PKSafety.com Blog

If you have ordered a harness from DBI in the past you may recall that they come with a belt that is one size up from the harness, that is to say, if you ordered a medium harness, it would come to you with a large belt. The rationale behind this being, that once you have all of your work clothes on and the padding in the harness, a larger size belt would be needed to get around all of this.

The belts are somewhat adjustable and the discrepancy in sizing only rarely seemed to present itself as a problem.

If you were to order an Exofit NEX harness today, it would come with a belt the same size as a harness. This means, a medium harness now comes with a medium belt. Again, the adjustability of the belts means that this is rarely an issue.

In either case, we occasionally have a customer who needs a different size belt (it was rarely too big, and now it is rarely too small). If this is the case for you, we do sell the belts separately to ensure that every customer can have a harness that fits!

If the belt that came with your harness in too small to work, we can order a larger belt for you. Since our customers have a problem with belt sizing so infrequently, we do not have them on our website, but they are available. If you would like to order a different size belt, please contact us at 1-800-829-9580.

The medium size replacement belt is part number 1000709, and sells for $45.50 (1000717=XL, 1000708=SM, 1000716=LG). When ordering please allow 5 working days for the belt to be shipped out from Red Wing, MN with UPS transit time after that.

Stay safe out there!

Administrator Fall Protection Adjustable Belt, Capital Safety, Construction Style Harness, DBI, Exofit, Exofit NEX, Fall Protection, Harness, Harness Belt

Fall protection is one of those things you can never be too careful with so I am constantly getting questions about it. Here is an example:

I am going to be doing some work on a platform that is only 1.8 meters off of the ground. My self-retracting lifeline (SRL) will therefore be hung about 3.8 meters off the ground.  I know that I am going to need fall protection, but will that be enough clearance to arrest a fall? I don’t want to hit the ground. Is 1.8 meters enough distance for the SRL to both decelerate and arrest my fall? Do SRL’s have shock absorbers?

I double-checked with the engineers at DBI/SALA to get a precise response to your question. The recommended clearance below a person connected to an SRL is 6ft (1.8M). Someone standing on a platform 1.8M tall, connected to an SRL directly overhead, who falls, will stop within 1.8M or less. We mention ‘directly overhead’ because any offset will add to the free fall distance, as well as introducing a ‘swing fall’ element.

This distance is for the worst case scenario, that is, a person weighing 310 lbs. This calculated fall distance also includes a safety factor. That being said, it is never recommended to have less clearance than this, even if the person connected weighs less than 310 lbs.

Here are the numbers that go into that calculation. The free fall distance will be less than 2 ft. The deceleration distance (for shock absorption) will be 3.5 ft. These two distances, plus the safety factor, make up the 6 ft., or 1.8M.

SRL’s have built in energy absorption (or shock absorption). Some models have a disc brake system and others have an external shock pack that extends during a fall to absorb energy. In all cases, the brake is activated by inertia. This means that you can move around easily, but sudden moves, like in the case of a fall, will activate the brakes, and arrest your fall.

As I have said before, fall protection is not something to mess around with, so if you have questions about your specific application, don’t hesitate to contact us and ask.

Administrator Fall Protection DBI/SALA, Fall Clearance, Fall Distance, Fall Protection, Safety Factor, Self Retracting Lifeline, Shock Absorbing, SRL

Yesterday was an exciting day at PK Safety. A representative for Capital Safety and DBI/SALA came to show us some of their most popular products in action. The most exciting part of the visit, besides brushing up on our wealth of fall protection knowledge, is that their demonstration truck has the capability to do test drops.

We were able to look at simulated falls with a restraint lanyard, a shock pack lanyard, a shock wave lanyard and an SRL. It was amazing to see this in person, but even more amazing to look at the videos we took of the demonstrations in slow motion.

Lucky for you at home, we did shoot videos of all of the demonstrations. We have also slowed down some of the footage so you can fully see the impact on the test weight. It’s amazing how much force can be gathered in such a small falling distance.

We will be posting the videos we took on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so be sure to follow us so you can see the videos as soon as they are available! We will also be posting the videos directly on our website on our fall protection page.

These videos are truly a must see. If you want to know how your fall protection is keeping you safe, there is no better way than to see it in action! Here is a little intro to really build up the anticipation….

Fall Training Intro

Administrator Fall Protection Capital Safety, DBI, DBI/SALA, Fall Protection, Lanyard, Restraint Lanyard, Shock Pack Lanyard, Shock Wave Lanyard, SRL

Here is a recent question I got on the application of rope grabs, lifelines and SRL’s. I hope you find it interesting:

My company works in the residential sector of construction and renovations. Most of our work requiring harnesses is scaffold work for exterior finishing. At present we use a vertical line with a rope grab and 4 foot lanyards. I want to eliminate the possibility of workers falling the entire length of the lanyard. Can an SRL be used in conjunction with a vertical line and rope grab assembly? If so which product you would recommend.

The rope grab/lifeline system does not qualify as an anchor point. So hanging an SRL from a rope grab doesn’t work. For scaffold work, a rope grab is really the best product for the job, and adding an SRL wouldn’t (at least in my opinion) add anything to the equation. Training your guys to keep the rope grab device over their head should help your workers avoid falling the full length of the lanyard.

Roof applications can be a bit trickier. Using a lifeline with a rope grab is by far the most common method, and likely the most practical. Again, an SRL may not be used in conjunction with a lifeline/rope grab combo.

SRL’s are somewhat problematic for roofing. On many residential roofs, the slope is not steep enough to activate the brakes of an SRL. There is a tendency to slide at less than the 4 feet per second needed to engage the brake. When the worker encounters the edge, where a free fall can begin, the shock absorbing features of the SRL are bypassed, potentially subjecting the worker to higher than acceptable deceleration forces. We do offer a ‘leading edge’ SRL with a shock absorber pack built in to the end of the cable to deal with this issue. The Ultra Lok 3504500 attached to the Capital Safety 2103690 is a good way to avoid this.

Again, if you have any questions specific to your application, feel free to contact us and ask.

Administrator Fall Protection 2103690, 3-Man Swiveling Roof Anchor, 5000335, Capital Safety, DBI Rope Lifeline, Self Retracting Lifeline

I often get questions about which fall protection harness is the best. Although the answer may depend on the application, there is one line that seems to stand above the rest. Let’s look at this recent question:

I am looking for the lightest and safest possible harness for my workers to use at our wind site. We are currently using Exofit harnesses by DBI/SALA, but they are a few years old and we are looking to update. What do you recommend?

DBI has been at the leading edge of harness design for some time. I would recommend sticking with DBI/SALA Exofit. When making the choice between this brand and its competitors, there is just no comparison. Our customers agree: it has been our best selling brand since it came out, even though these harnesses can be 3-5 times the price of economy models. For the best quality and design, stick with DBI/SALA.

There are some Exofit harnesses designed specifically for wind site applications. The Exofit NEX Wind Energy Construction Style Harness is a good choice. It features front, back and side d-rings with a sewn-in hip pad and body belt, and yet still weighs only 6 lbs. The Exofit NEX 5-point Wind Energy Harness has front, back and side d-rings, and weighs just 4 lbs. The new Tech Lite forged aluminum hardware used with these harnesses is so lightweight it feels like plastic, and allows these harnesses to keep the weight down and the features up.

The NEX Wind fall protection harnesses have many unique features. One in particular that we like is the ‘World Standard’ approach to meeting government approvals. This means you have OSHA, ANSI, CSA and CE approvals in one piece of gear. For our customers with operations in multiple countries, this can be quite a relief. For instance, when a US company is doing work in Canada, the OSAH/ANSI tags don’t mean much; they want to see the CSA mark. Same goes for EU countries; they look for the CE logo.

As always, if you’re not sure which harness is right for you, feel free to contact us and ask.

Administrator Fall Protection DBI, Exofit, Fall Protection, Harness, Tech Lite, Wind Energy, Wind Harness

Here is another question I recently received. I thought it might interest my readers:

What does DBI stand for?

DBI stands for Duncan & Buck Industries. Their story, however, does not end there. After their name was shortened to DBI, their company was bought by BH SALA from Sweden. They then became DBI/SALA. This company was then bought by the corporation Capital Safety, who is the current parent company.

Most people still use DBI when referring to their products. Although they are now technically Capital Safety items, their products are still made in the same DBI factories by the same experienced DBI workers . They still provide the same quality products you have come to know and expect and are made by Americans in the heartland of America.

Now that’s something to be proud of when donning you Capital Safety gear!

Administrator Fall Protection Cable Grab, Evolution Horizontal, Exofit, Fall Arrest, Lanyard, Tripod

Over the years we have had a lot of questions about fall protection. It can have disastrous consequences if you don’t have the right type. That being said, fall protection in general has been getting better and better. Here is a common discussion I have regarding SRL’s.

What is an SRL? While some people believe SRL stands for Self Retracting Lanyard, it really is an abbreviation for Self Retracting Lifeline. Although that term may not mean much to you at first, it is actually a somewhat descriptive name because a self-retracting lifeline is just that, self retracting.

What do you mean, self retracting? Well, the best way I can describe it is to think of a seat belt. We have all felt our seat belt jerk taut when we come to a sudden stop in our car. Even though there might be a lot of force, or energy, involved in a sudden stop, we generally do not feel the brunt of it.

How does a seat belt limit the force of the stop? Seat belts are designed to absorb energy by having a small amount of stretch in them. Some of the force of the sudden stop will dissipate with the stretching of the belt. Seat belts are also designed to spread the force across your body, which is why seat belts are worn across the body.

Okay, but what does this have to do with SRL’s? An SRL uses the same basic principles as a seat belt. The line will stop us from falling. Much like a seat belt, an SRL absorbs some of the energy of the fall by having braking mechanism that emulates the stretch of a seat belt. Your harness, like your seat belt, is also designed to spread the force across your body by wrapping around you at both your shoulders and legs. Side note: You should always attach your SRL to the back D-ring of your harness.

That sounds great, but why should I get an SRL? Especially in applications where the anchor point is directly overhead, SRL’s provide better fall protection than lanyards or rope grabs. Again, think of jerking a seat belt. The seat belt will not let you pull out more belt if it has been jerked. The same is true for an SRL; it will not allow more rope to exit the housing once it has been jerked. So if the SRL is anchored 3 feet above you, or 10 feet above you, the fall distance will be the same: just the energy absorbing “stretch” of the braking meachanism.

How is this any different than using a lanyard? In the case of a lanyard you will fall the distance from the work surface to the back D-ring, the length of the lanyard, then the stretch of the lanyard. With a 6 foot lanyard, this fall can amount to almost 20 feet. Even with shock absorbers, the speed gathered in a 20 foot fall will have a much more significant (and painful) impact on your body when you finally do stop. An SRL, when used appropriately, does not allow this build up of speed.

For more information on SRL’s and more frequently asked questions, visit SelfRetractingLifeline.com, a division of PK Safety.

As always, if you are not sure what type of fall protection will be best for your application, feel free to contact us and ask! It is not worth the risk!

Administrator Fall Protection Capital Safety, DBI, DBI-SALA, Harness, Miller MightEvac, Protecta, Rebel, Tie-Back Talon, Ultra-Lok

 

The arrow is pointing to the red indicator. This hook has been impacted.

 

 

Another view of the red indicator.

Rebel AD120A 20 foot Web SRL by Protecta

When using fall protection, even if you have the appropriate protection for your setup, it is important to know when to replace your gear. I recently got a question asking just that:

I recently noticed that this hook does not look like the others. There is a red band on top of the hook and something appears to be missing in the same area. I have attached photos of the hook. Can you please look at the photos and tell me if something looks wrong? Is this just an older style hook or should we replace it?

My initial reaction was that the hook looked pretty well used. Upon looking closer, I can tell that the exposed red is actually the red indicator which means it has been impacted.

Some hooks have a brass ferrule which breaks off when impacted. Some hooks have a pin which breaks upon impact and allows the body of the hook to drop down exposing the red band. In any event, the unit needs to be taken out of service and repaired. If it is beyond repair, it needs to be discarded.

In this case, the hook needed to be replaced. Since this hook was at the end of an SRL, I recommended the unit be replaced with the Rebel AD120A 20 foot web SRL by Protecta.

As always, it is important to have the right kind of fall protection for you job. But having the right fall protection can only get you so far. It all needs to be in good working order and should be checked regularly. Faulty gear should be discarded so that it doesn’t accidentally end up back in use.

Administrator Fall Protection ANSI, Capital Safety, OSHA, Self Retracting Lifeline

Rebel AD11A Web Self Retracting Lifeline

On any job where you are going to be working off of the ground, it is important to consider fall protection. Having the right type of fall protection gear can save lives and prevent injury. If you are unsure of which protection is right for you, as always, feel free to contact us and ask! Let’s look at a question someone recently asked about obtaining the right kind of fall protection for a particular application:

We operate 6 order pickers in our warehouse. Racking where the order pickers work ranges up to about 22 feet above ground. Our operators wear full harnesses and 6’ lanyards. I believe our application may be better served with self retracting lifelines since the operators work at heights ranging from floor level to top of the racks to select and fill their orders. Would you agree that an SRL may be a good replacement for our lanyards? Which SRL’s would you suggest we review?

I agree, a Self Retracting Lifeline (SRL) would be a good addition for your order pickers. The benefit of having an SRL verses a lanyard is fall distance. With a lanyard, unless the lanyard is pulled taut, a fall means falling both the distance left on the lanyard and the stretch of the lanyard. For example, say the 6 foot lanyard is anchored 2 feet above; you would have approx 4 feet to fall, plus the stretch of the lanyard’s shock absorbing feature, about 14 more inches. An SRL, on the other hand is always taut. This means if you fall, you will only have the extension of the SRL’s shock absorber to fall, or about 14 inches total. Having less distance to fall means your body will have less acceleration when you are finally stopped. So having less fall distance means both less strain on your body, and also less of a chance that you will hit something on the way down.

We have a model of SRL intended for the application. I recommend the 11ft Rebel AD111A Web SRL, which can be mounted in the AD001 Rebel Cab Mount Bracket. If your order picking system has a cage or rack overhead, the AD001 bracket can be mounted there. Other types of systems may just have a ring anchor point, and no bars to grab on to. In that case I would still use the SRL, but simply attach with the carabiner provided with the AD111A.

As always, don’t work alone. In case you do fall it is a good idea to have someone around who can help you, or call for help. As I said before, having the right fall protection can save you from serious injury or even death. If you have any questions about which fall protection is right for you don’t hesitate to contact us for advice.

Administrator Fall Protection ANSI, ANSI Z359, DBI-SALA, OSHA, Talon

Hi, my last post about fall distance brought me a related question, and I thought the answer I gave might be of interest to the rest of our readers.

What kind of fall protection do I need for maintenance work on an HVAC system about 14 feet off the ground? It seems ridiculous to install a railing system for this kind of short-term work.

For a general question like this, I usually find it useful to think about broad approaches to Fall Protection safety. This can help to point out a workable solution. First, an example of the problems in viewing a short fall distance as something less than a real problem…

Rolling Scaffold for Glazier

I have a friend named Steve who worked as a glazier. He was at a job in San Francisco on Post Street, on one of those small rolling scaffolds about 4 feet off the ground, working on the caulk around a store window. He lost his balance, fell and broke his neck. This put him in one of those ‘halo’ devices for about a year. He has since recovered, but not to the point of returning to work, and remains on full disability.

In the absence of a railing or other restraining device, the fellow should certainly be wearing fall protection. The usual components are a full body harness, shock absorbing lanyard, and a fall rated anchor point. This much is pretty straightforward. What I would like you to think about are the particular details of the work site. An example would be a swing fall; the lanyard is properly attached, catches you, but you swing like a pendulum into an object, causing some degree of injury. This is way more common than you might suppose.

So even if you wear the safety related fall protection items properly, there is still danger. Should you happen to fall and everything works as it was designed, you still have to get down. This element of rescue is often overlooked and has caused lingering injury and even death. Once you are hanging there in your harness, watching the world go by, what do you do then? First, there is a problem called ‘suspension trauma’, where the blood gets in your legs but doesn’t return due to the constriction of the leg straps. A further explanation may be found on our page about Suspension Trauma, along with a product that we recommend to users of full body harnesses.

Worker Hanging Around After a Fall

Over a relatively short period of time (variable due to weight, fitness and health) you will lose consciousness and perhaps expire. This is while waiting for a rescue. If you were working alone (not a good idea!!), this might not happen right away. And if you hit your head, you might not be yelling! So, your co-worker has to be able to get to you from below, or somehow hoist you from above. All the connectors (hooks) will be under tension, and so will be hard to disconnect.

Another concept that may be useful in this instance is ‘fall restraint’. We still wear the full body harness, and are connected by a lanyard. But the lanyard is attached in such a way that the length will not let you get to the edge. That is, as you approach a point where the work surface falls away, you are held back by the lanyard.

We often say, you need to plan the rescue before you start the job. Hopefully this helps?

Rick Fall Protection Orthostatic Shock