Tethering is a simple and cost effective safety measure that can prevent the devastating consequences of tools that are dropped while working aloft.
Maintenance of offshore oil rigs is an arduous and potentially dangerous process. Mechanics are required to work from masts, towers, roofs and ladders for extended periods of time in all weather conditions, many times at heights exceeding 50 feet. Apart from the inconvenience of having to interrupt work in order to retrieve or replace a dropped tool, there is an extraordinarily serious risk of injury or damage.
Tethering is a simple and cost effective safety measure that can prevent the devastating consequences of tools that are dropped while working aloft. Consider the fact that dropped objects increase their rate of acceleration by 22mph every second of their fall. A falling tool or instrument becomes a “weapon” that can result in severe injury to personnel, damage to equipment and long periods of downtime.
It’s not a one size fits all solution. Finding the appropriate tethers for the broad range of tools required to perform maintenance of multimillion-dollar deep-water rigs is no longer a problem. Wrenches, blowtorches and other tools can be coupled with the correct Gear Keeper© retractable tether or stretchable, energy-absorbing tool tether lanyard. Gear Keeper tethers are precision-made attachment systems for tools and instruments weighing up to 30 pounds. With more than 3,000 different tethering configurations, the system can be utilized for virtually any tool or application.
“Gear Keeper’s instrument and tool tethering systems are inexpensive insurance against the damage and injury caused by objects dropped from above,” says John Salentine, Vice President and co-founder of Hammerhead Industries. “Not only that, employees will appreciate that their tools and instruments are conveniently at hand when they need them and out of the way when they don’t.”
Because there are so many ways to configure a Gear Keeper system, industrial or corporate safety engineers can easily find an off-the-shelf tether to fit their need. For more specialized applications, Hammerhead can create custom systems. Safety engineers are also often charged with ensuring adherence to OSHA Regulation 1926.759(a), which requires “that all materials, equipment and tools, which are not in use while aloft, must be secured against accidental displacement.” Gear Keeper systems enable compliance with this important and mandatory safety regulation.
Gear Keeper tool and instrument tethers are built for heavy-duty industrial use with maximum breakage strength and durability. Designed to survive extended salt water and chlorine exposure, Gear Keeper retractable tethers are virtually jam-free with a patented flushing system that self clears debris from the retractor mechanism. Long lasting and tough, with millions of systems in use, Gear Keeper tethers have a failure rate of less than .001 percent.
“The Gear Keeper devices are extremely flexible and can be configured for a wide variety of uses,” says Salentine. “For example, the belt clip system provides a secure mount that allows the Gear Keeper to rotate a full 360 degrees, while the shoulder strap system offers a comfortable solution when used with our innovative Gear Slide feature that allows the tool to move on the strap without the strap moving on your body. This is a great option for heavy use applications.”
The full line of Gear Keeper instrument tethers and accessories are available on the company’s website at www.gearkeeper.com. nike air max weiß damen nike air max weiß damen