Does your company authorize employees to work at height using personal fall arrest systems (PFAS)?

If so, you need to keep reading. Even if your employees don't use personal fall arrest systems, but they work at height using passive restraint, active restraint, or work-positioning systems, you need to keep on reading.

If you have demonstrated that there is no feasible means to utilize employee protection on the "Hierarchy of Fall Protection" other than fall arrest, meaning there is no way to bring the work to the ground or to use a fall restraint, then you have accepted that at some point, your employee will fall.

The personal fall arrest system (PFAS) is there to arrest their fall before they hit the ground or other hard parts, and to minimize injury during that fall and arrest event. OSHA requires employers who authorize personal fall protection systems to provide "prompt rescue," and a big reason for this is OSHA now recognizes suspension trauma as a hazard. Reference: 1910.140(c)(21) "The employer must provide for prompt rescue of each employee in the event of a fall," OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB 03-24-2004, updated 2011) regarding Suspension Trauma.

Even though this is not specifically required by OSHA, wouldn't it make sense to have a prompt rescue capability for times when an employee is injured or becomes suddenly ill while working at height?

This could be an employee who is protected by passive restraint but not PFAS. For instance, if an employee needs to climb a vertical fixed ladder to access a platform with perimeter guardrails 20 feet above the next lower level and is incapacitated due to injury or illness, how will you get that employee to the ground for treatment and transport? Most likely it will require a technical rope rescue effort or some other means of getting them from height and safely to the ground.

Having Suspended Worker Rescue Preplans already in place goes a long way in preparing for the emergency of a fallen suspended worker or a worker that is injured or becomes ill but is isolated by height. By completing these preplans, it should become apparent when the requirements for viable rescue go beyond what I call the "Fred Flintstone" rescue (i.e., "so easy a caveman can do it!").

Additionally, there are products that will delay the onset of suspension trauma should a worker fall and remain suspended in their PFAS. These can significantly improve survivability after fall arrest while awaiting rescue.

Assisted, non-technical rescue can be accomplished using ladders, man lifts, or many other primitive but effective means. However, there comes a point where the situation will require some degree of technical rescue capability. If you have done an honest and knowledgeable assessment of the rescue needs for your facility for all the known or potential areas where you may have employees working at height, you very likely will have found the need for a technical rescue requirement.

If you are lucky, and your facility is located in a municipality that has emergency responders with a rope rescue capability that is willing and able to respond to your location, then you still must ensure that they can perform what needs to be done.

A really good way to do this is to have them come to your facility for the purposes of preplanning and hopefully demonstrating their abilities. Simply posting "911" as the plan, and calling it good, is not even close.

Some facilities have in-house teams that are equipped and trained to perform technical rescue. These in-house teams are generally the fastest to respond and it usually eliminates the problem of relying on a municipal rescue team that may be called out on a separate emergency.

For companies that do not have a municipal agency that can and will respond or does not have the technical ability to perform the types of rescues that may be required, there is always the option of training host employees to perform these types of rescue.

The first option is a single day of training using pre-engineered rescue systems or what we like to call "plug and play" systems. The second option is a two-day "build as you go" class that provides solutions in rescue environments that the pre-engineered systems are unable to cover.

Roco's one-day Pre-Engineered Rescue Systems training relies on manufactured rescue systems that require no knot tying, or the need to create mechanical advantages, or to load friction control devices. These systems are so straight forward that most students will be able to operate them safely and proficiently even if they haven't performed refresher training for several months. With these systems, you literally take the system out of a bag, hang it up to a suitable anchor, and you are ready to rescue.

Roco teaches a variety of techniques that are suitable for a conscious, uninjured suspended victim and also for an unconscious or injured victim who would need to be connected to the rescue system remotely by the use of a telescopic "gotcha pole." As straightforward and easy as this system is to become proficient with, it does have its limitations. For example, in order for this type of system to be employed, the rescuer(s) must be able to safely get into a position above or slightly offset, and within about 10 feet from the victim. If that is not possible, then it is time to prepare for a technical suspended worker rescue.

Roco's two-day Rescue From Fall Protection class teaches a limited variety of knots, including tied full-body harnesses, mechanical advantage systems, anchoring, friction control, lowering, rappelling, hauling, and line transfer systems. These skills are not that hard to master, but they are perishable and require sufficient practice at regular intervals in order to maintain proficiency. This type of "build as you go" capability allows the rescue team to create a system that will work for just about any situation and structural configuration except for the most extreme settings.

So, if your facility seems to be behind the curve regarding the rescue of workers from height, you may need to discuss training options - either for the worker that has fallen and remains suspended from their PFAS, or for the one who is injured or ill at height with no way to get down.

Remember, a worker cannot hang suspended for any length of time without the danger of suspension trauma, which can be deadly.

If we can assist you in assessing your fall protection rescue needs, please contact us at info@rocorescue.com, or call our office at 800-647-7626.

Additional Resources

• Hierarchy of Fall Protection Poster
• Sample Suspended Worker Rescue Preplan
• Suspension Trauma Poster

Now that NFPA 1006 Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications (2017 edition) has been in place for a while, it’s a good time to revisit the changes that have been made. While we won’t go into every single change from the previous 2013 edition, we will cover some of the more significant ones – particularly for the specialty areas that we deal with most.

So, let’s get to the big changes right off the bat. As you are probably aware, there was a big disconnect between NFPA 1006 and NFPA 1670 Standards on Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents. While there are technical committees for the development of both 1006 and 1670, very few committee members sit on both committees. The need for a correlating committee became apparent, and it is that correlating committee that coordinated and at times arbitrated changes to both standards in an effort to marry them up.

For example, NFPA 1006 Levels I & II have been replaced with Awareness, Operations and Technician levels to correlate with 1670 performance levels. This change may seem minor, but it allows for (and provides guidance in) training auxiliary personnel to a level of competency to support the Technical Rescue Team. This is reflected in the title change of 1006 from “Standard for Technical Rescuer Professional Qualifications” to “Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications.”

This change provides the option to train a team to a level for handling less technical incidents and still meet the standard for that level of proficiency. It also allows for a level of competency to begin a rescue effort while awaiting a more technically trained and equipped team to respond. This aids teams that do not have the manpower, equipment or funding to train to the Technician level by providing performance goals for Operations and Awareness levels.

NFPA 1006-2017 has also added several new specialty areas to include: Floodwater Rescue, Animal Rescue, Tower Rescue, Helicopter Rescue, and Watercraft Rescue. Several new definitions have been added to correlate with NFPA 1670. Clarification is provided by further defining dive operations, search, watercraft, wilderness, and other terms. You will also find that the word “search” (as used in the title of 1670) has been incorporated into many of the specialty areas of 1006 – another attempt to better correlate the two standards.

Again, we have attempted to highlight some of the key changes in NFPA 1006-2017. We think the modifications will make it easier to understand what is required of technical rescuers as well as auxiliary support personnel. As always, we encourage you to read the standard in its entirety. If you have any questions, please call us at 800-647-7626.

Newly revised and updated with 82-pages of color drawings and detailed illustrations, Roco's new Pocket Guide features techniques taught in our rescue classes. Made from synthetic paper that is impervious to moisture makes this pocket-sized guide the perfect reference during training or on the scene.

Pocket Guide features: Knots - Rigging - Patient Packaging - Lower/Hauling Systems - Tripod Operations - Low Angle - Pick-off Rescue - High-lines - Confined Spaces and much more.

Reference charts include: Confined Space Types, Suspension Trauma, and Rescue Gear Service Life Chart.

Click here to order your copy today!!

Join us in Bismarck, ND, for Roco’s Industrial I/II course at the Safety Council’s new training facility. The NDSC has an indoor confined space rescue prop designed with input from Roco Rescue. Click here (or the picture) to download the flyer information.

This course is for industrial and municipal rescuers who handle confined space and high angle rescues in industrial environments. Course dates are November 13-17, 2017.

Call the NDSC at 800-932-8890 for more information; or contact Roco at 800-647-7626. We will also be conducting additional Roco courses at the NDSC in 2018.

By Dennis O'Connell, Roco Director of Training & Chief Instructor

I am often asked by plant managers or rescue team supervisors about getting their team on the right track as far as training and competency is concerned. Here are a few tips for doing just that…

First of all, I always recommend that they choose a single provider for their confined space and high angle rescue training. Using multiple training providers (even if they are similar) adds to the confusion of team members as to what techniques and equipment are being used – especially during a real rescue!

I then suggest that the team’s training records be reviewed in order to determine what level of training has been completed. I also strongly recommend getting everyone to the same level; especially if your facility is what I refer to as an “island unto itself.” In other words, do you have nearby facilities or other local agencies who can offer additional manpower, equipment, etc. in an emergency – or, are you fairly isolated?

Same Page, Same Language
If your facility is somewhat isolated, getting all your rescue team members on the same page, talking the same language, and at the same level of training is extremely important. You may have some experienced rescuers who have completed a variety of courses from different providers and are trained to different levels. Is this previous training properly documented should you be asked about it and to what levels? Having everyone on the same level – with the same basics under their belt – is key to performing a timely and successful rescue
And, do you have a particular goal or level you want your team to strive for, achieve, and maintain? Determining your overall goal for the team is significant in planning for and achieving results. Haphazard training “just for the sake of training” is not necessarily a good thing, and it tends to generate complacency among team members. Besides the obvious, your team “needs to be able to perform a rescue should the need arise.”

Is It Documented?
Take a look at how the training was conducted, documented and what standards were met, if any. And, if you have permit spaces or personnel working at height, I’m assuming that OSHA compliance is a given, but what about meeting requirements of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for rescuers; namely, NFPA 1006 and 1670.

If there is an incident and OSHA or some other regulatory organization were to investigate, how would you provide the documentation that your team is capable of doing what is required of them? Remember, if it can’t be documented, it doesn’t exist!

Using NFPA 1670 (“team” standards) and NFPA 1006 (“individual rescuer” standards) as a basis for the team’s training level will help to provide the needed documentation and add to the credibility of your team’s capabilities. Ideally, all your team members should be certified to the Confined Space Rescue Technician level (NFPA 1006) along with the documentation to back it up.

Because NFPA’s Confined Space Rescue Technician includes confined space and high angle (elevated) rope techniques, I don’t necessary suggest that industrial clients be required to achieve “Rope Rescue Technician.” The added skills of Rope Rescue Technician include less-seldom-used techniques in industrial rescue such as rope ascension and traverse. Do make sure, however, that the course you choose for Confined Space Rescue Technician incorporates some (not all) of the high angle skills you would need to perform elevated rescue at your site.

A Mix of Confined Space and Rope Rescue
If you have a variety of experience and training levels among your team members, it’s important to get them consistently trained and all trained to the same level. Of course, I would recommend Roco’s Fast Track 80™ course, which includes a two-year certification. This course was designed to meet the needs of industrial facilities with a mix between “confined space” and “rope” technician skills needed. The class is geared for confined space rescue with some of the additional rope technician skills needed for elevated or high angle rescue. The class efficiently gets the rescuer to the Confined Space Rescue Technician level in only 80 hours using both performance-based and written testing.

Of course, the next challenge is getting the entire team trained to the same level. It’s not going to be easy to get an entire team released for training all at once – thus compromising the availability of rescue personnel onsite should an emergency arise. Therefore, you may have to run a couple of classes to get everyone certified – or send some of your team (or new team members) to an open-enrollment course.

Testing to the NFPA 1006 Professional Qualifications standard is conducted on the last day of the Fast Track 80™ class. Note: If some of your personnel have already completed this class, they can join the class for the last four days in order to be recertified. This will allow the new members and more experienced team members to work together in realistic practice scenarios. It will help get everyone on the same page as far as techniques plus give the experienced personnel a 3-day refresher and practice time before re-certification testing.

Training Cycle for Compliance
Once all team members are trained to the same level, I recommend going to a two-year rotation. For example, once everyone is certified, the next year would be a Roco Team Performance Evaluation (TPE) where we come for two-to-three days and run teamed-based evaluations using multiple rescue scenarios. Each scenario is critiqued by evaluators to adjust any problems found along the way. The TPE would be followed by a written report to document the scenarios conducted as well as discrepancies found and corrected. The following year would be Re-certification to NFPA 1006 (three-to-four-day session) that includes Individual Performance Evaluations (IPE) where team members would refresh personal skills as well as run several scenarios before testing for re-certification to Confined Space Technician level.

This rotation will help with OSHA compliance by meeting the minimum annual practice requirements as well as by providing a performance evaluation of rescue services as stated in Note to paragraph (k)(1) from 1910.146: “Non-mandatory Appendix F contains examples of criteria which employers can use in evaluating prospective rescuers as required by paragraph (k)(1) of this section.”

In addition, both OSHA 1910.146 and 1926.1211 require timely and capable rescue services for permit spaces. They also require minimum annual rescue practice in the applicable types of confined spaces as well as proficiency for team members. This cycle of training works well in documenting that you have met these minimum requirements while also meeting the requirements of NFPA.

The TPE supporting documentation also provides a “snapshot” of where your team and its individual rescuers stand in terms of competency. This information can then be used as a tool to design internal drills that correct any discrepancies while getting the most from your “all too limited” practice time.

I hope these recommendations are helpful in planning for the success of your rescue team – especially when it’s all on the line during an emergency situation. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call me at 800-647-7626 or send an email to info@rocorescue.com.