Edge Attendants Safety...

[lutan1]

I was reading the photo story found here (http://www.firehouse.com/hotshots/photostories/2002/9/4_fl.html) on the succesful confined space rescue of the drainage workers and was looking at the photos which prompts me to ask the following question:

Why is it, when we undertake rope rescue (vertical rescue/high angle rescue- what ever you like to call it!) we insist on tieing in our edge attendants, yet we go to a confined space rescue or trench rescue and don't seem to do it?

Isn't a fall from height, a fall from height, regardless of the situation?

As a full time fire and rescue instructor, I'm very concerned about particpants on my courses undertaking confined space rescue training when they're not secured from falls. ( I set a 2metre radius around the entry- the only persons allowed in are the standby (who is attached to the tripod or davit arm via an inertia reel or retracting lanyard.) and those that are connected to the recovery system/winch. If they're not secured- they don't enter the zone...

What's your thoughts?

[MtnRsq]

Glad to hear that the rescue was successful.

You observe a very interesting phenom. The perception of edges (and the associated risk) seem to be directly influenced by the ground at someone's feet and the amount of "air" beyond/over the edge. No one would think of being without a safety if the view over the edge was of a couple hundred feet of air along a long edge. The same is not as true if the same edge is a small opening in the ground. The perceived risk is what people are reacting to.

While the relative risk is perhaps different (less likely to fall through a small opening as over a broad cliff edge), as Lutan says - a fall from height is a fall from height.

I would say that only the incident commander, safety officer or other "person in charge" at the point of exposure can make the proper call given a thorough size up as to not using safeties. Having experienced personnel and good operational guidelines are key.

[Flochief]

Ditto to the first statement made by MtnRsq.
Both of you make good points. We always train with the edge manager tied off. Hopefully if we ever do a rescue the training will kick in and the edge manager will be tied off.:cool: