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Gantry Fall Arrest Portable, Non-Intrusive System Protects Aircraft Simulator Builders B Y MICHAEL EVANKOAt an aircraft simulator manufacturing facility, F-22 Raptor mock-ups are built for pilot training/simulation for the U.S. Government. The manufacturing process involves the manufacture of the mock-ups in three sections, the aft, the arm, and the landing gear.Each can weigh up to 20,000 pounds; each is treated as an individual workstation and may be as high as six to nine feet off the ground. Sections that include the top of the aircraft are sloped and have a pitch similar to that of the roof on a house. When establishing the manufacturing process, plant safety manager John Smith immediately recognized the serious fall hazards associated with the workstations. Multiple workers were going to need to get on top of these sections at the same time to put skin on the aircraft. They would be carrying tools, need to climb ladders, and navigate the steep pitch on a daily basis. John was also well aware that OSHA mandates a fall restraint system when working at or above four feet from the ground. Smith needed a system that was portable, non intrusive, and could accommodate 5,000 pounds of weight for up to six people. Workers also needed to have the ability to cross paths. He first explored the solutions that a traditional wire rope system might provide, but the thought of having six workers tied on a system seemed a bit much. A traditional wire rope system was also unable to offer the portability that Smith needed. A traditional wire rope system had a ‘limited footprint,’ due to the need to move the section to the cable, and moving a 20,000-pound section of an aircraft to the fall protection seemed foolish and inefficient. Smith also was dissuaded by the fact that traditional wire rope systems suffer from the serious flaw of initial sag, and freefall distance, meaning that in the event of a fall, a wire rope system may prevent a total fall, but there could be significant bodily injury. It was during this search for a fall protection solution that Bud Lohr offered Smith a presentation on SPANCO Rigid Track Fall Protection Systems. Smith brought his entire safety committee to hear the presentation. During the presentation, Lohr highlighted the SPANCO Gantry Fall Arrest System, which seemed to fit Smith’s fall protection needs. The system offered portability as it could be rolled from workstation to workstation, and be locked in place when needed. It also allowed up to six workers to hook up to a dual track system simultaneously, allowing them to work while protected, and easily pass each other as needed. Soon after the presentation, John called Bud to inquire about having a dealer stop in to talk about a system, and Smith’s company invested in a SPANCO Gantry Fall Arrest System in October 2007. Now, workers wheel the system up to the section they’re working on, lock the wheels, then climb a ladder and latch onto the systems with a lanyard. They can then start their work, knowing they are secure. Since the purchase, the SPANCO Gantry Fall Arrest System has prevented injury in a couple of actual fall incidents. In each incident the individual fell from the aircraft section and was restrained by the system. In every case, no worker suffered any bodily injury. It is also convenient for Smith because unlike a traditional wire rope system, a rigid track system does not have to be tagged and taken out of commission for inspection, it can continue being used, providing better workplace efficiency. Since the system has been put into place, Smith said there have been zero complaints; in his words, “when employees don’t like a new process at work, they complain, with the new SPANCO Fall Arrest Gantry, our worker’s have never complained once.” FSMMichael Evanko is marketing manager for SPANCO, Inc., a provider of rigid track fall protection systems that wants to help keep your workers secure. For more information, go to www.spancofallprotection.com.
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