By Judith W. McInerney
Corporate Health and Safety Director
Corporate Health and Safety Director
 | As of 3/24/2017, NTH has experienced 1345 days without an injury resulting in lost time or job restriction and 668 days without a recordable injury. This is a result of everyone’s continuing efforts; however, we as a company or as an individual must not become complacent. Therefore we are always on the look out for how safety measures can be improved. For example, to prevent NTH personnel experiencing a fall while performing tasks using an aerial lift or suspended scaffolding, various precautionary measures have been implemented. Employees are provided training on the use and limitations of aerial lifts and/or suspended scaffolding, use of body harnesses, lifelines, short lanyards and personal fall limiters (self- retracting lifeline or self-retracting webbing). |
However, even with these control measures in place, there is still a possibility - albeit slim - that a fall could occur. Therefore, for those instances, a method of rescue must be in place. Although the local fire department could be called, no individual wants to be suspended for the 10 -15 minutes or more that it would take for the local fire department to arrive. Also work involving use of aerial lifts doesn’t always take place outdoors so in some instances the fire truck wouldn’t be able to gain access to the location where the person is suspended in mid-air. To provide NTH employees a means of rescue when working in aerial lifts and suspended scaffolding, NTH recently purchased a DBI Sala rescue descent device and rescue pole. The rescue descent device provides controlled descent upon release of a cord attached to the employee’s body harness. The rescue pole was purchased to release the cord remotely in case an employee was unable to activate the cord (i.e. if they were unconscious).
On March 21, 2017, representatives from DBI Sala and Airgas offered NTH employees a brown bag presentation on how this piece of equipment worked. Mary Koeger volunteered to demonstrate how the rescue descent device works. If interested click here to watch how Mary was raised to new heights and was able to lower herself to the ground with a controlled descent. The device that NTH purchased is rated up to 310 pounds and has 50 feet of rope. We hope that the device will never have to be used but should its use be required, it then must be taken out of service.
Ongoing efforts are taking place to ensure that “state of the art” equipment is provided to employees that effectively achieves its goal and yet is practical to use.
Ongoing efforts are taking place to ensure that “state of the art” equipment is provided to employees that effectively achieves its goal and yet is practical to use.
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