineer at Wiss,
Janney, Elstner
Associates, Inc.,
in Chicago, Illinois.
Lewis has more
than 15 years of
experience in investigating,
designing,
repairing, and load
testing of façade
access equipment.
He can be reached at jlewis@wje.com.
Jonathan Lewis
Benjamin Clemons
is a professional
engineer and
senior associate
at Wiss, Janney,
Elstner Associates,
Inc.’s Atlanta office
and has over 15
years of structural
engineering experience.
He holds
bachelor’s degrees
in physics and civil
engineering and
also a master’s degree in structural engineering.
He can be reached at bclemons@
wje.com.
Benjamin Clemons
Rolf Larson, PE,
LEED AP, is a
senior staff II
structural engineer
at Simpson Gumpertz
& Heger with
30 years of experience.
He has
designed and evaluated
numerous
façade access installations.
He has
designed new
buildings and renovation
and repair of existing buildings. He
can be reached at ralarson@sgh.com.
Rolf Larson, PE,
LEED AP
Kurt Holloway is
a senior associate
at Wiss, Janney,
Elstner Associates,
Inc. in Northbrook,
Illinois. In addition
to his extensive
experience with
design, evaluation
and testing of
façade access and
fall protection systems,
he has also
performed a wide
variety of structural investigations, including
design of repairs and modifications. His
email address is kholloway@wje.com.
Kurt Holloway
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