The type of Suspension trauma referred to in this article is where a person has fallen while working at height and is suspended in a safety harness. This can ultimately lead to the person losing consciousness and if not rescued quickly, death is certain.
When a person has fallen the body is held in the upright position. Gravity pulls the blood into the legs where it stays, depriving the brain of oxygen which leads to suspension trauma. We are able to stand and walk about daily as the muscles in our legs help push the blood up to the heart. If your legs remain still for long periods of time the much needed oxygen rich blood is not pumped up to your heart, the person faints, falls to the ground which enables the blood to flow easily to the heart since the person is now in the horizontal position. However when a person is suspended in a harness he remains in the vertical position, which is why it is vital he / she is rescued immediately.
If your legs are motionless, then you can go into shock from anywhere between three to twenty minutes. After this you faint and if you do not lie down immediately your brain dies a few minutes later. Once you faint and if you are upright, you lose control of your airway and you can choke on your tongue and suffocate within seconds. Time is a luxury the suspended person does not have!
It is therefore absolutely essential that persons working in a fall risk position, are properly trained on the use of the safety harness and related fall prevention and fall protection systems. The fall protection plan must be drawn up by a competent person who will include the rescue procedures to be implemented in the event of a fall. A good plan and task specific risk assessments will allow you to foresee possible problems and afford you the opportunity not only to prevent a fall but effectively rescue a person who has fallen and ultimately save lives.
This is a "Legal Check" that will assist you to do a quick, yet accurate legal check, to see if there is compliance with the requirements, as prescribed in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993.
Construction Regulation 8: Fall Protection Plan.
- Competent person appointed in writing to develop and implementing of programme,
- a risk assessment of all work carried out from elevated positions is conducted,
- employees are trained,
- inspections, test and maintenance of all fall protection equipment are done and record kept,
- plan reviewed and regularly up date by the competented person.
Competent person - means a person having the knowledge, training, experince and qualifications specific to the work or task being performed.
1.Red. (SABS A11). Red is the basic colour to indicate:
1.1 Danger.
1.2 Fire protection equipment.
1.3 Stop buttons and emergency stop controls.
Typical examples: Danger.
- Flashing red lights at rail crossings, stores for explosives, etc.
- Barricades prohibiting the passage of persons.
- Fire protection equipment.
- Fire alarms.
- Boxes for fire extinguishers.
- Sprinkler system.
- As a background colour to indicate fire equipment locations.
- Stop buttons and emergency stop controls.
- Electrical stop buttons.
- Emergency stop bars.
2. Yellow. (SABS B49).Yellow is the basic or background colour used alone or in conjunction with black to indicate:
2.1 Places where caution should be exercised
2.2 Places where warnings of hazards from radio activity are required. Typical examples:
- Markings at barricades, temporary constructions or on mobile equipment.
- Low head room owing to structures.
- Changes in floor level and other tripping hazards.
- Demarcation on floors for stacking, walkways and for fire extinguishers.
- Handrails.
3. Green. (SABS E14). Green is used in conjunction with white lettering to indicate safety and first-aid equipment. It is also the colour for start buttons on machines.
Typical examples:
- Location of first-aid facilities.
- Location of gas masks.
- Exit signs.
- Emergency showers.
- Safety information signs.
- Safe areas, e.g. safety refuge in quarries.
4. Light Orange. (SABS B26). Light orange is used on inside surfaces of machine guards as well as dangerous parts of a machine capable of cutting, shearing or crushing; the surfaces of protruding shafts, the faces of gear wheels and any exposed rotating part of a machine.
The intention is to draw immediate attention to the hazard presented because a guard has been removed. This colour is also to be used for the identification of all electrical switchgear, electric services, conduits and allied fittings, but not on electric motors.
WORK AT HEIGHT
Height safety wearing a full body harness
There is so much more to wearing a full body harness to work than simply throwing it on and hoping for the best. Every type of full body harness has to be worn in the same way, whether it is standard polyester non elasticised webbing, or elasticised harnesses.
There are a number of points on the harness you need to be aware of. On the rear of the harness is the Dorsal Plate, this could be rubber, plastic or form part of the harness webbing pattern. This piece is extremely important as it prevents the ‘D’ ring from slamming into the back of your head in fall and converting the harness in a noose. The ‘D’ ring connects your harness to the anchorage point via intermediate attachments.
Some harness have an adjustment for height via buckles on shoulder straps, the simplest rule for this type of harness is that you should not be able to touch the Dorsal Plate by reaching from behind your head or by reaching up from the lumber or lower back region. Modern harness design has taken this feature out of the system to reduce misuse of the harness, this type of harness may be elasticised to encourage correct fitting and for the user’s comfort.
On the front of the harness should be a chest strap; some harnesses have a metal buckle and possibly a ‘D’ ring on the front. This is to provide the user with a way of attaching to an anchor or safe system of work, for example ladder systems. The important thing to note with this type of attachment is that unless the harness is worn correctly there is a risk the ‘D’ ring and buckle can strike the user in the neck and under the chin if they are involved in a fall.
Some harness designs have replaced this with soft loops as a front connection as this feature makes the harness safer for the user. The chest strap, without a front attachment is much smaller and made of softer webbing; the chest strap is there to stop the shoulder straps from parting and allowing the user to fall out the front of their harness. However in both cases it is important to take care when attaching your safety equipment in relation to the ‘D’ ring.
If the anchorage point is behind you then use the rear ‘D’ ring and vice versa if the anchor point is in front of you. Once you have put the harness on, like a jacket, and adjusted the chest strap to so it is tight but comfortable, you need address the leg straps, buckles and sliders, as there is more to it than just stepping into harness.
Stepping into a commercial full body harness is considered to be extremely bad practice. Not only does it increase the risk of slips trips and falls; if the harness is placed on the ground it could pick up all kinds of dirt and contamination. There is also a risk of complacency setting in; where the user steps into the harness in a rush and fails to adjust it appropriately.
In a fall a slack harness can lead to death or extreme testicular trauma and severe rectal damage. The easiest way to gauge the correct tension of the leg straps is to tighten it until you can just about get two fingers between the webbing and your leg. Two finger tension means placing the middle and index finger perpendicular to the webbing around the front area of the leg.
The final, and probably the most important thing, is to lock your harness. Every harness with a buckle used for adjustment should have at least one slider to lock it. If the harness is not locked and you are involved in a fall the movement of the webbing through the buckle can cause the bar tack to shock load against it. The bar tack is rolled over and lightly stitched as it is only there to keep the sliders and buckles on the harness.
The energy in a fall may exceed the strength of this stitching and it will rip apart, allowing the bar tack to unroll and pass through the buckle. The end result is that you will fall through the bottom of the harness. It doesn’t matter if you are wearing the harness correctly; if it’s damaged it’s useless and will offer you no protection whatsoever.
Harnesses need to be inspected on a regular basis to establish they are safe to use.
Author: Drew Beardmore
Article Source: http://www.a1articles.com/article_1019263_5.html
Source: Leading Equipment Magazine: February 2010
A Fall Arrest Plan is not the same as a Fall Protection Plan.
Below is a summary of the most important differences between the two documents:
Fall Arrest Plan
1.Not necessarily documented
2.Describes procedure
3.Contains information on
• Fall arrest equipment
• Rescue equipment
• Rescue procedures
• Medical backup available within 15 minutes
4.Developer does not need to be appointed
5.No competency to draw it up is required
Fall Protection Plan
1.Must be documented
2.Describes policy
3.Contains information on:
• Risk assessment (specific to work at height
• Equipment inspection, testing and maintenance methods
• Medical and psychological examination procedure
• Must contain a training schedule
4.Developer must be appointed in writing, and must accept the appointment
5.May only be drawn up by a competent person
I hope this will assist you in understanding the differences in the two plans when it comes to employees working at heights.
Before each use:
1. Do not remove sleeve from shock absorbing element of Lanyard.
2. Harness should be issued as personal protective equipment to employee and all necessary and relevant information should be kept on the record card. This record card should be retained and used for the purposes of inspection and traceability.
3. Visual inspection of the condition of the webbing, stitching and fittings must occur. The item should be rejected and removed from service if there is any damage such as:
- cuts, tears, abrasions, burns or holes in webbing
- broken, pulled, worn or unraveling of stitches, distortion, burrs, cracks or corrosion on the fittings, ensuring that hooks and other connectors are in good working condition.
4. Ensure that the stirrup attachments is intact and in good condition.
5. Get your buddy to inspect to see that you have put on your harness correctly and that all parts are intact and in good condition.
- Ensure that chin straps are fitted to your hard hat and it is fastened before you climb up to the work area.
During use:
1. Ensure that anchor point is always above the operator and slack in the lanyard is kept to a minimum.
2. The clearance below an anchor point should always be a minimum of 5.75m from a 2m shock absorbing lanyard. (This is the potential extension plus operator body length)
3. Protect all equipment especially lanyards from sharp objects or corners.
4. Protect the harness / lanyard from possible chemical contamination and temperature extremes.
5. Certain chemical substances may reduce or affect the products ability to perform as required.
Maintenance and Storage:
1. Store safety harness in a dry and dust free environment away from direct sources of sunlight, temperature extremes and inclement weather.
2. Never modify or repair your safety harness without input from the supplier and manufacturer.
3. When cleaning the harness use warm water and mild soap to remove grease and dirt. Excess moisture should be removed with a clean dry cloth.
