In this blog series, we consider the benefits of self-rescue compared with team assisted rescue for professionals who work at height. The bottom line is worker safety, but there are many factors to consider when deciding which approach is better.

In the previous entry, we looked at equipment needs, worker aptitude and risk of further injury for each of these two approaches. Here, we will conclude our assessment with a review of the costs and responsibility implications of both approaches.

Costs: The direct cost to support a self-rescue plan is higher compared with a team assisted rescue approach. There’s more equipment to purchase and more training to provide. But such an approach may also reduce injuries that can occur while a fallen worker is waiting to be rescued. That means lower medical costs, less time off work, and higher overall productivity.

Responsibility: By making each worker responsible for his or her own rescue, those workers are more likely to pay attention during training, take better care of the equipment compared to shared team rescue gear, and ensure that the equipment is with them at all times.

In the end, there are many advantages and disadvantages to both self-rescue and team assisted rescue approaches.  In truth, the best option for supporting the safety of workers at heights is a safety plan that includes both self-rescue and assisted rescue components. With such a combined approach, evacuation is faster, the risk of suspension trauma is reduced, and minor injuries from falls remain minor injuries. Fewer people are at risk because team assisted rescue is only deployed when needed…but it is available when needed, such as when the fallen worker is injured and incapable of self-rescue.

DEUS Rescue offers the very best equipment available to support personal escape, self-rescue after a fall, and team assisted rescue. Our Tower Escape Kit and Industrial Escape Kit each provide the tools needed for individual workers to bail out of any emergency at height. The DEUS Tower Escape & Rescue Kit, and the DEUS Industrial Escape & Rescue Kit, provides additional tools to support both self-rescue and assisted rescue of others.

In early 2012 we will be introducing a revolutionary new system for work teams – the DEUS Personal Rescue/Team Rescue System which combines a Personal Escape & Self-Rescue Kit for each worker with a single shared Team Assisted Rescue Kit. It’s the best of all worlds.

We will address the type of equipment needed for self-rescue and assisted rescue in a future blog entry, where we will also present the new DEUS Personal Rescue/Team Rescue System in more detail.