Will Dean wrote:
wrote in message
ps.com...

{ snip a lot of advice about Heath Robinson fall arrest }

People planning to make home-made fall-arrest/work-positioning systems need
to be really careful that they understand the very high forces which can be
involved in arresting a fall,

a) 10mm nylon rope
b) if you do fall, you've got the choice between falling to the ground
and falling 2-3 feet. I prefer the small fall.


and also the implications of being caught
dangling and injured in a harness with no rescue method.

the ladder is the means of rescue.

(Basically that
you'll be dead after a few minutes of dangling)

why will you be dead after a few minutes after falling 2 or 3 feet??
Do you think someone would be better off falling all the way to the
ground?


If a lashed-up 'safety harness' encourages you to do wild things at the top
of a ladder, it's made your life more dangerous, not less.

I think thats true of any safety system. The idea is to realise the
dangers of ladders and create a second line of defence against falls,
one that is secured rather than just leaning against a wall. Most
diyers use no backup system at all, this one will improve the odds
considerably. Professional kit would be even better. If people that use
ladders and currently die adopt a secondary protectoin system, even
something basic like this, many deaths and serious injuries would be
prevented. The kit comes in at under £40, most of the cost being for
the harness.


NT