Welcome to netHEADS - the newsletter from Sapsis Rigging Inc.

netHEADS! News and Notes from Sapsis Rigging Inc. · February 2016

Uncle Bill Says: Check Your Dorsal Ring!

During a recent fall arrest/rescue class I encountered an alarming problem with some of the harnesses that were provided by the attendees. The Dorsal Ring was too small to allow for an assisted rescue.

First, a little background information. A remote assisted rescue is the most commonly taught rescue method in the USA. The philosophy behind this stems from the widely held belief that sending a rescuer down to the victim is a bad idea. That method places the rescuer at risk not only from an equipment failure but also at the hands of the victim. As any lifeguard will tell you, it's best to stay as far away as possible from a victim lest you become a victim yourself. For what it's worth, I agree with this philosophy.

A remote assisted rescue includes a slow descent device that is connected to the victim's harness by means of a carabiner. The carabiner is almost always clipped into the dorsal ring because, in the event of a fall, this ring is the easiest ring on the harness to reach.

It's also important to remember that a victim can be as far as 20' below the place where they were when they fell. Reaching the victim with the rescue system caribiner requires the use of an extendable pole with a special clip on the end.

The problem we encountered when practicing a rescue attempt was that, on several harnesses, the dorsal ring was only large enough to fit the hook of the fall arrest safety device. There wasn't enough room in the ring left to attach the rescue system caribiner.

As you might imagine, this is not good. The photo below shows two different dorsal rings I found during the training. The ring on the left has a 2" inside diameter and it's round. The ring on the right has a 1.5" diameter and is barely a half circle. The round ring has more open area to receive the rescue system carabiner. There's no hope with the half circle ring.

Extender

I urge you to check the dorsal ring on your harness. Clip your lanyard hook into it and see if there's enough room left to add in a carabiner. If you don't think your dorsal ring is large enough you will need to either replace the harness or get an extender - a piece of webbing about 9" long with a round ring on one end and a hook on the other. You clip the hook end of the extender into your dorsal ring and your lanyard/SRL hook into the ring. This will not only solve the size problem but also place the dorsal ring higher above the victim making the rescue easier and safer.

I should point out that all ProPlus™ harnesses come standard with a 2" round dorsal ring. The Technician Harness® comes with a 2" dorsal ring and an extended 2" dorsal ring permanently mounted on the harness. We also have the extender should you choose to solve the problem that way.

#502900BK ProPlus™ Dorsal Ring Extension

SRI in the Field

Sapsis Rigging, the industry leader in entertainment rigging safety, recently completed installation of full venue fall arrest systems at Rowan University, Glassboro NJ; The Winsor School, Boston MA and the Grant HS PAC in Grant, MI. We also provided safety equipment to the Eastern State Penitentiary, Phila. PA for their annual Bastille Day celebration and to iWeiss, Inc for the Writers Theatre in Chicago, IL

NATEAC Announces Sessions for 2016 Conference

The North American Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (NATEAC) is pleased to announce the panel lineup for its upcoming conference.

NATEAC 2016, which will be held in New York City on July 17 & 18, will offer sessions on a myriad of topics including, LED Power Requirements, Gender Issues In Public Assembly Place Bathrooms, Immersive Environments and the 21st Century Audience and Greening Initiatives in Theatres. Over the two days NATEAC will present 26 sessions led by more than 60 top industry professionals.

The panels, presented by many industry leaders including Steve Terry, Steve Tomkins, Mark Ager, Mark Holden and Jeffrey Horowitz, will set the stage for discussions that will carry on long after the conference closes.

"NATEAC's principal goal", noted conference director Bill Sapsis, "is to establish a foundation for dialog among everyone involved in the creation of performance spaces in North America. The ongoing popularity of NATEAC serves to underline the need to continue this discussion."

In addition to the sessions, NATEAC delegates will also attend the always popular harbor cruise on Saturday, July 17th. A conference dinner is planned for Sunday night, July 18th. For more information on the sessions, presenters and networking opportunities, please visit www.NATEAC.org

Press Contact: Bill Sapsis Bill@NATEAC.org

267-278-4561

Sapsis Rigging, Inc | 215-228-0888 | Email | Website

STAY CONNECTED: