Dustin Schneider

Welcome to this WindTalk podcast, a series of discussions with wind-industry leaders. In this edition, we talk with Dustin Schneider, a Fall-protection Expert at Capital Safety, a 3M company.

With over 17 years of experience, Dustin works directly with end-users and distributors to provide the best safety resources and training at industrial work sites. Here Dustin speaks to us about the importance of fall protection, proper use of safety products at wind farms, and what’s new in the industry.

This WindTalk podcast is brought to you by ExxonMobil.

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The DBI-SALA ExoFit STRATA full-body safety harness has been third-party tested to ensure both comfort and safety for at-height workers.

Capital Safety, a global provider of fall protection, confined space, and rescue equipment, has launched its latest fall protection and safety innovation, the DBI-SALA ExoFit STRATA harness. This harness is the first full-body safety harness designed and tested with data-driven, third-party research, resulting in a harness that is more comfortable, cooler, and lighter to wear.

DBI-SALA ExoFit STRATA features a number of solutions-based elements, including a first-of-its-kind LIFTech Load Distribution System. LIFTech takes the weight off a worker’s shoulders and redistributes it down to the hips, reducing forces on the shoulders up to 85% when compared to leading harnesses.

PolarMesh padding also keeps users’ backs cooler with greater air flow, and a Revolver Vertical Torso Adjuster and Tri-Lock Revolver Connectors offer added security around the legs. These features have been added to help workers adjust their harness to the perfect fit. An EZ-Link Quick SRL Adapter helps workers efficiently attach their personal SRL (such as the DBI-SALA Nano-Lok SRL), reducing the time it takes to connect and disconnect by up to 80%. Moreover, Tech-Lite Aluminum D-Rings allow for optimal reliability without adding significant weight to the harness.

“We work to maximize safety protection for at-height workers and provide solutions that complement the everyday work and demands of the job,” says Tim Thompson, soft goods product manager at Capital Safety. “Not only do workers need to be protected in the event of a fall, but they also need to be effective and comfortable during long hours on the job in all environments, and under all conditions. ExoFit STRATA is a harness that supports wearers 100 percent of the time because it provides them with the mobility and comfort they need to function on the job.”

In July 2015, Capital Safety partnered with ergonomics specialists from the Sweere Center for Clinical Biomechanics and Applied Ergonomics at Northwestern Health Sciences University to create data-driven research to further validate the need for greater innovation in harness development. The research looked at key worker complaints such as the load on the back and shoulders, limited range of motion, and body temperature while wearing the harness. The results confirmed that each of the first-of-a-kind innovations incorporated into the ExoFit STRATA directly addressed these issues in a measureable way.

“When testing leading harnesses we were looking to find measureable solutions for key issues that have become barriers to worker safety,” said Bradford C. Bennett, PhD, lead investigator of the study. “Is it comfortable enough to wear all day? Does it allow for ease of movement? Is it adjustable enough to allow for a proper fit? Is the worker comfortable even after taking it off? We quickly discovered that not all harnesses measure up to the task. ExoFit STRATA truly excelled at solving these issues that historically, have been inadequately addressed.”

Capital Safety
www.capitalsafety.com

The post Capital Safety debuts new full-body safety harness for fall protection appeared first on Windpower Engineering & Development.

Billy Watts, CEO of Siemens’ Wind Service Americas.

Along with being one of the top turbine manufacturers, Siemens is also strongly committed to safety in the wind industry. In 2013, the company opened a 40,000-square-foot Wind Service Training Center in Orlando, Florida. It is one of four wind-training centers that Siemens operates globally.

In this WindTalk podcast Billy Watts, the CEO for Siemens’ Wind Service Americas, discusses the importance of fall protection and safety training, as well as having skilled turbine technicians in the wind industry.

This WindTalk podcast is brought to you by ExxonMobil.

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