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PETE WARD

"WELCOME TO MY OUTDOOR WORLD"

"INDUSTRIAL SAFETY HARNESSES FOR HUNTERS"

"CLICK THE BANNER TO GO TO PREFERRED SAFETY PRODUCTS"

I contacted several industrial supliers of safety harnesses and received little or no response when I explained that as hunters we are about a million strong using treestands and elevated platforms without the benifit of an industrial type of safety harness.
Mr.Barry Cole of preferred safety products was the man that gave the reply that I was looking for.A hunter himself and owner of psp he understands what a hunter needs to stay alive should a fall occur.
Barry has offered his top quality harnesses,the same ones that I use at work to the hunting community directly from PSP. I am not financially involved with any sales/transactions etc in any way and am providing this space in order to help save a life should a fall occur.
I am a "UA" steamfitter/pipefitter as well as a construction safety officer with over 25 years experience with fall protection.Finally hunters have the oportunity to use the harnesses that industry has demanded and used.
The following are the responses that I received from PSP/Barry Cole.Now there is no excuse for not having a proper harness that won't cripple or kill you.

Peter;
Yes, I know of the problem faced by hunters. Unfortunately many suppliers will simply give a man what he thinks he wants, rather than what research and actual data proves he needs. I too am a safety professional and an avid hunter, albeit with a rifle/shotgun and rarely from a tree stand. However when building my cabin(s), and working in the woods, I always use safety devices as if I were at work.
Our safety harnesses would be proper for any fall arrest situation. There are only three things you need to save a life in fall protection - a suitable harness, a lanyard, and an anchorage. All hunters should be tied off and fall protected when aloft.
A suitable harness can be a simple or sophisticated affair. Simple means wide leg straps, waist or midriff straps and shoulder straps, adjustable buckles for waist, shoulder and leg fitting. The harness should be sized right to fit the wearer for comfort and safety. "Universal fit" means usually that big guys and gals wear it a little small, medium fits ok with some excess, and small persons have huge excess and looseness. We prefer a xs, s,m,l,xl,xxl, xxxl system just like we buy our clothes. Whatever the size it should have enough adjustment to cover coveralls in the morning and regular clothes in the afternoon, and adjust relatively easily. Sophisticated means it has exactly the same things as the simple one, only a few added features, like extra padding, support, "tool belts" for hanging tools, knives, axes, fanny packs etc., climbing aids in front or on the sides, etc. Virtually none of the added features add a lot to the safety; the simplest ones worn correctly will save your life. The extra padding is especially nice if you wear the harness all day, and store or carry your goods & gear on your waist belt. The harness with back support pad and the shoulder pads, then doubles as a suspenders for the heavy load on the belt.
The lanyard should be of a shock absorbing type, sized or adjustable to limit the free fall on the hunter and therefore limit the shock, as well as shock absorbing so that the hunter is not traumatized by the fall and better able to call for help or to self rescue.
A harness should be of the type that catches a person in an upright position and reduces the forces on the legs and butt for longer suspension times. It is imperative that hunters use a harness that has a "D" ring on the back to suspend the person upright. Waist belts, chest belts and back belts, will turn a fallen hunter upside down, or will crush his chest when it slides up under his arms, or will allow a falling hunter to fall out and to the ground, and that's where he'll be found - hanging dead or dying from circulatory or respiratory problems or on the ground dead or dying from impact related injuries.
Our firm makes industrial harnesses, and lanyards, all of which the conscientious hunter can adapt for his use in the tree stands. We can prescribe suitable anchor points, however the most likely and easiest is to simply sling the tree itself, above the hunters head or at shoulder level behind the hunter. Our Devices are colored gray, so not too noticeable. However, if there were a market for hunters willing to buy the right stuff, we would make them camouflaged, green, brown, or any color you wish. A simple harness costs about 50 to 60 dollars US$, and lanyards with shock absorbers about 35-40 dollars US$. We can ship anywhere in the world for inexpensive ground UPS rates.
We are safety professionals, ( Miller Safety Consulting, Inc.) (MillerSafety.com) and fall protection experts. And, we have a safety supply division at Preferred Safety Products, Inc. ( PreferredSafety.com).
Feel free to post this information as written on your site, and link people that are interested to us at the above addresses. We would be interested in selling someone like you a stock of these goods at a discount, and you could resell them at a mark-up. This is the most economical way to get the goods to you in Canada, as the per-piece import fees is far less that way. Please consult with CandaceS, JackM, or GalynM, at Preferred Safety Products (type their name @preferredsafety.com to talk to them or call 1800-301-3188 or 303-477-8414. If there are questions I can work with you on, feel free to call. Thanks for your inquiry. Barry Cole, Owner

Peter;
Thanks for your response.
If a hunter wished to have some safety while climbing, and no doubt some do, we would recommend the addition of a simple throwable rope, such a a 50' length, that could be weighted at one end to throw over or around an upper anchorage. (Typically the tree or a large branch of a tree). Then a hunter could secure it at the base and use one leg of the rope system to attach a rope grab device, which then is attached to the front D ring on the waist or chest area of the climber.
If the person slips and falls while ascending, or while stationary (like when trying to screw in or hammer in the next climbing peg) the rope will save his life and arrest the fall in a few inches - allowing him to climb back aboard his foot hold and continue climbing. There is virtually no impact and chance for injury with this type of climbing system. More sophisticated tree stand hunters may choose to then anchor the rope differently once having made the first ascent, to use for many days thereafter, provided he comes and goes from the same tree stand during the day or in future. The reverse procedure applies for hunters descending. The rope grab device allows the hunter to climb down - generally hands free, while the device slides down the rope. However, if the person falls, as indicated before, the device senses the acceleration and quickly arrests the free fall in inches.
Note this is an acceptable attachment to the body, ( i.e. the front or chest) ONLY because the free fall is minimal and there is little if any shock to the body. Once the hunter has reached his chosen elevation, he would switch to the longer lanyard and the =back= mounted D ring of the harness, before disconnecting from the rope grab, thereby assuring 100% coverage for fall arrest.
Fell free to post this above dialogue on your site too, as an answer to the safety issue while climbing.
We will consider your opportunity to "test market" to the readers on your site.
P.S. your readers can use a master, visa, discover, or AX card to purchase direct from us. Delivery by UPS or other designated carrier.
Barry Cole

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