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Thread: safety belt or safety harness

  1. #1
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    safety belt or safety harness

    who really gives a hoot...i had to go and invest in a safety harness today with double cilps...here the joke i have been working with my safety belt for more than 15 years...climbed poles everyday for 10 years using it...now suddenly today i am told that it is illegal...wow i wonder if the person who made the law has ever climbed a pole...

    apparently new regulations which have been enforced...%^&* joke they cant even police the exsisting ones and now there are new ones...if these people put more effort into policing the industries and actually did valid inspection using people with the correct qualifications...they could make sites safer.

    and here is another joke one od my staff is such a skinny fella tha he almost fell out the harness...the middle clip slipped down which made the harness come off his one shoulder...so i made a decision today and made him wear the safety belt bacause there was less chance of him actually falling out the safety belt...and yes is was the best quality nosa abc...xyz rated...in the bright colours etc

    as i have mentioned in another post...time to move forward which is what i am doing and boy the work is coming...another plus about working in amoungst the rot out there is...no matter how bad my work is...it is still better than the other contractors...the only difference is the time spent doing jobs...much quicker...more money in my pocket...10 years to retirement...dave got another goal.

    i do realise that in certain stuations you need to have a specific harness like when you work on scaffolding i agree you need to clip release clip...but come on dont just make a law that one fits all...this is a clear indication that the law was not thought out properly...i am gona look around on the internet for more information about safety harnesses and see what i can find.
    Last edited by murdock; 14-Jan-11 at 08:10 PM.

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    i managed to find a harness which would suit me just fine its a miller...at least this harness has a belt so when i am hanging 35 - 40 off the ground...replacing high mast lights and the pole is swaying 1.5 metres from side to side in the wind i feel attached to something...these other harnesses dont have any means to hang and work...we normally wrap the strap around the steel structure then lean back and the strap holds you from falling...i think the problem is that when some people work on various platforms they only use the harness as a fall protection...where as we use it to hold ourselves in position while working...i trust my safety belt 100% otherwise i wouldnt hang on it all the time...if that belt comes loose or breaks i go down...thats what like about this harness is it looks like i have the option of hanging and having a strap from behind just in case.

    http://www.discountsafetygear.com/sa...evolution.html

    i dont have any experience with these new type harnesess are there different sizes or is it like the safety belt ones sizes fits all.

    anyone know if there are any good yotube videas of harnesses and applications without me wasting hours going thru all the cr*p on yotube?

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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-vOA...eature=related

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwh8w...eature=related

    found these ones...the first shows you how to fit the harness correctly and the second a rather interesting one about working at heights...beware there are some graphics

    i watched a person fall from the top of the chatsworth centre and bounce off the ground...i dont know if he survived...it happened as he stepped off the roof onto the extention ladder...he seemed to slip and fell...so even if he was using a safety harness i dont think it would have helped him because he would have unhooked it to get down.

    as mentioned in the second clip...you harness should be your last form of protection...the rest of the enviroment should be safe to start with...correctly installed scaffolding with hand rails.

    what always amazes me about working on construction sites is there are always the clever and impatient people...and they always seem to be the ones who get hurt...

    i always tell my staff to work slowly and think before they do things...rather take 10 minutes and walk away from the job than 5 and spend weeks in hospital.

    i had a clever person working with me on a big project...i warned him about sitting on the wall...he and his mates laughed at me as i walked away after the 3 rd warning...an hour later i was called back to the area...and had to take him to hospital he had fallen and grabbed onto the flat steel hangers for the ceiling which were not installed at that point and tried to break his fall...when i got back...it was no longer a laughing matter...he had cut thru his tendons and no longer has use of his hands...being a tradesman...i dont know what he is doing now.
    Last edited by murdock; 14-Jan-11 at 09:55 PM.

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    Diamond Member AndyD's Avatar
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    If the safety harness issue is giving you stress then wait till they declare in the near future that all site power tools must be 110v for safety reasons.

    I upgraded from a belt to a harness about four years ago when my belt had shrunk so much it no longer fitted properly When I originally purchased the belt I was only 85 kilos.
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    Diamond Member tec0's Avatar
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    If I may, when you look at this type of gear then it comes down to blood flow. When you fall and you hang then you are actually in serious trouble because some rigs restrict blood flow and WILL damage or kill you in a short while.

    That being said I do know that you have safety harnesses available that doesn’t restrict blood flow so badly thus your survivability and safety improves not to mention you are less lightly to end up with damage due to blood-flow restrictions.

    Also static and conductivity can be a problem "sometimes" so make sure that your harness isn’t a potential electric chair. You do get harnesses with insulation and that can be a help if you are a sparky

    So do the inquiries and get the facts first hand and in writing.
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    Diamond Member AndyD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tec0 View Post
    If I may, when you look at this type of gear then it comes down to blood flow. When you fall and you hang then you are actually in serious trouble because some rigs restrict blood flow and WILL damage or kill you in a short while.

    That being said I do know that you have safety harnesses available that doesn’t restrict blood flow so badly thus your survivability and safety improves not to mention you are less lightly to end up with damage due to blood-flow restrictions.

    Also static and conductivity can be a problem "sometimes" so make sure that your harness isn’t a potential electric chair. You do get harnesses with insulation and that can be a help if you are a sparky

    So do the inquiries and get the facts first hand and in writing.
    I think it's more about physical damage to your back etc when you fall and it arrests you. As far as I know all safety harnesses and belts are of a certain electrical insulation standard.
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    Quote Originally Posted by AndyD View Post
    If the safety harness issue is giving you stress then wait till they declare in the near future that all site power tools must be 110v for safety reasons.

    I upgraded from a belt to a harness about four years ago when my belt had shrunk so much it no longer fitted properly When I originally purchased the belt I was only 85 kilos.
    all my power tools are 18...24...36 volt...so i shouldnt have a problem.

    i believe in safety and do believe there is an application for a safety harness...as noted in the miller harness...i could still strap onto the frame and hang back...but have the safety harness clipped in place as a backup...in case i slipped.

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    the other problem i have with the harness i have just purchased it doesnt fit tight around your legs and it is extremmely difficult to pull the leg straps tight(i am gona shop around and try find a better harness)...the other issue i have with the harness is you can drop a couple of meters before it stops you and has a stretchy part which opens as you fall...the beuty about the safety belt is you you are always tight to the frame or pole etc so if you do slip you only drop a metre a half a metre or so.

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    Gold Member garthu's Avatar
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    .wow i wonder if the person who made the law has ever climbed a pole...
    I think that is one the issues that often face us. New regulations, new NQF qualifications etc etc, i always wonder if the people who actually come with the stuff actually do the work. They will often request the advice of people in the industry, however it is normally the people that sit behind the desks that give the answers, not guys in the field that generally know the answers
    Garth

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