Rescue Plan Development- Putting the Pieces Together
A well developed Rescue Plan includes contingencies for self-rescue as well as detailed strategies for the rescue of any person who falls, and includes:- identification of hazards:
- establishment of a plan for ensuring that notice is given when a fall occurs
- subject contact is made as soon as possible
- written procedures for self-rescue
- planned procedures for summoning a rescue service
- written strategies for rescuers to perform the rescue, including:
- identification of the rescue personnel who will respond
- identification of anchor points to be used
- complete instructions for performing each identified type of rescue
- equipment information – selection, care, inspection, maintenance and storage
- documentation of training/ refresher plans
Equipment- Always ready to roll
To the extent possible, industrial rescue systems should be simplified and pre-rigged, with the capability to uphaul or lower using the least amount of gear. This helps to avoid any confusion due to the natural ‘urgency’ of a rescue, and also helps to reduce the amount of information/skill a worker/rescuer must retain. Equipment should be stored near potential rescue sites, and clearly marked. If necessary, equipment should be protected from damaging environmental conditions.
Some employers may find it necessary to maintain multiple ‘rescue kits’ cached in key locations in order to ensure that rescuers have access to the equipment they need within a few minutes of any work location. It is very important to note that if a rescue is to be undertaken by an outside agency, this agency should be aware of all gear cache locations outlined in the Rescue Plan. This is especially important in situations where rescue from a ladder truck is simply not an option.
Rescue Personnel- ICS in action
The preferred ‘first line of defense’ for any worker in vertical suspension is self-rescue. But even while self-rescue is being attempted, the next level(s) of rescue resources should be mobilized.
The responding rescue team should consist of personnel who are familiar with the facility and the type of equipment being used for fall protection, and who have trained and practiced for this type of response.
Whether a rescue is to be performed in house or by an outside professional rescue agency, NFPA 1670’s typing of ability levels is crucial to a safe and successful outcome. NFPA 1670 describes response level capabilities in three levels:
Awareness Level - Able to Recognize Incident and Initiate Response.
Operations Level – Able to Respond and Apply Limited Techniques to Support and Participate in Response.
Technician Level – Able to Respond and Apply Advanced Techniques to Coordinate, Perform, and Supervise Response.
These levels may also be considered an excellent guideline for industrial worker/rescuer typing when putting together a Rescue Plan.
If an organization anticipates using external resources to provide rescue services, it is the employer’s responsibility to contact the appropriate rescue agency before the commencement of any work at height and formulate a comprehensive Rescue Plan.
It is incumbent upon the employer’s Program Administrator (or his designee) to secure written notification from the rescue agency as to availability, capability, any limitations on the types of rescue it can perform, detailed instructions regarding how they are to be called, and any special instructions (such as notice of work, response times, etc).
After the fall
The good news is that the workers wearing a harness and are properly attached to an adequate fall arrest system will most likely be caught before impacting the ground.
The bad news is that an arrested fall often results in injury, thereby decreasing the chance that the subject can initiate self rescue.
But even supposing the subject has taken a fall and been caught by his fall arrest system without injury, time is still of the essence.
Case in point; In October of 2000 an employee of a cement company in Texas was working on a platform. Even though he was wearing a safety belt when he fell from the platform, he was working alone and wasn’t discovered by co-workers until sometime later, suspended from his fall arrest system. By the time he was found, he had expired from positional and compression asphyxia, abrasion and contusion of the lower abdomen from the belt compression, and hemorrhage in the neck and left clavicle area.
Numerous medical studies have shown that in the event of a fall and the subsequent suspension of the subject, restriction of movement or loss of consciousness should reasonably be anticipated whenever a person falls while wearing a safety harness. Further, a relatively long period of time spent suspended motionless can lead to death.
Keeping the blood flowing to the legs is essential. If a fallen worker is wearing a harness designed to allow independent leg movement, encourage them to keep their legs moving (mimicking the leg movements associated with pedaling a bike).