The National Safety Council deemed overexertion and falls as the top two biggest safety issues present for all workers. At-height workers are at significant risk of developing injury from either of these injury types from the nature of the work they perform.
Most personal protective equipment mandated for climbers is unfortunately designed as reactive equipment, it has truly little preventative value in protecting the worker from an occurrence related to overexertion or a fall. At-height work is physically demanding, and fatigue leads to overexertion or a mistake that can lead to a serious fall. Powered ascenders such as the Ronin Lift are an essential tool in preventing excess fatigue on our climbers. Powered ascenders are also one of few tools available for at-height workers to lower their risk occurrence for both overexertion and fall injury types.
TOP 3 OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES INVOLVING DAYS AWAY FROM WORK :
OVEREXERTION, BODILY REACTION
FALLS, SLIPS, TRIPS
CONTACT WITH OBJECTS/EQUIPMENT
#1 - OVEREXERTION, BODILY REACTION
Injury Rate
28.2 per 10,000 full-time workers
Age group most at risk
45 to 64
Industry most at risk
Transportation and Warehousing
Typical days lost
12
• Most frequent part of body hurt
Back
#2 - FALLS, SLIPS, & TRIPS
Injury Rate
23.9 per 10,000 full-time workers
Age group most at risk
55 and over
Industry most at risk
Transportation, Warehousing & Agriculture
Typical days lost
12
• Most frequent part of body hurt
Sprains, Strains, Tears
#3 - CONTACT WITH OBJECTS/EQUIPMENT
Injury Rate
23.5 per 10,000 full-time workers
Age group most at risk
16 to 24
Industry most at risk
Transportation, Warehousing, Agriculture & Construction
Typical days lost
5
• Most frequent part of body hurt
Cuts, Lacerations, Punctures
POWERED ROPE ASCENDERS IMPACTS ON WORKFORCE
Powered rope ascenders are having a huge, positive impact on the at-height workforce. As humans, we typically like to build up, and the maintenance required for infrastructure continues to grow. This will continue to increase the demand for workers. As businesses, we are obligated to provide our workers with the best available technology to keep them healthy and working within their chosen careers. The Ronin Lift supports this initiative by providing a solution priced at a level so it can be effectively rolled out across an organization’s workforce. By taking a worker-first approach we are committed to getting the technology in the hands of the people that matter.
FATIGUE’S IMPACTS ON THE WORKFORCE
Fatigue is probably the most serious safety issue in the workplace today. Everyone is working harder and greater hours as businesses strive for better efficiency and cost controlling measures. Data has shown time and time again as a person tires, they are more prone to mistakes. These mistakes can lead to safety injuries or even fatalities. Fatigue injuries are the leading cause of missed days for the at-height workforce. At-height climbers will be under increased pressure due to limited resources and the demand to keep infrastructure maintained and operating. In the US alone with the ongoing 5G installations, and a push for greater wind energy, our demands on the at-height workforce over the next decade will only grow. Businesses are already feeling the effects of fatigue based on their responses from a recent National Safety Council survey. Powered ascenders like the Ronin Lift not only reduce fatigue, but they will increase the efficiency of your workforce. Isn’t it time to invest in workers by providing technology that supports their health and our growth plans?
EMPLOYERS REPORT THE IMPACT OF FATIGUE ON THEIR ORGANIZATION
INDUSTRY
Feel the impact of fatigue
Experience productivity decrease
Experience Safety Incidents
Construction
94%
71%
45%
Manufacturing
89%
73%
44%
Transportation
97%
66%
45%
Utilities
91%
64%
41%
All Industries
90%
67%
32%
CERTIFICATIONS
It took many years of development and testing to bring you the Ronin Lift ascender. When we designed our equipment, we ensured that it would exceed the established testing standards. You can be confident our products meet the commercial requirements for use, and it is the safest powered ascender in the marketplace.
World Wide CE testing:
STANDARDS CONSIDERED, FULL OR IN PART:
EN ISO 12100:2010 – Safety of machinery – General principles for design – Risk assessment and risk reduction
EN 60204-1:2006+A1:2009 – Safety of machinery – Electrical equipment of machines — Part 1: General requirements
EN ISO 13849-1:2015 – Safety of machinery – Safety-related parts of control systems – Part 1: General principles for design
EN 61000-6-1:2007 – Electromagnetic Compatibility-Generic immunity standard, Part –6-1: Residential, commercial and light industrial
EN 61000-6-3:2007+A1:2011 – Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 6-3: Generic standard for residential, commercial and light-industrial environments
EN 50581:2012 – Technical documentation for the assessment of electrical and electronic products with respect to the restriction of hazardous substances
North America ANSI:
While there is no official ANSI standard yet for powered ascender technology (We are working on it). At Ronin we did perform comparable testing to the rescue hoist and winch standard ANSI Z359.4 standard. Since a powered ascender technology is not classified as personal protective equipment you can still use it in an OSHA environment, if you are using the proper PPE and training with it. Please contact us today if you have any questions and we can always schedule a technical review with your safety team to go over the details.
2022 Guide
POWERED ASCENDER USE ON ANTENNA SUPPORTING STRUCTURES
This telecommunications industry consensus document is intended to address the use of Powered Ascenders in conjunction with a fixed synthetic rope for personnel ascending, descending and work positioning on telecommunications structures. There is not a recognized standard in the United States applicable for the use of Powered Ascenders utilizing synthetic rope; the only relevant reference material available is the European Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. As a proactive approach to the safe use of Powered Ascenders in the industry, this document was created to provide guidance for the use of Powered Ascenders on telecom structures regardless of Powered Ascender manufacturer or design type.
Recent advances in technology have made Powered Ascenders a more prevalent and viable tool for access to work at height. These devices benefit the industry by reducing worker fatigue, increasing efficiency, productivity, and reducing injury potential from repetitive motion injuries, thus increasing worker longevity.
This document is intended to address Powered Ascenders on a fixed synthetic rope, where the Powered Ascender moves along the rope. It will not address the configurations of the Powered Ascender being anchored and the rope moving, or the use of a Powered Ascender to hoist materials. This consensus document is only intended to apply to antenna supporting structures that are governed by the ANSI/TIA222 standard, as adopted by the International Building Code (IBC) and other jurisdictional building codes.