Can Safety Harness Kill you?

[iwire]

The idea of serious problems associated with hanging in a harness are B.S.

You are not really thinking if you believe that.

Depending on the situation sometimes spending 8-10 minutes hanging in the harness, with the pretty good bruises being the worst result

So you figure that any time someone is hanging from a harness they will be rescued in less than 10 minutes?


http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/crr_pdf/2002/crr02451.pdf

 

[Don S.]

Iwire, I believe what I believe from personal experience. Working with fall protection takes more than just putting on a harness and hooking a lanyard to a handy tie off point. The activity needs to be planned, including having a partner with a rescue plan in the event the fall protection is called on to do it?s job. I have seen guys hook their lanyard to a waist D-ring, a back breaker in the event of a fall. These are intended for positioning at a work location, not fall protection. I have seen people in an articulation lift tied off with a 12? lanyard, which allows them to be thrown out of the basket, when the proper length would have prevented them being thrown out. I have seen people hooking up their fall protection, and when asked what they are going to do if they fall and are just hanging there. The answer is frequently ?I don?t know.? As for rescue in 10 min. a half hour is not going to hurt you.

 

[MikeW]

Thanks iwire & det_wireman for web sites:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/crr_p...2/crr02451.pdf

http://www.elcosh.org/en/document/67...life%3F.html

Interesting stuff.

Thanks to everyone else also. I am going to share this thread, it's ideas and thoughts, with our Safety Dept.

Like my daddy always said, "Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know."

 

[WorkSafe]

I could post some nasty pics of what can happen if you do not wear your harness properly, but I don't think the moderators would appreciate it. Let's just say wearing the crotch straps loose is NOT a good thing for your family jewels if you fall.

 

[iwire]

Iwire, I believe what I believe from personal experience. Working with fall protection takes more than just putting on a harness and hooking a lanyard to a handy tie off point. The activity needs to be planned, including having a partner with a rescue plan in the event the fall protection is called on to do it?s job. I have seen guys hook their lanyard to a waist D-ring, a back breaker in the event of a fall. These are intended for positioning at a work location, not fall protection. I have seen people in an articulation lift tied off with a 12? lanyard, which allows them to be thrown out of the basket, when the proper length would have prevented them being thrown out. I have seen people hooking up their fall protection, and when asked what they are going to do if they fall and are just hanging there. The answer is frequently ?I don?t know.? As for rescue in 10 min. a half hour is not going to hurt you.

You should really write your own study seeing as you know so much more than the doctors and experts:roll:.

If you took the time to read the link I posted you would see one of the big issues is that many time people that have fallen into their harness are unconscious, so unlike you while you are floating down being able to wiggle and reposition those that are unconscious can have pinched off blood flow but cannot do anything about it.

If you could be so kind to place a link to any study that supports your view please do, until that time I will consider your posts in this thread to have no meaning at all.

 

[Don S.]

If you took the time to read the link I posted you would see one of the big issues is that many time people that have fallen into their harness are unconscious, so unlike you while you are floating down being able to wiggle and reposition those that are unconscious can have pinched off blood flow but cannot do anything about it.

It's not the harness that's the problem.

The activity needs to be planned, including having a partner with a rescue plan in the event the fall protection is called on to do it’s job. I have seen people hooking up their fall protection, and when asked what they are going to do if they fall and are just hanging there. The answer is frequently “I don’t know.”

 

[ItsHot]

Suspension trauma

Suspension trauma

It is called "suspension trauma"! It can occur as soon as 5 minutes from the time of the fall ! It has everything to do with the harness! I chose this training for my CE recently. It is hard to believe we use to use the "backbreaker" D -ring belts! If you see one destroy it! They are illegal !! Also if you take a fall in a harness, destroy it, it is no longer safe to be used! Did you know that prolong setting can kill you? I know a lot of people that should be dead from that!:roll: www.informaworld.com/ smpp/content~content=a790382562&db=all

 

[jmellc]

You could look at the professional level Petzl harnesses. They are expensive but incorporate a lot of comfort and mobility features. Take a look at the photo and compare that to the everyday harness that we all wear now. IMO there's a huge difference besides the price.

http://www.petzl.com/en/pro/vertica...itioning-and-fall-arrest-harnesses/navaho-bod

Thanks, I'll look into those. If I have it, I don't mind the extra $ for a decent harness. I've had a couple of falls in the past and my luck likely won't be as good now that I'm in my 50's. But I'd rather climb w/out one than use the $39 junk I've mostly seen.

 

[nevtxjustin]

This was an article from the Used Tower's website about loose fitting harnesses.

Moderator's Note: The pdf linked to contains graphic images of damage to a man's genitalia from a harness. Due to the graphic nature I am removing the link, you will need to PM this poster to get the link. Be advised, it's rough.