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BLD-ROOF12-06 · Lesson 4 · 10 clock hours · practice

Rescue Planning and Suspended-Worker Response

Objective. Students develop a written prompt-rescue plan for an assigned roofing scenario and perform a timed simulated rescue of a suspended mannequin using a descent-control device and a pre-rigged retrieval line, completing the rescue within the time threshold specified in the scenario before suspension trauma risk increases.

⚠ Pending professional review

This lesson, its worked examples and its practice questions has not yet been verified by a licensed professional engineer or master tradesperson or by a certification or approval body. It is a study draft and may contain errors. Do not use it as instructions for work on a job site or on live equipment. Always follow your instructor, your supervising professional, and current official references and regulations.

VoTechWorks program approval and accreditation are still in progress. Credentials are issued only by the certifying bodies named in each program, after their own exams.

Why Rescue Planning Comes Before the First Worker Steps on the Roof

OSHA requires that employers provide a prompt rescue capability before any worker is exposed to a fall arrest hazard. That requirement exists because surviving a fall does not guarantee surviving the aftermath. A worker hanging in a harness after a fall arrest faces a second, largely invisible threat: suspension trauma.

Suspension Trauma (Orthostatic Intolerance)

When a person hangs motionless in a vertical position in a harness, the leg straps restrict venous blood flow returning from the legs to the heart. Blood pools in the lower extremities. The heart receives less blood, cardiac output drops, and the brain is deprived of adequate oxygen. This condition is called orthostatic intolerance, commonly called suspension trauma.

Symptoms progress from tingling and dizziness to nausea, fainting, loss of consciousness, and — if the worker remains suspended without relief — cardiac arrest. The onset can begin in as little as a few minutes in a motionless, vertical hang. Movement of the leg muscles (pumping the legs, pushing against a surface) slows the process by helping blood return to the heart. This is why rescue plans must specify a time threshold and why workers should be coached to keep their legs moving if they are conscious after a fall arrest.

When a suspended worker is recovered, they must never be laid flat immediately. Rapidly returning a large volume of blood pooled in the extremities to the core circulation can cause a sudden cardiovascular collapse sometimes called reflow syndrome. The rescued worker should be kept in an upright seated position (the "W" or orthopedic sitting position) and evaluated by emergency medical services as quickly as possible.

The Five Required Elements of a Rescue Plan

A compliant, useful rescue plan addresses five elements:

1. Personnel — Who are the designated rescuers? At least one person trained in rescue procedures must be on site whenever workers are exposed to a fall arrest hazard. Name them; do not rely on "whoever is available."

2. Equipment — What rescue equipment is staged on site? This includes the descent-control device, retrieval line and hardware, a communication device, and first-aid supplies. Equipment must be inspected before use and stored where rescuers can reach it within the rescue time threshold.

3. Communication — How does the fallen worker signal distress? How does the rescue team communicate with each other during the operation, and how is emergency medical services contacted? Identify primary and backup methods.

4. Procedure — What is the step-by-step retrieval method for this specific roof and anchor system? A steep-slope residential plan looks different from a multi-story metal panel plan. The procedure must match the hazard.

5. Suspension Trauma Response — What do rescuers do with the worker after retrieval? The plan must address keeping the worker in an upright position, monitoring for symptoms, and activating EMS.

Descent-Control and Retrieval Line Basics

A descent-control device (sometimes called a descender or rescue lowering device) allows a rescuer to lower a suspended load in a controlled, slow manner using friction. The device attaches to the anchor. The retrieval line runs through the device and attaches to the fallen worker's harness dorsal D-ring or to a rescue attachment point.

Before the drill, the retrieval line must be pre-rigged — connected to the anchor system and ready to deploy — so that rescuers are not rigging from scratch under stress. The tender manages line slack and watches for snags. The safety observer tracks time and records any procedural errors on the drill evaluation form.

Critical errors that must not occur:

The Three-Person Rescue Team

Lead rescuer operates the descent-control device and directs the operation. This person must know the procedure cold before the drill begins.

Tender manages the retrieval line, keeps it free of snags, and communicates line status to the lead rescuer.

Safety observer watches the entire operation, tracks elapsed time with a stopwatch, and calls a stop if a critical error is about to occur. During a real rescue, the safety observer is also the person who contacts EMS.

Each team member rotates through every role during the drill so that every student practices as lead rescuer.

Performing the Simulated Rescue: Step-by-Step

1. Verify the anchor is rated and connected correctly.

2. Inspect the descent-control device and retrieval line per manufacturer instructions.

3. Rig the descent-control device to the anchor.

4. Confirm the retrieval line is attached to the mannequin's rescue attachment point.

5. Safety observer starts the stopwatch and announces "Rescue begins."

6. Lead rescuer takes up slack, engages the device, and begins controlled lowering or retrieval.

7. Tender manages line and calls out any slack or snag.

8. Mannequin is brought to the safe platform — do not drop it.

9. Safety observer stops the clock, records time, and notes any errors.

10. Team debriefs immediately using the drill evaluation form.

PPE and Lockout/Tagout Notes

All personnel on the drill structure wear hard hats, safety glasses, and fall protection as required by the existing anchor setup from your PFAS (personal fall arrest system) practice. Inspect all hardware before each drill rotation. If any component shows damage — cuts in the retrieval line, cracks in the descent-control device housing, bent connectors — remove it from service immediately and notify the instructor.

Key terms10

Suspension traumaA medical emergency caused by a person hanging motionless in a harness, in which blood pools in the lower extremities, reducing blood flow to the heart and brain; also called orthostatic intolerance.
Orthostatic intoleranceThe physiological inability to maintain adequate blood circulation when the body is held in a vertical, upright position without muscle movement; the mechanism behind suspension trauma.
Prompt rescueOSHA's requirement that an employer establish and maintain a rescue capability before exposing any worker to a fall arrest hazard, so that a suspended worker can be recovered before suspension trauma becomes life-threatening.
Descent-control deviceA friction-based mechanical device rigged to an anchor that allows a rescuer to lower a suspended load at a slow, controlled rate during a rescue operation.
Retrieval lineA rope or cable pre-rigged from the anchor system to the fallen worker's harness attachment point, used to lower or raise the worker during a rescue.
Reflow syndromeA potential cardiovascular collapse that can occur when a rescued suspension-trauma patient is laid flat too quickly, allowing large volumes of pooled blood to return rapidly to the core circulation.
TenderThe team member in a rescue operation who manages line slack and keeps the retrieval line free of snags while communicating status to the lead rescuer.
Safety observerThe team member who monitors the entire rescue operation, tracks elapsed time, records procedural errors on the evaluation form, and is responsible for contacting emergency medical services.
Dorsal D-ringThe attachment ring located between the shoulder blades on a full-body harness; the required connection point for fall arrest lanyards and typically used as the rescue attachment point.
Pre-rigged retrieval lineA retrieval line set up and ready for deployment before work begins so that rescuers can initiate a rescue without losing time rigging hardware under stress.
In class: Lecture and discussion on suspension trauma (orthostatic intolerance): instructor explains the physiological mechanism, reviews OSHA's requirement that employers provide a prompt rescue capability before any worker is exposed to a fall arrest hazard, and presents case studies of delayed-rescue incidents; students complete a guided note-taking sheet that becomes the framework for their written rescue plan. · Written rescue plan development: each student is assigned one of three roofing scenarios (steep-slope residential, low-slope commercial, multi-story metal panel) and drafts a rescue plan that identifies the designated rescuers, rescue equipment staged on site, communication chain, and step-by-step descent-control or ladder-assisted retrieval procedure; plans are peer-reviewed against a provided rubric and revised before the practical drill. · Simulated rescue drill: working in three-person teams (rescuer, tender, safety observer), students rig a descent-control device to the existing anchor, attach the retrieval line to a suspended weighted mannequin representing a fallen worker, and lower or retrieve the mannequin to a safe platform while the safety observer records elapsed time and any procedural errors on a drill evaluation form; teams rotate roles so every student serves as lead rescuer.
Materials: Weighted rescue mannequin (or equivalent load); descent-control device with manufacturer instructions; pre-rigged retrieval line and hardware; stopwatch; drill evaluation forms; rescue plan template; suspension trauma reference handout; three-person team role-card cards; existing anchor and PFAS from Lesson 3 structure
Check: Written rescue plan scored against rubric (must address all five required elements — personnel, equipment, communication, procedure, suspension trauma response — earning at least 80%); simulated rescue drill completed with correct rigging sequence verified by instructor and mannequin retrieved before the scenario time threshold with zero critical errors (dropped load, anchor failure, uncontrolled descent).

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.

OSHA Fall Protection — Hazard Recognition
1. What is the primary physiological cause of suspension trauma in a worker hanging motionless in a harness?
OSHA Fall Protection — Regulatory Requirements
2. OSHA requires that employers establish rescue capability at what point in the work sequence?
OSHA Fall Protection — Emergency Response
3. After retrieving a worker who was suspended for several minutes, the correct immediate positioning is to:
NCCER Roofing — Fall Protection Systems
4. Which of the following is identified as a critical error that must not occur during the simulated rescue drill?
OSHA Fall Protection — Rescue Planning
5. A written rescue plan must address five required elements. Which element is MOST often overlooked but is essential for a plan to be OSHA-compliant?
NCCER Roofing — Fall Protection Systems
6. During a three-person rescue drill, the tender's primary responsibility is to:
OSHA Fall Protection — Hazard Recognition
7. A suspended worker who is conscious should be coached to do which of the following to slow the onset of suspension trauma?
OSHA Fall Protection — Rescue Planning
8. Why must a retrieval line be pre-rigged before work begins rather than rigged during a rescue response?
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