Fall Rescue — Suspension Trauma Awareness
Construction and general industry · Ver en español
Talking points
- Suspension trauma occurs when a worker hangs motionless in a harness after a fall. The harness leg straps compress the veins in the legs, pooling blood and reducing return flow to the heart.
- Symptoms progress from tingling and numbness to nausea, dizziness, and loss of consciousness — potentially within 15-30 minutes. Death can occur if the worker is not rescued promptly.
- Trauma straps (stirrups) allow a suspended worker to push against a loop with their feet, activating the leg muscles and preventing blood from pooling. These should be standard on every harness.
- Rescue must be prompt — aim for recovery within minutes, not hours. This is why a rescue plan must be in place before any PFAS use begins.
- After rescue, do not lay the worker flat immediately. A sudden return of pooled blood to the heart can cause cardiac arrest. Keep them in a seated or semi-reclined position and seek immediate medical attention.
Ask the crew
Does your harness have trauma straps — and do you know how to deploy them if you are suspended after a fall?
Standards this talk is built on
A toolbox talk is a short safety briefing. It supports the training a standard requires; it does not replace it.
Run this talk with your crew and keep the record
In Jobsite, workers sign in on their phones in English or Spanish, and you keep who attended, when, and where, with every other talk your crew has had.
Using an AI assistant? Jobsite's free MCP server serves this library, with OSHA rule text, no sign-in: https://jobsitecerts.com/api/mcp/public (/mcp)
Sign-in sheet
Print this page to collect signatures, or run the talk in Jobsite and workers sign in on their phones.
| Name | Signature | Date |
|---|---|---|
© Jobsite. Free to read aloud, print and use in your own crew's safety meetings. Republishing, reselling or bulk-copying these talks is not permitted.