A common misconception people have is not knowing the anchor davit definition. In our industry, davits are large units meant for large projects. Potential clients will come in and ask, “I need a bunch of roof davits,” while pointing to tie-back anchors. A davit is for rigging a temporary or permanent solution for a stage for your facade maintenance. You’re going to hang your cables off that tall davit arm. You’re going to get your stage away from the edge of that building and be able to drop the entire facade with anywhere from a 4-foot to a 40-foot stage.
If your building isn’t tall enough, or if you don’t see the need for a stage any more than a 10-year basis, we typically revert to a tie-back anchor layout. So, if you’re going off your tie-back anchor layout in a bosun chair for window washing, glazing, caulking, etc. you’re going to hook your primary line to one anchor and your secondary line to another anchor. We rate each anchor to a 5,000 pound ultimate load. For additional safety, we recommend a 1,250-pound working load limit. For the vast majority of customers with buildings over 300 feet, they typically go with a tie-back system. We need to clarify the anchor davit definition throughout the industry so people can become educated on exactly what they’re looking for.