Fall Protection Video

Posted on March 19, 2013 by birdladder

This fall protection video outlines the steps to develop safe practices when working from heights including a fall protection plan and proper protection equipment.

On April 10, at 11 a.m. EST, OSHA’s Director of Construction Jim Maddux, and NIOSH’s Director of Construction Safety and Health, Dr. Christine Branche, will co-moderate a webinar to discuss ways of stopping the leading killer of construction workers – falls from heights. To register for the free webinar and to learn more about efforts by OSHA, NIOSH and CPWR to protect construction workers from fatal falls, visit the registration

Werner Fall Protection Full Body Harness

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Brandon

Werner has three basic types of fastening systems on there Full Body Harnesses. Parachute, Quick connect, and Tongue Buckle. Everything they manufacture has 5 point adjustment. We would not recommend 3 point adjustment on a harness due to circulation issues if a fall does occur.

The parachute or pass-through style is the least expensive and comes on the harnesses that are generally less than $50.

You will find it in the roofers kits, and any price point product. Again, beware of three point adjustment.

This is the worst type of fastening system. It constantly is loosening up, and creates a situation where the worker is not “fitted” properly and can be fined by OSHA.

The Quick connect is the most expensive version available, this was created to make it quick to disconnect with your gloves on.

There are certain scenarios that this may be necessary.

Generally though, this buckle is harder to adjust for comfort and is similar to the parachute buckle in the loosening up part.

The Tongue Buckle, is the middle of the road in price. But it is far and away the best type of fastening system. There are two reasons: first is that it is a fixed in place, it will not loosen up on you. The second is that it is very easy to adjust.

Here are some harnesses made by Werner Ladder.

Fall Protection

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Brandon

We sell Fall Protection. Harnesses, Lanyards, all that stuff. We have sold numerous brands, Miller, Elk River, DBI-Sala, Guardian, and now Werner. What differentiates them? Why should someone pick one over the other?

Honestly, most people never really NEED it, except for the poor unlucky soul who’s time has come. I personally only know one person who is alive because of his harness and rope grab, when a swing stage let go and dropped 10 feet while he was on the 12th story.

Now, that being said, do you really NEED flood insurance? How often does that baby seat really get used? Not very often, and hopefully never, but the one time you NEED it . . . it needs to function properly.

So, what does that mean? “Function Properly” could mean it prevents you from falling to your death. But, if you are in a situation that you cannot be rescued within 10 minutes your body can go into “orthostatic intolerance” or “suspension trauma”. This means that your harness is killing you by cutting of blood flow. If you are wearing a poorly designed harness your femoral arteries can be pinched and you could go into cardiac arrest before you are rescued.

With this in mind, we first recommended the suspension trauma safety strap. This allowed a worker to stand in a loop attached to the harness to relieve the pressure applied to their legs. BUT, this didn’t address the real problem. The real problem is that most harnesses are designed poorly. If a harness was designed so the worker could be suspended and not risk cutting off blood flow you would have a solution.

This is why we have chosen to go with Werner Ladders’ new fall protection line. It is designed with a 5 point adjustment system, and the sub-pelvic strap is stitched in a different way than all of the other harnesses on the market. This is designed so that after a fall, there is enough room in the sub-pelvic strap, that the worker can actually pull themselves to a sitting position. This design was made possible after bringing in some super people who started their business in the rigging of stuntmen in Hollywood productions.