Emergency use/standard and some new Spyderco customers

[Cliff Stamp]

Recently there was a tragedy where an individual working at heights was killed after being tangled in a rope and subsequently dragged out of a high story building. As often happens in these cases new OH&S standards are implemented to try to avoid such incidents in the future.

My brother was friends with one of the workers involved in the discussion and came to me earlier in the week to provide a test sample of an effective knife. I gave him a fully serrated Endura and he met with them and demonstrated the one hand opening, cutting ability, etc. .

They were all extremely impressed at how easy it was to open/close, how the clip made carry very flexible and simple, the extreme initial sharpness (it was not used), and of course how it would shred even thick ropes with moderate force.

I gifted the Endura to one of the workers and the rest while appreciating it were all working class people though and so they wanted a more economical choice so I suggested the Byrd Rescue and they promptly ordered half a dozen for some evaluation.

Again, a tragedy, but there is some comfort that in the future with a little experience in handling, there is the knowledge that if a rope has to be cut then there will be little difficulty in doing so.

[Blerv]

So sorry to hear Cliff. The best thing to do in such a situation is just as described, educate and prepare hoping such an event doesn't have to happen again.

It reminds me of that situation (I believe in New York) a couple years back where an elderly lady's scarf was caught in an escalator. Passerby's yelled for someone to provide a knife but to no avail and she was asphyxiated. A case and point for pragmatic cutting tools in the hands of responsible citizens.

[dbcad]

Good job of being proactive with a tragedy. It's sad how most people including myself don't recognize a potential danger until after a tragedy has occurred. None of us are perfect

Who knows when the knives will be needed to prevent another fall, but quite possibly your gift will help prevent a future tragedy from occuring.

Another thought, most likely these knives will be used for all sorts of stuff. At some point they will need some sharpening. Maybe a communal SM setup?? The white stones are pretty durable

[Cliff Stamp]

These are carried for emergency use only, they have strict regulations to use them only for emergencies. That was one of the reasons they wanted stainless. Ideally H1 would be a solution, but again money was a constraint and you can get the Byrd's for $20. I do expect that they will pick up some personal carry ones as well as they were extremely impressed with how the Endura shredded ropes. I would hope that this can spread a little but in general OH&S regulations are always like this, something has to happen for there to be a change.

[dbcad]

I hear you Cliff I'm not a high building worker but thank you for your generosity nonetheless

[APS]

Great job Cliff! I hope that they also get a little practice in opening the knives in a hurry as that might be the way that they would use them. Also with gloves on. I think a lot of people carry knives for such purposes and then never practice getting them into action.

[Dodge]

Sorry to hear this. Might I suggest the Tasman salt. Yellow easy to find handle, Cuts with a pull stroke, Bigger spyderhole for gloved hands, and no rust issues. I always tell people in the fishing industry the same advise for the same reason. Getting caught in a rope attached to an anchor or a pot ends the same way. Send our condolences to their family please.

[Cliff Stamp]

A H1 blade would be nice, but it is out of the price range, and a blunt tip is really needed for emergency situations as you don't want to be stabbing anything by accident.

[JNewell]

Long day/long week, so I may not be envisioning the application correctly, but would a hawkbill be more foolproof?

[Pockets]

Thank you for helping these people prepare.

[mikerestivo]

A H1 blade would be nice, but it is out of the price range, and a blunt tip is really needed for emergency situations as you don't want to be stabbing anything by accident.

What about the Rescue model as another option? No H-1, but a blunted tip and a great cutter.

[Cliff Stamp]

A hawkbill can more easily hook into ropes and for general utility the shredding power is extremely high, especially when heavy force is applied as it is next to impossible for material to slide out of the hook. However you would not want to risk the point of a hawkbill stabbing yourself or someone else accidentally so a blunt point is useful.

[tobii3]

We used the Blackjack version of this back in the 90's -Rescue Hook

[Cliff Stamp]

They wanted folding for easy of carry/deployment and a decent length blade to be able to quickly shred even thicker ropes. Budget was the primary consideration though hence the restriction of a $20 Byrd.

[KardinalSyn]

Why is it that a tragedy has to happen for everyone to see the light? It's a question that I keep asking myself everyday. Good to hear about this initiative. Perhaps it's time for a Byrd Assist as well.

[Half Sack]

Makes me reconsider my pocket layout over the past week, since I carried a knife at work but emergency deployment wouldn't have been possible...

Good thread, I'm glad they're thinking ahead and that Spyderco can help them out.
*Rescue knife added to wish list*

[Cliff Stamp]

Why is it that a tragedy has to happen for everyone to see the light?

As brutal as it is, OH&S regulations at the end of the day are always about cost, what is the cost of an injury vs what is the cost of preventing it. When injuries happen it drives the cost of any future injuries up dramatically because if they happen again there is likely to be an outcry of "Why didn't you do something?" and the direct loss of business and then there are also civil and even criminal liabilities to deal with. Yes it is a brutal truth, but as a business owner you do not have infinite funds and you can not spend that much on injury prevention that you can't run the business.

[gaj999]

I hate to be the one to rain on the parade, but using knives near a loaded climbing rope is begging for trouble. The slightest nick on the rope and it parts. I had to see it to believe it. One of my climbing/caving buddies had a rope with a weak spot that necked down when it was under load. After the trip where I noticed the problem, we inspected the rope, inch by inch. It looked great. So we set up a pulley off a ceiling joist in his garage and I ascended the rope while he lowered me at the same rate. Sure enough, about 30 feet from the far(of course) end, the hourglass appeared. Being cheap, and figuring that there were a lot of dandy uses for a 120 foot rope, we decided to trim it. We'd heard that using a knife near a loaded rope was dangerous, so we decided to see just how easy it would be to cut. Steve whipped out his trusty SAK while I stood in slings about 3 inches above the garage floor. The instant the edge touched that rope, it was just gone and I was standing on the floor. We were both pretty freaked out.

Hopefully, someone will set up a demo for all these guys so that no one gets the bright idea of using his shiny new knife while he's hanging off a rope.

Gordon

[EarthDog]

Cliff,

Thanks for starting this informative thread, and thanks for your continuing contributions to the world of knives.

[tr4022]

What about the Rescue model as another option? No H-1, but a blunted tip and a great cutter.

My first thought, too, but again, it sounds like the cost issue rules the Rescue out. I try to have my orange rescue whenever I'm out with the kids.

Tod