In our last blog entry, we presented some of the facts that help define the risk for those who work at heights. We concluded with a question. Which approach is better for protecting worker’s health and safety: enabling each worker to self-rescue, or supporting the team to provide assisted rescue?

As a safety manager, comparing and contrasting the two approaches means considering a number of factors, including the different types of equipment needed, the abilities of individual workers to implement one or the other, the risk of further injury, training needs, costs and individual worker responsibility. In this blog entry, we will review the first four of these relative to each approach.

Equipment Needs: Supporting assisted rescue means there is less equipment to purchase and manage. That’s because team rescue equipment is just that – shared by the team. Self-rescue equipment must be provided to each individual worker. The problem with shared rescue equipment is that someone must be responsible for carrying that kit. Workers may “forget” rescue kits because they are often heavy and cumbersome. And, there’s a risk that the person carrying the team assisted rescue equipment is the one injured.

Aptitude of Workers: Self-rescue may not be an option for some workers, especially those with a larger body type and weight. By the same token, if the rescuer is a relatively small person, providing assisted rescue of a larger co-worker may be difficult, or even impossible.

Risk of Injury: Sharing equipment during an evacuation increases the risk of injury, as it will take longer than if each worker has his or her own equipment. Self-rescue is simply faster than assisted rescue. More time between a fall and getting your feet back on the ground means a higher probability of suspension trauma. Plus, assisted rescue puts additional workers at risk of injury during the rescue.

Training: In any circumstance, a rescue plan requires regular and consistent training so workers are prepared and know what to do when an emergency occurs. With self-rescue as part of that plan, a higher level of training is required compared with team assisted rescue.

In the next blog entry, we will conclude this series on self-rescue vs. team assisted rescue by addressing the final two factors: costs and personal responsibility.