2011 - Volume #35, Issue #4, Page #26
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Ladder Anchors Make Roof Work Safer
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Berle Blehm, 79, and his wife, Kay, run Level Rite Ladder Safety Tools, which manufactures a variety of portable roof anchor systems.
It's all about geometry, the Oroville, Calif., inventor explains. His patented anchor attaches to the second or third rung of a ladder, and a dial is turned to the roof pitch and pinned in place. It sets the correct angle for the locking extension arm to reach over the ridge to the other side of the roof to hold the ladder in place.
"It's only 24 in. long and small enough to put in your car," Blehm says of his Quick Release Ladder Anchor.
It sells for $270 and the primary market is roofers and contractors. It easily detaches to move from ladder to ladder and folds into the ladder for easy transport.
Blehm also sells a system with elevated legs that raises the ladder over the ridge cap of a metal roof. Another has wheels to roll the ladder up on the roof, and then flips over to anchor it.
His patented Portable Tether/Ladder Roof Anchor ($330) serves as a fall protection tool for roofs with 12/12 pitches or steeper to use with a safety lanyard, soft stop and harness.
Level Rite products are made with industrial-strength 6061 T6 (aircraft) aluminum and have met guidelines published by OSHA, ANSI and NFPA where required.
"They are ultra strong. I've tried to figure everything that would happen to roofers for their needs. Our motto is: Safety at your feet," Blehm says.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Level Rite Ladder Safety Tools, 3120 Foothill Blvd., Oroville, Calif. 95966 (ph 530 534-6000; www.levelrite.net).
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