Going Down? Self-Rescue Beats Hanging Around: The US OSHA and UK HSE Fall Protection standards include a requirement that a rescue plan be in-place before climbing operations begin. Calling 911 is not a rescue plan. When a worker is hanging in a fall protection harness they can be subject to suspension trauma, so getting them down to terra-firma (the more firmer, the less terror) is the first priority.
Suspension trauma is the shut-down of the circulatory system due to the constrictions placed on the body by the fall protection harness. There are kits that you can supplement on your climbing gear that will deploy a short set of bootstraps that tie back to the suspension D-Ring and will allow you to 'stand-up' and take some of the pressure off of your leg and waist fittings, but this is only a temporary solution to the problem.
11 comments:
This article is very interesting regarding safety. I had never heard of suspension trauma and it is interesting that OSHA is taking steps to educate about it. The nice thing too is that they have approved devices that they feel address the problem further simplifying the process. I think it is rather embarrassing that it had become such an issue and people were calling 911 for help. I think is also nice that one of the companies had a video to show you how to use the product. Often times it can be quite difficult to figure out harness systems and if used incorrectly can do more harm than good.
All of these devices seem like great things that a lot of R and D were done to make them work. The only one that I feel is different from something that the company does all the time is the one that was designed for fireman that one is just modifications to something that they already make. The one that is in a back pack is amazing in that all you have to do is pull a ripcord and it goes. I wish that there was some drawing on how it works and how all the rope is stored. The one thing that I did not like was that you have to send it back to be refilled and that you have to use there harness and not a clip on like the rest.
I have heard the term "suspension trauma" mentioned before, but now I understand what it is a little better. Sometimes you don't think about the full implications of a rescue situation - not just saving an individual's life - but how to safely evacuate them from the location. Latchway's PRD seemed to be the most innovative system to me, as it is easily contained when not in use and boasts a full 65 foot descent ability and integrated brake mechanism.
Also, the badass industrial video on Latchways' website makes this PRD look like something every vault robber, spy, or secret agent should have in his or her arsenal. Have you ever seen anyone so unfazed by a 10 foot drop over a 60' tall open concrete shaft? They even had to add in a fake "aaaah/uuuuh" sound in post to make the stunt man react like a normal person.
I too had never heard of suspension trauma and im glad that this article was here. I think self-rescue is a really great idea, not only because you don't have to wait for assistance to come to you but also because it would give you a feeling of control in a situation that may have other wise felt like it was entirely out of your hands, and therefore help reduce panic and emotional stress. Personally i don't know how calm I would be in that sort of situation, I would probably need someone on the ground to coach me so I wouldnt completely freak out, but i would feel much better having either the DUES 3700 or the Latchways PRD since they are both hands free and seem to have less potential for human error.
Safety equipment really fascinates me for some reason. The research and innovation that goes into safety equipment is cool. I've personally used the safety rappeller at the end of the list and the mechanics of it are really interesting. You can completely let go and it slowly safely lowers you to the ground. The he rest of the equipment on the list could really save lives and prevent serious damage caused by "suspension trauma"
I didn't previously know about suspension trauma, but it seems like these (and the "bootstraps") are all great ways to help combat or prevent that problem. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that because these devices are all self-operated by the person who needs to be rescued, there still needs to be a plan in place for someone else to rescue that person in the event that they are so injured or in shock that they cannot operate the self-rescue gear themselves. All of these devices would also require a considerable amount of training in order to make a set of employees prepared to use the technology if a situation arose. It's unfortunate that the Latchways devices can't be reset in house- this means that anyone wishing to use a Latchways PRD system in their venue would have to purchase extras for use when one device is away being reset. (Hopefully the devices wouldn't be used often and therefore wouldn't need to be reset often, but it is still something to take into consideration.) That aside, though, it would be smart for anyone who uses fall arrest harnesses to consider purchasing one of or more of these devices for their employees so that anyone who falls is not further injured once they have fallen.
I have heard of suspension trauma, and these devices seem to severely limit the possibility of it occurring. It is important to think of what happens after a potential fall, and saying "someone will help me down" simply may not be good enough for the given situation.
First, this article seems to (partly) imply that the first thing you do is NOT to call 911- I think that's false. If someone has fallen, they may need medical attention, may have hurt themselves in some other way, you may not get them down anyway. So delaying calling will delay their arrival.
Of all the units the article highlights, the Pretzel seems most practical. However, it needs to be operated by the person that has fallen which can be far fetched.
I'm sure everybody knows that safety is super important, but I had never heard of suspension trauma, nor really thought about the possibility of it occuring/ its consequences. This article does a great job of giving a basic overview/ education on the topic, and is a necessary resource to spread the word. The author's simple definition of, "Suspension trauma is the shut-down of the circulatory system due to the constrictions placed on the body by the fall protection harness" gives a good working understanding of the problem and then addresses solutions further in the article. Great article.
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