# Clip yourself in



## Painter-Aaron (Jan 17, 2013)

My brother started working as a roofer with his dad a few months ago 

Yesterday he slid down a longer roof and fell.

Luckily he decided to clip his harness in 5 minutes prior to falling and he was caught about 10 ft from the ground 

He was saying that they never clip in they find the ropes a safety hazard as they are walking around which is true to a point but this time he said he thought to himself I should clip in for once. 

It's safer to trip over a rope that's tied in properly than to slip off a roof unprotected


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

An old school mate fell off a 2 story room he was working on, all alone and cell phone in his truck. He broke his back, legs, arm and a nice gash on his head. He lived, he still roofs with no harness.

Your brother was lucky he clipped in. We almost always do for high or steep dormers.


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

I'd hate to fall and get suddenly stopped by a harness not for nothing. Could not be pleasant. Just a observation I make Everytime I'm wearing one. Runs through my mind at some point.

Anyhow. I forget the amount of time. But it is not reall long. If you don't know. You only have so much time that you can hang in that harness anyway. If ur alone and no one is around to get you down. You'll die. Circulation or something like that, kills you.
Not too long it takes. But I forget the time exactly.


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## Painter-Aaron (Jan 17, 2013)

Oden said:


> I'd hate to fall and get suddenly stopped by a harness not for nothing. Could not be pleasant. Just a observation I make Everytime I'm wearing one. Runs through my mind at some point.
> 
> Anyhow. I forget the amount of time. But it is not reall long. If you don't know. You only have so much time that you can hang in that harness anyway. If ur alone and no one is around to get you down. You'll die. Circulation or something like that, kills you.
> Not too long it takes. But I forget the time exactly.


I know what you mean 

He was wearing the one that suddenly stops I guarantee you he's sore today 
There are ones that have the extra couple feet bundled up that burst out in stages when you fall allowing for a more gradual stop 

And unless you get a nice expensive specialty harness you only have 20 minutes before you pass out. It might be 40 min but I don't want to find out first hand


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## Painter-Aaron (Jan 17, 2013)

I guess that's why it's a good rule to not work off roofs or tall ladders or any dangerous situation without another person there


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## slinger58 (Feb 11, 2013)

I did a lot of stage work and some bosun chair work back in the late 70's and early 80's. We never had a harness, just a single safety belt. So the best thing was to keep a short lanyard. :yes:


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Oden said:


> I'd hate to fall and get suddenly stopped by a harness not for nothing. Could not be pleasant. Just a observation I make Everytime I'm wearing one. Runs through my mind at some point.
> 
> Anyhow. I forget the amount of time. But it is not reall long. If you don't know. You only have so much time that you can hang in that harness anyway. If ur alone and no one is around to get you down. You'll die. Circulation or something like that, kills you.
> Not too long it takes. But I forget the time exactly.


"Suspension trauma": http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/suspenion-trauma-2

That's why it's important to have some more training beyond just putting on the harness.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

remember the truism, "safety is no accident"

Personally, I rely on my nightmares to keep me mindful of being safe :thumbup:


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## riskend (Jan 25, 2015)

Several things here . Pity we can't share this in real time.
Safety at height is paramount. Be as gungho as ya like, you don't bounce.
Some of my saddest funerals have been guys like us, retired & content, doing a bit of high work around the house, complacent in their history.
I spend most of my time at height, and sometimes you have to show a newbie the darkness of the void in order to reinforce the lesson. Strap in, strap in, strap in.
As men we have a responsibility to come home safe to our loved ones.
I growl young men on my sites in pungent terms on this subject along the lines of " I personally don't give a FF about you, but what am I going to say to your mother(wife, girlfriend, family, kids), you stupid (extended expletive string deleted)".
Aah. Euphemism there for the family friendly site. Works a treat.
Anyway, thank you for the opportunity to share & shed the difficulties a whisker, we can only go up from here because we need to.
Be safe.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

riskend said:


> Several things here . Pity we can't share this in real time.
> Safety at height is paramount. Be as gungho as ya like, you don't bounce.
> Some of my saddest funerals have been guys like us, retired & content, doing a bit of high work around the house, complacent in their history.
> I spend most of my time at height, and sometimes you have to show a newbie the darkness of the void in order to reinforce the lesson. Strap in, strap in, strap in.
> ...


In this new climate of hurt feelings and all, I'd be really concerned about handling it the way you do riskend. I'd hate to find a lanyard intentionally cut, or some other form of sabotage because I tried to drive home the importance of safety to a new guy, albeit a little gruff.

I would likely tell a sad story about a good buddy that fell and split his melon open. Possibly shed a tear or two, followed with a strong and meaningful embrace to show the new guy I am a caring person. 


Which reminds me, I have to search for some steel toed and fuzzy slippers for work, because it's not just about safety, it's also about comfort.


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## slinger58 (Feb 11, 2013)

CApainter said:


> In this new climate of hurt feelings and all, I'd be really concerned about handling it the way you do riskend. I'd hate to find a lanyard intentionally cut, or some other form of sabotage because I tried to drive home the importance of safety to a new guy, albeit a little gruff. I would likely tell a sad story about a good buddy that fell and split his melon open. Possibly shed a tear or two, followed with a strong and meaningful embrace to show the new guy I am a caring person. Which reminds me, I have to search for some steel toed and fuzzy slippers for work, because it's not just about safety, it's also about comfort.


 Lol. CA, maybe you can get Dave to go dull up daArch's razor blades or something. That'd teach him!


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## riskend (Jan 25, 2015)

C.A., you remind me of my colleague. 
Hilarious tales without end.
I can't tell you his name because the Feds are all over us like a rash, or a cheap suit if you wanna take a stroll on the boardwalk.
These little souls get it, and try their best. 
Tough love is good because they know you do.
Unexpected, if apparently brutal, reminders of reality are much better than accidents, or worse, fatalities because of macho manure of any provenance.
Get them home safer yeah.
I offered several unrelated specimens a hug because in spite of their woeful performance they were at the end of their tether.
My sons are the only ones allowed serious intimacy of this sort unshaven so they had to cope & to be fair I did tell them so at the time.
So short-hand signal.....? clean it up just a little at least?
In other news I bought a pair of white steel-capped painters shoes for interior work & now, blast it, I need clean green ovaries( as my daughter styled them) to keep up the illusion.
Fuzzy yrself, big dog


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