How To Put On A Safety Harness

A safety harness must be worn correctly to ensure that, in the event of a fall, it works to its design potential and does not cause additional injury. Follow these steps to don your harness correctly.

HARNESS CHECKLIST

A. Ensure that the right harness is used for the job.

B. Check that the harness has been inspected.

C. See that all clips and connectors are tightened, adjusted and attached.

D. Make sure that the webbing is adjusted to suit your body size - leaving the harness loose around the legs and chest may feel more comfortable but, in the event of a fall, the sudden 'jerk' that occurs when the slack is taken up can cause serious damage to the body, especially in the groin area and internal organs.

6 SIMPLE STEPS

6 Simple steps to the correct procedure for putting on a safety harness

Step 1
Hold harness up by rear attachment and ensure leg straps hang free

Step 2
Pass arms through shoulder straps

Step 3
Connect chest buckle

Step 4
Adjust shoulder straps so rear D sits between shoulder blades

Step 5
Pull harness down at the back so sub pelvic strap sits under the buttocks

Step 6
Connect leg buckles and adjust to a snug fit, ensuring they are assembled correctly

Approved Radiodetection Dealer

Survey Express Services, are the leading authorised Radiodetection distributor, offering sales, hire and support for the full range of cable avoidance equipment.

Radiodetection range is designed to detect signals whether generated by a signal generator, inherently radiating from metallic services, or from the complimentary range of Sondes (Mice) and accessories designed to enable the location of non-conductive services.

Cable avoidance equipment are classed as safety products which require maintenance and calibration. Failing to maintain equipment can mean services are missed or damaged during excavation with the possibility of injury to site personnel.

Annual calibration is essential to maintain your precision Radiodetection’s instrument within its original specifications. Every time a piece of equipment is utilised in the field, it should be accompanied with a traceable valid calibration certificate.

Being an authorised distributor, we maintain the highest standards befitting the quality of Radiodetection. Our support technicians are supplier trained to meet the manufacturer’s high standards. You will find a purpose built calibration centre in all our offices capable of maintaining your fleet of Radio detection cable locators.


About Radiodetection
Radiodetection are a global multi-technology company making your next construction project safer, quicker and more cost effective.

Founded in 1970, Radiodetection is headquartered in Bristol, UK, with worldwide sales and service network across the globe.

Utilities worldwide rely on Radiodetection Cable Avoidance Tools (C.A.T) to prevent accidental damage to underground services when excavating, and on Radiodetection’s RD7000+ and RD8000 products to accurately locate buried services. Radiodetection's cable test products quickly locate problems such as breaks or deteriorating insulation.

Every product in the Radiodetection range is designed and manufactured to the highest standards. Radiodetection’s manufacturing operations are ISO 9001 accredited, and our products benefit from a range of approvals in specific industries.


Brief History of Radiodetection
1970’s
Radio detection launched their first cable avoidance tool in the 1970s. The C.A.T (Cable Avoiding Tool) was a basic rugged locator designed for use by construction workers.

1980s
The RD400 Locator was launched and wins an international award at the Hanover Fair in West Germany selects the RD400 for its ‘outstanding industrial design’. The RD400 combined performance in an easy to use, rugged and ergonomic package.

1990s Radio detection’s C.A.T and Genny (MK2) launched, building on the success of the original C.A.T the new unit has many advantages while retaining its ease of use and ruggedness.

2000s – present
Radiodetection launches the RD7000™ and RD8000™ cable and pipe locator. The RD7000™ and RD8000™ are powerful successors to the industry standard RD4000 family of cable and pipe locators.

Radiodetection launches the new C.A.T and Genny MK4 offering groundbreaking features - delivering improved safety, faster surveys and simpler operation.

Radiodetection becomes part of the SPX corporation

Checking For Damp Within A Building

Introduction
This article highlights basic understanding of moisture and provides techniques to look for damp and how to use a digital moisture meter to diagnose moisture levels. Due to the comprehensive nature of the subject, we have segmented down the original article into bight size subjects.

1. What Is Damp?
2. Difference in damp of materials
3. How To Pinpoint Moisture within a Structure
4. Measuring Moisture
5. How To Check For Condensation 

1. What Is Damp?
Damp is caused by water getting into the property (structural) and moisture building up within the property causing condensation (lifestyle).

a. Damp ingress into a property (Structural)
Damp occurs when water penetrates into the fabric of a building. Common causes are:

• Rainwater seeping through the roof where a tile or slate is missing, spilling from a blocked gutter or penetrating around window frames.
• Rising damp due to a defective damp-course or because there is no damp-course.
• Leaking pipes, wastes or overflows. Often you can see damp as “tide marks” on walls and ceilings.

b. Condensation (Lifestyle)
Lifestyle moisture issues are caused by normal daily activities (taking showers and baths, washing and drying clothes, cooking and boiling kettles), all produce warm air containing large amounts of water vapour.

If the warm air can’t escape through an open window or air vent, it moves around until it finds a cold surface where it cools and forms condensation.

Condensation occurs on any cold surface which records a below dew point temperature (temperature at which saturated air releases surplus moisture vapour). This can be seen on a mirror in a bathroom or a window in a kitchen when cooking.

2. Difference in damp of materials
Building materials will absorb different levels of moisture content, some materials, like wood, can absorb more water than brick.

Commonly timber will absorb more water molecules than a brick wall. Wood is like a sponge, absorbing moisture directly from the buildings structure and retain higher levels of moisture before directly being affected by the damp process.

The follow table provides examples showing the percentage moisture and the readings interpretation.

Material	Moisture content %	Interpretation
Wood	Extremely dry
Mortar	4	Dry
Brick	4	Damp
Plaster	4	Very wet
Wood	12	Air dry
Brick	12	Saturated
Plaster	12	Not possible

As shown, wood can be classed as dry at 12%, but brick would be saturated at the same reading.

Example
A timber skirting which records a moisture reading of 12% (air dry), the plaster could be around 0.5% and the brick about 1%. In severe conditions you may see higher readings of skirting 22%, plaster 1% - 3% and brick around 2% - 5%.

Readings are taken on a reference scale as it is only a relative degree of dampness. Wood moisture scale (wood moisture equivalent ‘WME’) is the most common and is recognised by professional bodies. Wood is the first material to degrade due to damp.

How To Pinpoint Moisture within a Structure

First conduct a visual check to review the property for any signs of visible moisture damage. When verifying the buildings moisture condition, look for discolouration first. This will allow you to target the affected areas first.

Pinpointing the damp is only possibly with an electronic moisture meter. These instruments can detect moisture levels before they become visible or can be felt.

When measuring moisture, take regular readings over the suspected area and mark the boundaries of moisture levels. Develop a scaled drawing of the moisture readings recording the levels within the affected areas to determine the severity.

Pinpointing Rising Damp

Pinpointing Damp Spots

For a definitive guide into damp, I would recommend the Dampness In Buildings book distributed by Protimeter. This is a comprehensive guide to moisture in buildings and a copy can be purchased directly through our online store.

Click to review previous section - What Is Damp?

Measuring Moisture With a Protimeter Moisture Meter

Reliable electronic moisture meters from Protimeter are the preferred instruments due to the renowned reliability, accuracy and quality.

Models include the ProtimeterDigital Mini (surface moisture) or Protimeter Aquant2 (subsurface moisture). Alternatively, you can combine the two functions by using a Protimeter Surveymaster2 which features both surface and subsurface moisture readings.

a. Surface Moisture
A pin type moisture meter, like the Protimeter Digital Mini, can be utilised to measure the surface moisture of a wall, wood and building structure. Simply place the pins on the surface of the wall to take a reading.

Protimeter Digital Mini measuring surface moisture

The Protimeter Digital Mini measures using the %Wood Moisture Equivalent (%WME) scale.

With a pin type instrument, it may be required to push the pins into the wall. Some types of wall coverings will restrict the reading. But a word of caution, pushing pins into a surface will leave a mark especially glossed paint, venires and laminated surfaces.

Taking readings in a kitchen or bathroom can be problematic with a pin type instrument. Floor coverings and tiles will provide a barrier stopping a direct reading with a pin type instrument. This is where you can use the radio waves of the Protimeter Aquant2 to detect the subsurface moisture levels.

b. Subsurface Moisture
A non-invasive (pin less) moisture meter will measure the subsurface moisture to a depth of 20mm. This is advised where wall, floor and wood covering prohibit moisture readings with a pin type instrument.

Protimeter Aquant2 measuring subsurface moisture

The Protimeter Aquant2 will measure using radio waves, penetrating beneath the wall surface including wall paper, paint and even tiles. This allows the user to undertake a very quick reading without damaging the surface. The Protimeter Aquant2 can also measure moisture in veneered wood like a build-in wardrobe, kitchen or fibreglass.

With the Protimeter Aquant2, moisture level is displayed as a relative moisture level between 0-999 %REL. The lower the reading, the drier the moisture content, higher the reading indicates higher moisture levels.

Moisture Readings

Protimeter Digital Mini (left) and Protimeter Aquant (right)

All Protimeter moisture meters will display the readings through a digital LCD display and a simple colour coded LED display.

The digital LCD display will provide the moisture reading (%WME or %REL). When undertaking readings, write down this measurement for future records.

To support the digital reading, Protimeter has developed a simple colour coded LED scale to indicating the moisture condition severity. This provides a very simple way to determine if the readings are Dry, Borderline and Damp.

Green - Dry
Air dry moisture content. No decay likely.

Amber - Borderline
Excess of moisture is present. This moisture cannot be attributed to high atmospheric humidity but to a definite source. If the reading in this zone persists or increases, remedial action is needed. Decay likely.

Red - Damp
A serious moisture condition exists and immediate remedial treatment must be effected. Decay inevitable.

Any material displaying a red / damp reading is too damp.

Click to review previous section - How To Pinpoint Moisture within a Structure

How To Check For Condensation

Condensation is caused by high air humidity levels created by common household tasks which produce high levels of water vapour (having a bath, running a shower and boiling water).

Condensation occurs on cold surfaces (window, mirror, tiles, glass) where the air borne water vapour condensates back into a liquid. Condensation is usually an intermittent phenomenon, occurring frequently in winter and at night. Therefore a range of readings will be required throughout the day in all rooms of the property.

When looking for condensation problems, check bathrooms, showers and kitchens. If condensation keeps occurring in the same place, it can cause black mold growth. The distribution of mold growth can be a useful guide to where condensation is occurring.

If you feel that condensation is a cause for some of the moisture problems, a digital hyrometer will accurately measure the airborne moisture which creates condensation. When measuring humidity, air temperature should be recorded at the same time.


Hygrometers from Protimeter are recommended like the Protimeter Hygromaster or Protimeter Physclone for their quality and accuracy.

Measure for levels of humidity first, if high levels are recorded then there will be a potential of condensation occurring in the property.


a. Measuring Relative Humidity (%RH)
Air humidity is measured against Relative Humidity (%RH) and is a simple procedure.

When undertaking humidity readings with the Protimeter Hygromaster and Protimeter Psyclone, the sensor is located at the top of the instrument.

The standard sensor has a reading range of 30 -100 %RH. A digital sensor featured in the Protimeter Psyclone records a range of 1.0 - 99.0 %RH.

Protimeter Hygromaster (left) and Protimeter Psyclone (right)

After turning on the instrument, ensure the instrument is displaying %RH and air temperature (TA). The instrument will then read both airborne humidity and air temperature. Depending on lifestyle issues, different measurements will be required throughout the day to develop a pattern when humidity occurs, which room and cause of the humidity.

Internal humidity readings will increase if the outside weather conditions are damp.

Any reading over 70%RH will cause damage to natural materials.

		Low %RH		High %RH
Central Heating		20		45
Normal Room		35		75
Damp		75		100
Outside UK		45		100

The simplest way to record the humidity levels within a property is to develop a spreadsheet recording date, time, room, %RH and air temperature. Over the period of a day, a picture of the humidity fluctuations will be seen.

If high levels of humidity have been recorded, it is best to check the surface temperature to verify the potential of condensation.


b. Measuring For Condensation
Condensation is measured against the dew-point scale and requires surface temperature readings.

Both the Protimeter Hygromaster and Protimeter Psyclone can measure for condensation, reporting back the potential of condensation. An optional Surface Temperature Probe accessory is required to undertake this procedure.

By operating the Temp Diff function, the operator will be able to determine if surfaces are colder than the surrounding air temperature, creating condensation.

However with the Protimeter MMS2 instrument, the Condensator Mode enables the user to assess the risk of condensation occurring on surfaces or to confirm whether or not condensation is present on a surface.

Protimeter Hygromaster measuring surface temperature for condensation readings

Click to view previous section - Measuring Moisture With a Protimeter Moisture Meter