27
RIGGINGREVIEW
OCTOBER 2014
ACT
Pictured here is theMilitary
Compact Descender (MCD),
whichwas one of TSL’s
first products.
suspended from theboom,” saidWise,
after thinkingabout thedifferent typesof
situationshe’s encountered inhis career.
“Thequestion I always comeback to is
this: ‘Is your company ready for rescue?’”
Two types of emergencies
Tower crane emergencies typically fall
into twobasic categories: assisted rescue
and emergency egress.Assisted rescue
situations areusually circumstances
where anoperator
or technicianneeds
help reaching safety.
Thismaybe as
simple as loweringan
ailingoperator from the
crane’s cab, or as involved
as rescuinga suspended
oilerdangling froma
fall-arrest lanyard.
Theother typeof
situationoftenencountered,
emergency egress, is a
scenariowhere theoperator
isunable todescendusing
normal egresspathways.
While the tower crane’s
ladder system is theobvious first choice
for egress, therehavebeen incidentswhere
that path isblocked, eitherby fireorother
hazards. In those instances, personnel
up-towermayhave todescend from
the counter jibormainboom–a scary
situation for almost anyone involved.
ANSIZ359.2-2007 covers theminimum
requirements for aComprehensive
ManagedFall ProtectionProgramand
addresses theneed for companies to
have a rescueplan. For the tower crane
industry, this includes anappropriate
rescuekit and the corresponding training
of theirpersonnel.Havinga safe and
simple rescueplan, aswell as the right
equipment, canbe thedifferencebetween
successfullynavigating throughan intense
event ordealingwitha sadand tragic
outcome.
“Many companies fail to
incorporate a rescueplan
becauseof theirbelief that
emergency responderswill
alwaysbe able to conduct the
rescue,” saidWise. “But local
emergency services arenot
always thebest answer.While some
largermetropolitanareasmayhave
specially trained crews todealwith
an emergencyup-tower, contractors
must realize that even these
teamsmaynot be timely.”
Inan incident that occurred
on theUniversityofUtah campus
in Januaryof 2008, a craneoperatorwas
climbing the ladderup to the cabof his
tower cranewhenhe slippedand fell 6
to10 feet beforehis fall-arrest lanyard
stoppedhim.Hewas injuredduring the
fall, just hanging there, swaying in the icy
mountainbreeze, scared, hurt andunable
to climbupordown.His coworkerwas
able topull himbyhis lanyardontoa
platform just below the cab,whichoffered
some relief, but nooneknewhow exactly
toget himdown.
Ultimately, theSalt LakeCityFire
Department arrivedandperformed the
rescue, but itwasn’t until an
houror soafter they reached the
scene that they finally lowered
theman to safety.Withan
emergency rescue team
alreadyassembledanda
rescuekit like theARKor
theSRK-11, the rescue
sequencewouldhave
beenmuchquicker,
since theoperation
wouldn’t havebeendependent on the
arrival of emergency responders.
The golden hour
Perhapsoneof thebiggest benefits
tohavingapreassembled emergency
response teamanda rescuekit ishow
they factor into the ideaof the “golden
hour.” In emergencymedicine, thegolden
hour refers toa timeperiod followinga
traumatic injuryormedical event during
which there is thehighest likelihood that
promptmedical treatmentwill prevent
death.While there isdebate in themedical
field concerning the significanceof the
exact timeperiod, it iswell established
that thepatient’s chancesof survival are
greatest if they receive advancedmedical
carewithina short periodof time after the
event.
In the tower craneworld, onlyminimal
care ispossibleuntil the injuredworker
isbrought to theground.Andusually the
fastestway toget himorher to theground
isusinga rescuekitwitha controlled
descender.
“Havinga trained emergency response
team,whosemembers come fromvarious
workers and/or supervisors alreadyon
site, is arguably the first lineof defense in
preserving that goldenhour,” saidWise.
“It’s imperative tohave thenecessary
equipment and trainedpersonnel on site
and ready toaida fellowworkerwhena
situationarises.”
Like all facetsof the crane and rigging
industry, beingprepared to respond to
emergencies isof theutmost importance.
It’sour collectivehope thatwe’renever
ina situationwherewe’rewatchingan
operatorhanging fromhis fall protection
lanyard like thatman inUtah, but in
the event thatwe are,we’rebest tobe
prepared.
Companies likeTechSafety
Lines aredoingwhat they
can to ensure that the
industry isprepared
for emergencies–
proof that even from
ahorrible tragedy like
theSeptember 11th
attacks,Americanswill
come together andbuild
products and companies
that contribute toa safer,
moreprepared tomorrow.
■
The patented StepWise
Lanyard functions as a
fall arrest tool,
protecting theworker
with a shock-absorbing
unit that decreases
the impact of
a fall.
The SRK-11 is an emergency
egress and self-rescue kit.
