Prepare for a high level emergency
January 1st 2011 Rescuing persons who have had an accident while working
at height, or evacuating people in an emergency from high
working places presents specific challenges.Miller by
Sperian explains the problems and outlines a solution
Following the recent and rapid growth
in use of wind turbines in the UK, the
number of people working at height
in exposed conditions is steadily increasing.
With falls from height accounting for 38
fatalities, 4586 major injuries and a further
6407 further injuries in 2009/10, the need for
enhanced safety is clear. In addition, rescuing
persons who have had an accident at height,
or evacuating people in an emergency from
high working places presents specific
problems. It is to address these challenges
that Miller by Sperian has developed its latest
descender and lifting device, SafEscape
ELITE.
The need for adequate provisions for
carrying out rescues at height is determined
by a number of factors: duty of care to
colleagues, prevention of further injury and
legal obligations. Under the current Work at
Height Regulations, it is the responsibility of
employers to ensure the planning of work
includes provision for emergencies and
rescue situations. Additionally, BS 8437:2005
specifies that it is essential that a specific
rescue plan is in place for each worksite and
that planned resources should include not
only equipment but also trained personnel.
SafEscape ELITE offers employers a safe and
dependable solution to enable them to meet
these requirements for rescuing persons who
have had an accident while working at
height, and of evacuating people in an
emergency from high working places. It
complies fully with the new EN 341:2008
standard, which sets out demanding tests for
rescue devices. These include 8000m descent
(16 x 500m) for 100kg load, maximum
descent height of 500m, and suitability for
use in an emergency by two people weighing
up to 250kg.
A rescue is usually in two parts. Firstly, the
rescue phase, where the fallen worker is
released from their arrested fall position onto
an evacuation system such as a stretcher or
body splint. Secondly, the evacuation phase,
where the rescued worker is moved out of
danger to a safe area. Different methods of
rescue and evacuation are needed for the
various challenges presented by differing
situations at height. For example, the rescuer
may be able to reach the victim, but may
need to climb around them on a ladder
system, or the rescuer cannot reach the
victim and may need an extension pole
(reach pole) to connect a 'live' rope to the
victim. To address this, SafEscape ELITE
offers a core equipment kit, with the ability
to add more specialised equipment for
certain applications, making it suitable for
use in rescue situations on wind turbines,
antennas, high voltage transmission towers
and cranes.
For situations where rescues at height have
to be carried out in exposed conditions,
SafEscape ELITE also meets the new optional
test requirements under the EN 341:2008
standard for use in wet conditions.
Like all descender and lifting devices, it is
intended for use only by appropriately
trained persons. Nevertheless, operation is
straightforward. The position and design of
the hand wheel reduces swaying during
lifting, while an integral centrifugal brake
ensures that descent is smooth, vibration free
and, at 1m/s, rapid. The device has an
operating temperature range of -30 to 60°C,
allowing it to be used in all climatic
conditions.
The SafEscape ELITE features robust
construction and is manufactured
throughout from materials that are highly
resistant to corrosion and degradation. As a
result, re-certification is required only after
seven years. This reduces both out-of-service
time and total cost of ownership. In
addition, where SafEscape ELITE is used for
training purposes, re-certification is only
needed after descents totalling 3000m have
been accumulated.
Three versions are offered: without hand
wheel, with hand wheel, and with both hand
wheel and ladder bracket. A wide range of
accessories is available, including rescue rope
grabs, telescopic reach poles, work
positioning lanyards and edge protectors.
Complete rescue kits are also available
which include a SafEscape ELITE with hand
wheel and ladder adaptor, an 80m rope,
anchorage slings, karabiners, a pulley, an
edge protector and a T-bar. All of the items
that make up this kit are contained in a
convenient waterproof rescue bag. More articles from Sperian Protection (UK) Ltd: | 
