Is there an arresting harness that is preferred among TF'ers? I need to get one. I've been offered the beams in an Oak barn nearby and I'll need to climb and remove pegs. Another crew is stripping everything else and keeping the wood other than the beams. They will also help with dissassembly of the frame. Thank you! Brad

I would try to climb on a naked old barn as little as possible. Think about scaffolding, or even a man lift.

But to answer the question, I like this one Petzl Navaho . It's pretty compared to the cheap ones.

Also, a fall arrest system is worthless if you don't have someone with you to get you down when you do fall. And that is not nearly as easy as it may first appear as many people are knocked unconscious when they fall, because the shock absorbing lanyards lengthen considerably when deployed and they hit something below them. Even if you don't bash your head in on the way down and what you're tied to doesn't fall on your head when you suddenly and painfully decelerate (tie off points have to be capable of withstanding 5000#), the way you dangle in those things often can lead to asphyxiation within minutes. Very scary. Make sure you are properly trained to use the gear and have someone around who is trained to rescue you.

That's why I would be looking for another way -- secured ladders, scaffolding, man lifts, or even a proper work platform on a telescoping forklift are some safer ways to access the higher stuff.

Work safe and have fun -- I'm glad to hear you're going to make use of the old timbers.

Gabel

Yes I'll use other means when possible, but there will be occasion, I'm sure, when I'll have to be on a beam. That also happened during my first raising too and I wasn't very comfortable scooting up a principle rafter with no extra security. I would have been more comfortable attached to the structure. Tying off via a choker to a beam should be enough to stop my fall. A short lead should prevent to much acceleration should I lose my footing or balance. I think I'd rather decelerate than hit the ground. Thank you for the response.

Brad,

I highly recommend reading Gordon Macdonald's article on site safety in number 77 of the Guild Journal (September 2005). He talks about different ways to rig fall arrest and fall prevention systems, as well as the dangers associated. Lots of good pictures, too.

Don't tie to a choker without a shock absorbing lanyard unless it is attached to the structure above the connection to your harness and short enough to keep you from falling to your knees (of course, that severely limits your range of motion). Otherwise if you do fall, your back will break.

Is this article available online? I only became a guild member recently so I don't have that issue. By the way, I don't think I'm going to tackle that barn. It's all pine and the beams are all 6X6. It's good material, but not big enough for what I am going to build. It had 2X rafters and 4X girts that were nailed, so I'm thinking the barn was built between 1920's and 1940's though I'm no expert. The dimensional lumber makes me think this. All the beams are pegged. It was a neat barn though with a 36X40 second floor loft that felt like a dance hall.

you know I needed to do the roof on my house which is 12/12 and metal so there is no such thing as standing on it. I took a rock climbing course and use a climbing harness and ropes.