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To prevent a worker on one level from falling and striking another level or obstruction below, the fall clearance needs to be determined. This is the minimum distance needed between a worker’s feet and the lower level to keep them from hitting that lower level, and takes into account the fall protection equipment available or proposed. This calculated fall clearance can’t be equal to or greater than the physically available clearance, or else the worker will risk injury and death.VariablesMultip …

I haven't seen it yet, so there's no chance I'm going to spoil it for you. Apparently the Batman movie features some very questionable safety practices. In fact "practices" is probably the wrong word. If you tried this once, that would be all the practice you received. Then you'd be dead. Christian Bale aka Bruce Wayne aka Batman does some serious climbing with only a rope tied to a belt. Hasn't he heard of OSHA? Does he call that PPE? What's wrong with a full-body harness Mr. Wayne? Don …

Lots of folks out there are finding they need to put together a post fall rescue program. But wouldn't it be easier if a fallen worker could simply rescue themselves? How much time and manpower could be saved, not to mention allowing the fallen worker to avoid the discomfort and possible long term health effects of suspension trauma. Now there is a product called the Latchways Personal Rescue Device (PRD) does just that. Rescuing a worker after they have experienced a fall is often a …

Workers and employers are becoming more aware of the problems associated with suspension trauma (also called orthostatic intolerance) which can affect a fall victim who is held aloft by their full-body harness. What people have been asking with some regularity lately is if the suspension trauma straps from one company will work with a harness from another. The answer, as far as we can tell with the products we have tried and the manufacturers we've talked to, is yes. Last week a cust …

Boom trucks, scissor lifts, and other Genie Lift work vehicles are everywhere these days. A question we receive regularly is how workers should hook up their fall safety equipment to the work platforms. Workers operating between 6 and 18 ft. above the closest obstacle, even if they are just passing through those heights, need to be wearing either complete fall restraint or a self-retracting lifeline (SRL). Because the close tether of a fall restraint system limits the work that can be a …