Yesterday was Panic Day. If there was ever a day of the year to panic it was yesterday. If you feel the need to panic today... Tough, wait until next year. In the world of fall protection, panic may be looming right around the corner, especially if you're unprepared. So here are a couple of tips to dilute your panic and make sure you're ready for anything.
Evaluate Fall Protection Hazards - Hey numbnuts, look around your job site and make sure you're protected in the right places. If you've got a 30' fall exposed to your workers... probably not a good thing. Some may say it's against the law... which it is. If the dangerous areas of your workplace are neutralized, you may be able to sleep better at night.
Inspect Your Equipment - You can breather easier if you take the time to inspect your equipment every day before you use it. If your harness is missing a strap, that's bad. Very bad. Look at your equipment and catch little problems before they turn into big problems. Duct tape does not fix everything.
Understand How Your Gear Works - Make sure you know how to use the equipment you're wearing. A toilet is a sink if you don't know what it's used for. Learn and understand your tools. Wearing a harness that isn't attached to anything is just a homo-erotic fashion statement, which may be cause for panic.
Know Your Rescue Plan - If a fall does a occur, don't be the guy that runs around screaming in a high pitched voice for help. Study your rescue plans to react in a calm manner if a fall should occur. Panicking helps no one. Pretend you're on a bomb squad. Know exactly what you need to do and when to do it.
The biggest thing you can do to protect against panicking is preparing. Go get prepared.
