Fall protection -Personal Fall Arrest Systems

Drop tests of conventional lanyard, shock absorbing lanyard, and retractable

[@leathercheerio1]

Great video. I never thought about what happens after the fall besides as long as you have a strapped harness your good. Hanging there for an hour could still cause some major damage from lack of circulation.

[@tys2865]

11 minutes of hanging is all you got in most cases

[@MiMiOrt]

I use SRL and I was really confused about Fall clearance . Thanks for demonstrating how ever I would love 2 see a mannequin fall from the a higher area. Just to see the possible injuries one might have

[@metatechnologist]

I would have liked to have known more about the company and the proper system to buy i.e. with the trauma straps for a DIY homeowner that wants the best safety. But thanks for the video.

[@flyboyslc1]

metatechnologist Hi. The video was taken spur of the moment, and intended more for educational purposes. I am amazed that it has had this many views. For a good place to look for fall protection equipment check out Miller Fall Protection. Here is a link: @fall-protection-products/accessories/relief-step-safety-device

[@romanibukharst9517]

nice idea

[@sherrytorgerson6571]

This is a great safety video, would you happen to have access to authorize a safety association to use your video in a course? Reason I ask, we are in the process of developing an online course and were impressed by this video. Look forward to hearing from you.

[@flyboyslc1]

Hello Sherry. No one in the video is making any money on anything. I see no reason why you could not use the video for free in an "educational" setting. I think if you check youtube copyright rules that is what they seem to indicate? Been a while since I looked. Quality wise it could have been better. I did it on the spur of a moment, thinking my employees might find it useful.. I had no idea it would be viewed much by anyone. Also, the technology is a little old now. There are actually safety harnesses that perform self rescue.

[@sherrytorgerson6571]

That is great! Thanks for your prompt response

[@parkermichael620]

is it pissiable for the guy hanging to grap the rope he is suspended by and pull his self up?

[@flyboyslc1]

Hi Michael. Good question. The fall protection harness is connected either to a 3/4 inch rope or a retractable device that uses a steel cable. Either way, it would be difficult if not impossible to pull yourself up to safety after a fall. Since this video was made, a self lowering safety harness has been developed. You can google "fall protection self rescue" and it should lead you to a video of the harness. Here is one. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnLGaIeul61qgs0 Otherwise, the person hanging would need to be rescued by someone on the jobsite. Getting the rescue complete ASAP is very important. The longer they hang, the greater the chance of death from orthostatic intolerance

[@MuddyBob650]

I have a major question. What about padding? I have heard from other sources that harness and padding also matter as well as users weight and position. If one uses a full body harness for say a ride with no fall arrest, fully padded, and say its just a kid, who doesn't weigh much. How long would suspension trauma take? If not at all? Again this user would be conscious. Compared to one who is unconscious and unable to move?

[@flyboyslc1]

MuddyBob, you have good reason to be concerned about what is called Orthostatic Intolerance. A body fully suspended in a fall protection harness has a short time in which to be fully rescued before blood flow and other bodily functions are abnormally impacted. There is a wide range of fall protection harnesses now available, and some are padded better than others for sure. One thing that I really like are the Trauma Straps that are carried right on the harness, and can be deployed and stepped into with your feet to relieve the harness forces in the groin area. Here is a link to what OSHA says about this. www.osha.gov/dts/shib/shib032404.htmlAlso, remember that a fall protection harness is not to be used as a ride device. It only has one purpose, and that is to arrest a fall before a body strikes the ground. Other harnesses would be used for things such as aerial cable rides and such. Great question. steve

[@MuddyBob650]

flyboyslc1 Thanks you for the information and sorry for the late reply. I do have one more question. If a user is indeed in that situation, without suspension relief straps and no way down for lets say, a period of over an hour before rescue arrives. A person who is conscious would "fidget" and naturally move their limbs. Regardless if they know about suspension trauma or not and what to do in that situation. Moving the limbs like that cause the 1 way valves in the veins to "Pump" blood back to the heart. I know a person unconscious is in extreme danger of trauma and death. My question is: If they were conscious and able to move at will. What are the odds of one being affected by suspension trauma? Would they experience any symptoms. Maybe numbness from hanging so long. But would blood flow still be sufficient for the brain? And they could remain conscious until help arrived? The only problem over time I can think of is fatigue. Then being too tired to wiggle and fidget anymore, more than likely causing them to stay still, faint and sustain trauma. I only ask this because I use a hunting tree stand and have always been worried about falling and being stuck in any way. I just want to be ensured that I can call for help and be okay until it arrives. I use a gorilla G-30 harness and it's super padded. I also mention the "ride". Kids made a swing on the tree in the yard. They like to steal the harnesses and swing around in the tree, lol. I'm just concerned about them being suspended for too long. Thanks again, look forward to your reply. Bobby.

[@flyboyslc1]

Bob, you are wise to be concerned about prolonged suspension in a fall protection harness. Studies show that if they are in the harness suspended after a fall for more than 10-15 minutes they are likely to suffer from that, including death. OSHA regulations require that if you are using fall protection harnesses you must also have a plan in place to rescue the person after the fall. Some of the newer harnesses have a self-rescue feature. here is one that I found: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnLGaIeul61qgs2Ihere are many out there now, and it is what I would be buying if I needed a harness. Padding helps for sure, but you need to get the person that has fallen down quickly. best to you. steve

[@Joy-wl1yk]

Wished the sound was better

[@flyboyslc1]

Joy, I do too. I did the video on the spur of the moment, so just using the on-board microphone of the Iphone. Never thought the video would be watched by so many people. steve

[@rs480285]

I want to see trauma straps used by a person in duress. Not a training simulation. A person a hundred feet in the air falling 6-8’ with no one there to assist them. Are they gonna remain calm and collected or are they gonna be losing their cool. The one person I saw fall the retractable worked superbly. However they could not function to get their trauma straps useful. Mentally they lost all composure

[@flyboyslc1]

You are thinking many of the same thoughts that I have. Every fall is unique, and the victim may or may not be able to help themselves. That said, the straps weigh very little, and if you are able to use them, having them available is a huge benefit. The best thing though is to have a rescue plan in place to get to the victim within 10 minutes. OSHA I believe requires that you have a rescue plan in place, and it isn’t “call 911”

[@royjones8312]

How the fuck am I supposed to use those trauma straps when I’m hanging from the side of a building?

[@flyboyslc1]

Your option. Don’t use them if u prefer.

[@royjones8312]

@@flyboyslc1 I just don’t get how to actually use them. I’m hanging off the side of a building today on the fourteenth floor and just was wondering how to actually employ them. It seems like it would be impossible while hanging.

[@flyboyslc1]

@@royjones8312 hi Roy, I’m 69 now and retired. Started this business before there was even an OSHA around. I could walk a steel beam 50 foot in the air with no protection and nobody cared. Of course we lost a few doing things that way. So fall protection has good parts and it’s bad parts. If you fall with a harness you’ve got about 10 minutes to be rescued before you get something called orthostatic intolerance. And you go into shock and you die. The idea behind the trauma straps is get the blood circulating into the legs. You would have to see one of these actual harnesses to understand how nice they work. If you are fortunate enough to still be conscious after you fall and your dangling in the harness with nothing to stand on, the straps are easily deployed with just a tug by your fingers on either side of the harness. Then you can step into them and take the weight off of your crotch area. I would recommend that you find a safety supply house somewhere close to wherever you live and ask them if they have a harness with trauma straps and have them show you how it works. Especially if you’re 14 stories up in the air. you want every chance you can to live a long life. Best wishes. Steve

[@royjones8312]

@@flyboyslc1 I have a sala exofit. It has those straps on the side, I’m just wondering if I’m in that situation if I’d be able to do that. Hope I never find out. Thanks Steve.

[@flyboyslc1]

@@royjones8312 I hope you don’t too. No guarantees you will not be injured even with a harness on yourself. But still better than nothing. I used to work for Ryan Companies US. On one of our job sites we had an Ironworker that lost control of an incoming crane load and went off the deck. He was saved by his harness. They just took an aerial lift over to him and rescued him immediately

[@jessecarroll9460]

Pretty sure that was Mark Wahlberg....

[@flyboyslc1]

Jesse,That was funny! Come to think of it you are right! But it was not him.

[@jessecarroll9460]

flyboyslc1 Haha I know it wasn't, but it sure looks like it lol

[@worldbassify]

How stupid is it they don’t put padding on the leg straps that’s extremely soft and resistant. That would prevent suspension trauma by 100% lol.

[@flyboyslc1]

Wearing a harness isn’t very comfy. The more padding and weight you have to deal with the more uncomfortable it is, until you fall and are hanging by the lanyard. A harness is a trade-off of wearability and safety. I do understand your point though.

[@whitehorse1092]

Enjoy playing your gibbet?

[@flyboyslc1]

Kinda forgot I even did this vid. I have met people that were saved by fall protection, but you have a point in not letting them hang too long. That can kill them too.

[@iw63boomer]

I don't like how the demonstrator has to play his little power game, showing how superior he is to the audience, by asking a question that no one could know the answer to. People with inferiority complex act that way.

[@3204clivesinclair]

iw63boomer As an instructor/demonstrator, he is probably superior in terms of knowledge, training and qualifications - otherwise he wouldn't be doing that job. His subject matter dictates that he 'get his points across', or as you call it "play his little power game". Of course people 'could' know the answers to his questions. Do they have to, or need to, possibly. That in itself makes the target audience 'think' about the question he is asking. Common practice in instruction.