safety harnesses

[Helyer]

I have a job coming up soon, which will involes truss spotting. I have been told that the venue require me to wear a full body harnesses. I was wondering if someone could sugest where I could get one from. Thanks, suggestions will be gratefully recieved. :)

[gareth]

The most common full-body harness in the industry is the Petzl Navaho. Flints sell it - follow this link.

[Ian Ferguson]

We can supply the Navaho along with the rest of the Petzel range, contact me off list for information

[Jivemaster]

The Employer should provide suitable PPE according to HSWA. If you chose to provide your own You become responsible for its suitability for the task.

 

The harness is only as good as the suspension system. and your total use of the entire system, including the tether. You should also be clipped onto a support while climbing to position.

 

I think that ONLY Chris Higgs can provide the info you want, and he might not want to cos he won't have the whole structural design to work from.

[gareth]

The Employer should provide suitable PPE according to HSWA

Only if you're employed on a PAYE basis. If you're freelance, provision of PPE is your responsibility.

[emj]

Morning

 

Try Lyon Equipment on 01539 625493

 

They are Uk main dealer for petzel :)

[Ellis]

The Employer should provide suitable PPE according to HSWA

Only if you're employed on a PAYE basis. If you're freelance, provision of PPE is your responsibility.

An employer is only not responsible for PPE if you have a contract that says that you wil l supply PPE AND you are a bona-fide freelance - i.e. if you are sick, you will hire someone else to cover at your expense (then you will have to supply them with PPE!)

[Ike]

I think that ONLY Chris Higgs can provide the info you want,

What the hell? While I am not doubting his competence there are many other entertainment riggers around who, as I'm sure he will be the first to admit, are just as competent as him. I know of at least one other on this forum for a start.

 

if you are sick, you will hire someone else to cover at your expense (then you will have to supply them with PPE!)

If you are employing them there are a million and one other things to think about as well, however there would (probably) be nothing to stop you subcontracting the job to them.

 

You should also be clipped onto a support while climbing to position.

I'm sorry but there is no way you can justify saying that from what was originally said as far as I am aware.

 

 

[/rant]

 

 

As mentioned before Petzl are probably the most widely used make and there UK distributers are lyon equipment.

 

Training may be required prior to use depending on the specific job, venue and your prior knowledge. Many venues will give you an induction which will cover everything you need to know.

[andy_s]

     

You should also be clipped onto a support while climbing to position.

I'm sorry but there is no way you can justify saying that from what was originally said as far as I am aware.

 

 

you may have a point in terms of the original post's wording, but surely in view of the news reports of the death of a technician on the David Bowie tour after falling from a truss ladder while climbing into position, it's worth pointing out that working at height now starts as soon as both feet have left the ground, and that appropriate safety measures should be in place.

 

For what it's worth it seems clear to me that the original poster is inexperienced in this area. It has been said in previous theads that this forum is not necessarily the place to give specific instructions as to how to carry out tasks of any nature.

 

Isay this is not because I think that the necessary expertise and experience is lacking from the forum, but because current Health and Safety Legislation puts emphasis on a chain of responsibility which is de facto missing from an internet - based discussion.

 

I think that the Blue Room generally demonstrates an admirably high degree of integrity and responsibility, and I am very pleased that the new ABTT site seems to be much more sorted inthis respect than previously. We owe a big thank you to the moderators for this, and we should all support them wholeheartedly to maintain this state of affairs.

 

(Apologies - a bit off topic at the end....)

[gareth]

if you are sick, you will hire someone else to cover at your expense (then you will have to supply them with PPE!)

Errr ... no.

 

In the unlikely event that I was sick and unable to get to a job, and had to get someone else to go in my place, they'd be doing the job on the same basis as I would have been. They'll either be taking my place and working directly for the client, or they'll be getting paid by me as a contractor who's supplying services - i.e. they'll get a purchase order from me, which will clearly state that they're a contractor rather than an employee and therefore responsible for their own tax, NI and PPE. Having said that, in the five years I've been freelancing, I've never missed a job due to illness ...

[SparkySteve]

In all my experiences as a truss spotter, every single sime I've always been clipped onto an inursure (sp?) reel wich is attached to the truss at the top of the truss ladder.... I very much doubt the venue alone never mind the contrator would let you go anywhere near the ladder with the intention of not clipping on. As soon as you get on the first rung of that ladder, no matter how high it is, there's only one person you should be thinking of... you. If there's no facility in place to clip on... personally I would refuse to do it

[Pete McCrea]

I got a Petzl Navaho Complet in stealth black from AC lighting recently. Lovely and comfortable. And the best price after having done a big ring round of most of the companies listed above.

 

Inertia reels (not 'inertials' as I heard them once refered to recently) are one option for getting into position,

[Guest lightnix]

Arguably, if you are self-employed, you should be providing your own inertia reel as well as the harness. If you have to hire one, then the cost should be included (with a suitable mark-up) in your quote for the job.

 

EDIT: See also this thread on Suspension Trauma

[Jivemaster]

And sky hook. Pray tell me how do you fit an inertia reel / braked descender without fastening it to the top of the truss?

 

RS sell some twin clip tethers so you can move one clip remaining attatched by the other to facilitate movement.

[paulears]

Bit off topic, but .....

 

The mention of twin tethers reminds me of when I used to fit aerials to home office masts - the harnesses were built to BT standards, and hugely heavy. The weight of the lanyards (2) plus the decelerator meant 3 things to constantly clip. Add to that the weight of the tool lanyards to keep the tools safe, and you ended up with strong thigh muscles after a 150 ft climb. All the home office masts have rail-loc fitting which you clip onto at ground level and then pull up with you. before you ascend an exclusion zone is fenced off around the base so that if you do drop anything there isn't anyone likely to get hurt.

 

One odd rule they had was that you couldn't climb if you couldn't see the ground. This made no sense to me until one day fog came in when I was up the top. I had sun and blue sky, but below me was just white - climbing down was a very strange experience.

 

the question about the inertia reel at the top, I'm assuming means who puts it there for the ops to clip on to - this is done during the rigging phase when full rigging equipment is in use - once done, operators just need the harness and clipped on cable for the climb