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D-ring extensions allow easier access to the dorsal D-ring without having to go through the yoga contortions sometimes required to hook up your fall protection, but these extensions are not for every situation and must be used with care. Adding extra length to fall protection can result in additional swing forces acted upon the climber in the event of a fall. That makes intuitive sense. You're making the pendulum longer, so the swing could be wider. Using an extender may be allowed with lanya …

Nearly every type of industrial site has confined spaces - manholes with plumbing, or sheds that house pumps or generators.  These are areas where the atmosphere may become toxic or oxygen-depleted and unsafe for entry.  If you or your crew don't do much work in these areas you may not be aware of the dangers or the regulations surrounding them. Here are a few things that you will need if you are preparing to enter a confined space.  They are all important, most of th …

Before we upgraded our facilities, sent our tech guys to Level 3 BW Honeywell gas monitor training, and increased our factory-direct parts supply to become a BW Factory Authorized Service Center, these guys were already pretty unbearable. Sure it was handy to have someone around who could drill down to the smallest detail of monitor capabilities and explain error codes while grabbing their lunch from the company fridge. It's the calibration knowledge, the sensor life, the warranty informat …

At PK Safety we're here to help. There are lots of different jobs out there, and they all have their special requirements. This week we had a couple questions that hadn't come up before. A new customer asked: I am looking for a mask that will greatly assist in preventing the odor of a decaying human body. As a Justice of the Peace I am called to perform inquests on deceased persons that may have been demised for an extended period of time. What do you recommend?750 Great questio …

Ebola was exciting wasn't it? I'm not talking about the terrible disease that some African countries are still struggling with. I'm talking about those amazing news reports getting everybody all whipped up. While we talked about basic precautions against the more likely scenarios, we are not the largest news agency in the world (shocking, I know). Now we are overstocked on some of our best respirators, and if you haven't added them to your Walking Dead safety kit, or you just need great lu …

Just after you have ordered your fall protection equipment (hopefully from pksafety.com) is the perfect time to update your rescue plan.   What?  You don’t have a rescue plan?  Well, you are not alone.  Many conscientious companies provide equipment and training for the PPE issued on site, but fail to see the scenarios through.  What happens to your workers after a fall occurs? The danger of suspension trauma – where blood flow is cut off by harness stra …

This past spring OSHA updated their safety regulations for electrical power generation, transmission, and distribution. The compliance deadline for most of these new rules as they relate to fall protection is April 1st, 2015. If your workers operate or maintain electrical service and are working at height, they are likely affected by these updates. There are two main fall protection rules that are either new or changed. Foremost is the arc flash requirement. Fall arrest equipment has an …

The BW GasAlert Max XT II is a humdinger of a detector, both for its ease of usage and reasonable price. In my opinion, this is the best gas detector to buy if you’re entering a confined space or septic tank. This one button unit makes it perfect for both the glove crowd and the technologically challenged. Plus, its simple operation makes tampering with its functions nearly impossible (a helpful feature if you want to ensure that you crew doesn’t decide to change any o the setting without …

If your company is searching for personal hydrogen sulfide (H2S) single gas monitors, here's a quick run-down of the best disposable monitors on the market. We find there are two basic groups of people buying portable single gas monitors, those who want the best price and those who want the best monitor for a discount. The reigning champion of these devices in the inexpensive group is still the BW Clip from BW Honeywell. This lightweight device has a standard measuring range of 0-100 …

Everyone knows a few things that make manholes dangerous: alligators, phantom of the opera, and C.H.U.D.s, to name a few. You’re on your own when it comes to those things, but I can offer advice on other hazardous stuff that can happen in and around a manhole. Thankfully, the right preparation can guarantee safety within this confined space. It is necessary to have a certificate that validates the safety of the confined space before entering a manhole. Don’t just test it yourself by tos …