Tag Archives: safety

Q/C tethers offer “at heights” safety and versatility with complete range of motion and the ability to exchange one tool for another using same lanyard.

Tethering at heights is the right thing to do but climbing with multiple tethers hanging from you is not so smart. The twin dangers of entanglement and falling become significant safety issues. Gear Keeper’s exclusive line of option rich retractable tethers all come standard with patented Q/C fittings. When a tool (weighing up to 0,9Kg/2 lbs.) is unplugged from the tether, the user simply selects the next tool to use, plugs it in and returns to work. These retractable tethers are designed for maximum productivity, keeping tools close to the body when stored while still allowing complete accessibility when in use. This is particularly important when working in close quarters or climbing.

One of the company’s most popular tool tether series is the “Multi-Mount” clamp-on tool retractor for web belts (up to 5,7 cm/ 2.25”) for tools up to 1 Kg/36 oz. Each tether in the series comes complete with the unique 2-axis, rotating clamp-on belt clip that offers complete range of motion for any job. The 360°, 2-axis rotation is a low profile, compact mounting system that permits 360° rotation and 180° swing-away from the body.

Like other retractable tethers in the Gear Keeper line, the “Multi-Mount” series is engineered so that the tool or instrument, application and recoil/retraction force are in balance. Individual Multi-Mount tethers (models RT3-76XX) retail for Euro 34,99 and are available for tools weighing 340 gr/12 oz., 510 gr/18 oz., 680 gr/24 oz., 735 gr/26 oz. and 1 Kg/36 oz. When the lanyard is extended for use, only minimal force is necessary thereby avoiding worker fatigue or in the reverse, causing a ”kick” when the instrument is automatically guided back to its stored position.

Many customizing options are available including retractor forces from 340gr/ 12 to 1 Kg/36 ounces, mounting fixtures include split ring or fixed lanyard end type. Extension length is dependent upon the force selected and ranges from 48 cm/ 19 inches to 107 cm/42 inches. For those who require easy change out of tools using the same tether, additional Q/Cll lanyards (ACO-0912) can be purchased for Euro 3.99 each.

The modularity of Gear Keeper tethering system offers the flexibility needed to safely and specifically match the tool, worker and application. Unlike an “off-the-shelf” tether, which can actually become a safety hazard, all Gear Keeper tethering systems insure dependable safety, convenience and quality by the company’s stringent quality control systems. All Gear Keeper tethers must pass dynamic and static testing, drop load testing with up to a 100% safety margin and cycle testing for safe productive use and long-life.

With millions of systems in use, Gear Keeper devices have a failure rate of less than .001 percent. The full line of Gear Keeper instrument tethers and accessories are available on the company’s website at gearkeeper.com.
A free, twelve-page “Safety Engineer’s Guide to Tool and Instrument Tethering” containing a tethering guide and related information is available.
Send an e-mail with your name and full mail adress to info@avera.eu

The retractable tethering device keeps radio microphone in the proper position to maintain effective communications as recommended by International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Poor communications is among the top five factors in line-of-duty deaths.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, lack of effective communications is one of the leading causes of non-cardiac line of duty deaths among firefighters. The International Association of Fire Chiefs has developed a series of portable radio best practices that include a recommendation that firefighters place radio microphones in close proximity to the mouth to avoid audio distortion problems when operating in environments with high levels of background noise.

IAFC said that firefighters should “ensure that the microphone is placed one to two inches from the mouth or SCBA voice port with the microphone positioned directly in front of the audio source.” A Mic Keeper device is designed to do just that. It keeps the mic securely in the proper IAFC position to operate the microphone appropriately when in use. When released after use, the mic will automatically retract to a secure position leaving the hands free to use other critical firefighting tools.

The Mic Keeper is a rugged, retractable system designed to utilize and protect gear in severe environments with maximum break strength and durability. It was developed based on the needs and comments of firefighters complaining about the lapel mic being a nuisance, always becoming dislodged and dangling, causing firefighters to step on or drag their mics. This often happens with strap-type radio belts. Although straps are an easy way to carry the radio for non-turnout gear times and are easy to throw on for turnout conditions they might not be the safest choice.  If the strap is worn over the turnout coat to facilitate access to the radio, it becomes an entanglement issue and the radio is not protected.
If the strap is under the coat you can not reach the radio.
According to Raul A. Angulo, a 32-year veteran of the Seattle Fire Department and captain of Ladder Company 6 who teaches classes on firefighter entrapment, “Not a lot of attention is paid to how firefighters wear their portable radios or where they clip their microphones. Angulo, writing in Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Magazine¹, added “As for the mic, your lifeline to safety and survival, I have found no better accessory than the retractable tether system of the Mic  Keeper. When I need it, I reach to my left shoulder and there it is, every time. I grab it, pull it to the voice amplifier of my SCBA, transmit my message and let it go. It smoothly retracts with a 12-ounce force.”

The Mic Keeper is securely attached to a turnout coat or air pack harness with the supplied a stainless steel threaded pin (stud) that penetrates Mic Tab, Radio Pocket, or Webbing Harness and threads into back of Mic Keeper. Built specifically for heavy-duty firefighter use, the retractable tether has a 400^¢F, V-2 Flame Rating and is constructed with a nylon coated stainless steel cable, stainless steel spring and hardware.

The model RT2-4022 Mic Keeper Pin Mount System allows the microphone to be securely extended for talking/listening, without the Mic being dislodged / dropped or the need to re-clip after use. When necessary, the Mic Keeper’s patented Q/C mounting system quickly and easily disconnects the microphone from the Mic Keeper.

The Mic Keeper retails for € 21.99 excl. VAT.
More customizing options are available.

For complete specifications:
http://www.avera.eu/magnify.asp?item=1419 and http://www.gearkeeper.com/communication/mickeeperfire.html