Company owners and managers can reduce the negative impact resulting from a fall But for how long? And to what extent? It all depends on the quality of the equipment, and whether it is well maintained.

The industry advocates that company’s use certified equipment supplied by a fall arrest company. To use fall arrest equipment purchased used at an auction, or built by someone in your company can result in injury and lawsuit.

Proper equipment, the employee may be protected from potential injuries when falling. Being suspended in damaged out of date fall arrest equipment can result in serious consequences. Suspension trauma poses a significant risk to a employee and fall arrest rescue strategy determines how quickly damage can occur to a suspended worker.

Research from the OSHA indicates that suspension in an improperly fitted, or in damaged out of date fall arrest device can result in unconsciousness, followed by death in less than 30 minutes. Your fall arrest plan must be put into place quickly and safely.

A employee reaction is rarely the same as yours. You need to prepare and train workers to lessen their personal stress and trauma. In the end, it the time-spent training will repay the company on the first incident.

Here are some areas where supervisors often neglect. These quick tips can prevent serious injury, death, and a lawsuit if an incident occurs.

When a employee is suspended, blood begins to accumulate in the veins, commonly called venous pooling and this causes orthostatic tension. Orthostatic intolerance can occur when a person has been sedentary for a long time and suddenly moves. Think of what happens when you stand up after sitting for a long time.

Gravety causes the blood pool in the workers legs while they are suspended? While a worker is standing, some venous pooling happens but the blood moves back to the heart through one-way valves using muscle action and limb movement. When a worker falls, blood will not be adequately pumped and will accumulate in the veins. It is important to reduce the risk of liability, but empower team members to reduce the risks.

Signs and Symptoms of Individual reaching orthostatic intolerance:

– Faintness
– Breathlessness
– Sweating
– Paleness
– Hot flashes
– Increased heart rate
– Nausea
– Dizziness
– Unusually low heart rate
– Unusually low blood pressure
– “greying” or loss of vision

Do not make assumptions. Several factors affect the level of risk resulting from trauma. One worker may be 100% protected by a good fall arrest system.

The next, may suffer trauma, especially if they have any of the following contributing factors:

– Inability to move legs
– Pain
– Injuries during fall
– Fatigue
– Dehydration
– Hypothermia
– Shock
– Cardiovascular disease
– Respiratory disease
– Blood loss

The amount of time a worker is suspended in an upright position affects. The natural reactions to lay the injured person down. This position causes a large volume of deoxygenated blood to move to the heart. Suspended employees should be brought down and sat in in a chair, ensuring their legs are lower than their hearts until medical personnel arrive.

Ensuring your fall arrest equipment is in perfect order on a daily basis is crucial. There are professionals who sell fall arrest equipment, and will help pick the best equipment, and help with training. Prevention is the best policy

Author Bio: Alyson N has 10 years experience in human resources. She is published in both the USA and Canada. Her management articles on safety and fall prevention are published around the internet, including: www.carbis.com

Category: Business Management
Keywords: fall prevention, fall arrest, employee protection