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Columbia Safety and Supply Supply Safety Stand-Down Week 2023: Rescues + Training
Day Five
Rescue & Training for At-Height Construction
When working at-height, the ABC’s of Fall Protection are always top of mind. Anchorage, Body Harness, Connectors, but sometimes overlooked is the final phase of a complete fall protection plan. Descent and Rescue. A rescue plan is a critical piece for every safety plan on a jobsite!
Rescue Plan Awareness
Often, when asked what a rescue plan is for a fallen worker on a jobsite the answer is “Call 911.” In reality, Calling local emergency responders is a part of the rescue plan. This should not be your entire plan. The US average response time for EMT and Firefighters is between 8 and 22 minutes. By the time these crews arrive, suspension trauma could begin setting in, and they are just getting out of their trucks.
Everyone on the jobsite should be aware of the plan for a fallen worker. These plans can also vary based on the location on the jobsite. A rescue plan should not be a one size fits all solution, especially on complex job sites where situations and environments change daily.
For some a rescue plan can be as basic as moving a lift over to the victim and releasing them from their fall protection. There are also self-rescue devices available as add on options to your full body harness. These are great for workers who spend their time in bucket trucks or man lifts.
Other options, which may seem slightly more complex, are more traditional pickoff rescues from above a fallen worker. While it’s not as simple as driving up below a worker and picking them up, with some practice and training these skills are great to have and practice. Plus they can get workers comfortable working with basic rope access techniques which can expand to even more useful skills for other work.
Education & Training
Finally, let’s talk about education and training. Depending on your scope of work, Rescue certification may be required. These certified trainings get pretty in depth into proper use of fall protection gear, planning, and include a variety of techniques involving self/partner rescue, as well as descent and hauling systems. Columbia Safety and Supply, in partnership with Safety LMS, have developed a variety of rescue courses including, Competent Rescuer, Authorized Rescuer, Jobsite Specific Rescue, and Controlled Descent & Rescue which are designed to meet the needs of the general construction industry.
Regardless of whether you have a complex jobsite which would require more intricate rescue plans, or a basic one where you could use a ladder or lift to rescue a fallen worker, planning, training, and retraining is still critically important so everyone is prepared in case a fall event does occur.
Questions or Need More Info?
If you have any questions regarding the above information or need more insight into safety or fall protection in general, reach out to our Gear Experts®! Click here to contact our team, or use the instant chat feature in the lower right hand corner of your browser screen. Also be sure to connect with us on social media to keep up with all of our latest content.
***The content of this page is not intended to replace proper, in-depth training. Manufacturer’s instructions must also be followed and reviewed before any equipment is used.
