Working at Height The Critical Phases of Rescue From Height

The responsibility to have a post-fall rescue system in place lies with the employer, so below are the four critical phases of rescuing a suspended operative:
1. Before the fall
2. At fall arrest
3. Suspension
4. Post-fall rescue
Each phase presents unique safety challenges. Suspension trauma can be influenced by all aspects of the fall, so they are all equally important.
As with many aspects of safety, increasing the safety in one phase can compromise safety in the others. Whatever training operatives have received will determine how they respond to different phases.
· Before the fall
The key issue of fall protection prior to a fall is compliance. If a harness is too uncomfortable, too inconvenient or interferes too much with task completion, operatives may not use the equipment or may modify it (illegally) to make it more tolerable.
A second major point is how far an operative falls before his fall is arrested. The greater the fall, the greater the stress on the body when the fall is arrested. The longer the lanyard the longer the fall distance, however, the shorter the lanyard, the more often it will have to be repositioned when operatives are mobile. It is with this in mind that Leading Edge Supplies Ltd
developed restraint lifelines as the preferred method of working because it allows maximum flexibility. Working in restraint prevents the operative from falling, yet should a fall occur the arrest distance is kept to a minimum (limited fall).
· Fall Arrest
The whole concept of fall protection is that operatives who fall will be stopped by a tethering system. Unfortunately, the posture of the falling operative is unpredictable.
Depending on the harness attachment point and the position of the operative's body at fall arrest, different harness attachments offer different advantages. An attachment near the shoulders means that any drag from the lanyard will serve to position the operative's body in an upright position so the forces are distributed from head to foot. The head is somewhat protected if the legs and body precede it in the fall, but this offers some disadvantages after the fall arrest is completed.
· Suspension
Many safety professionals naturally assume that once a fall has been arrested then the fall protection system has successfully completed its job. Unfortunately, this is not the case. An operative suspended in an upright position with the legs dangling in a harness of any type is subject to suspension trauma and orthostatic intolerance.
Fall victims can slow the onset of suspension trauma by pushing down vigorously with the legs, by positioning their body in a slight leg-high position or, by standing up. Harness design and fall injuries may prevent these actions.
· Rescue
Rescue must come rapidly to minimise the dangers of suspension trauma. The circumstances together with the lanyard attachment point will determine the possibility of self-rescue.

In situations where self-rescue is not possible, operatives must be supervised at all times. Regardless of whether an operative can self-rescue or must rely on others, time is of the essence because an operative may lose consciousness in only a few minutes.

For conscious casualties Leading Edge recommends (where possible) that those suspended keep their legs moving to keep the blood pumping and reduce the risk of venous pooling, whilst deploying "The Edge Casualty Ladder".

For unconscious casualties the "Edge Haul" system is recommended as it facilitates the rescue of an unconscious casualty in less than ten minutes.

Being aware of the demands for fast, simple and effective rescue, when working at height Leading Edge Safety have developed a range of products and courses specifically designed for at height rescue in the construction industry, allowing typical site operatives to rescue conscious and unconscious casualties in under ten minutes. For more information and guidance on working at height and rescue from height visitwww.leadingedgesafety.co.uk