HOW THE DENNINGTON SAFETY HARNESS OVERCOMES THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS WITH THE PRESENT TECHNOLOGY

Until recently, industry has had no alternative to the Elongation Deceleration Device (EDD). The problems with the EDD, or tear away lanyards, are three fold:

First, the competitions lanyard length itself is 6 ft. The additional length provided by the EDD will cause you to fall a total of 9 ½ feet. In other words the total length of the fall will slam you into the structure you are tied to since typical buildings are built in ten foot increments! To further complicate the issue, OSHA enacted a new fall protection standard which became effective February 6, 1995. This regulation requires fall protection for anyone exposed to a fall of six feet or more. This only accentuates the already known hazard previously mentioned.

To be in federal compliance the 6 foot lanyard with the 3 ½ foot tearaway would have to be wrapped 3 ½ foot around the structure you are tied off to. This only leaves you 2 ½ foot of the length of the lanyard which has to come from the back D ring, travel around your body and be tied off to the structure in front of you. This only leaves you 12" or less working room. This is less than a positioning harness and does not comply with the federal regulations.

The unique design of the Dennington Safety Harness allows the elimination of the EDD and stops you within six feet of maximum fall distance with the use of a shock absorber which is built into the unit itself. You can therefore use the length of the lanyard for 5 foot of working distance which enables you to do your job efficiently and still remain in federal compliance.

The Second deficiency relates to retrieval (current EDD system). The EDD's lanyard is connected to a D-ring in the middle of the back. This causes the falling worker to be in a head-first and slumped position at the end of the fall. The slumped position makes retrieval hazardous, particularly in confined space. A slumped and head first position puts the worker at serious risk of either head or back injury.

The unique design of our Dennington harness allows for a vertical fall and recovery by virtue of the three point balancing system. This will significantly reduce the retrieval time and potential of circulatory problems associated with hang time. It facilitates for a much quicker and easier retrieval process.

The Third deficiency relates to what we call "the slamming effect". This is what happens when you fall with a "tear away" system and/or hit the end of a straight lanyard at the end of a fall. When a worker falls with a "tear away" lanyard, a whipping motion occurs that is likened to that of an unattended water hose. This motion can slam the worker back into the structure which he is tied off, causing unnecessary injuries or death.

The Dennington harness absorbs the downward inertia of the victim, not transferring it to lateral execration into the structure used as an anchorage point. It is during the "slamming" stage of falls where numerous head, back and neck injuries occur. Furthermore, there is significantly less shock on the body as demonstrated in our video by Mark Dennington as he repeatedly jumps off a seventy foot tower.

Our experience has shown that after seeing our harness demonstration and video, there will be no question which harness you would choose to wear in a fall situation. Call us today for more information or a demonstration.