It's a rainy day here in the Midwest and maybe other parts of the country as well. Perhaps you are stuck inside and looking for something to keep busy? I have a great idea - inspect your harness! But wait - you can't inspect a dirty harness. You could find the instructions and get out a bucket of soapy water and a brush - kind of like Ma Ingalls taking it down to the creek with a washboard. Did you know you can wash your harness in the washing machine? Yes, with today's technology you can do just that. Here are the guidelines:

 We recommend hand washing as outlined in our instructions. (See attached.) However, machine washing is also acceptable.  Sellstrom/RTC will not be responsible for any damage done by machine washing.  If you would like to wash the harnesses by machine, please use the following guidelines.

1. Use a top or side loading agitating washing machine.  Do not dry clean, pressure wash, or steam clean the safety harness.

2. Place each harness in a separate mesh laundry bag to prevent tangling and damage to the washing machine.

3. Select a wash temperature below 150 F.

4. Use a mild detergent and launder according to machine specifications.

5. Hang harnesses to dry out of direct sunlight in a cool area.  Do not dry in clothes dryer machine.

6. Inspect each harness as instructed in the instructions.  Look carefully for damage to the webbing, or loose or torn stitching.  If there is any doubt of the harness' condition, remove the harness from service.

Note:  The harness must never be exposed to temperatures in excess of 150 F.

Cleaning your harness can also remove any grit that may work its way into the webbing and damage the fibers. Reward yourself for a job well done while the washer is running. It's probably just enough time for some microwave popcorn or a cup of coffee.

Hello and welcome to our blog. This is a new little adventure for RTC. It is our hope that this tool will be a fun way to help our customers work safer every day.

First some introductions. You’ve found our website and have probably guessed that we manufacture fall protection equipment. You’re right. We do. We’ve been doing it for over 30 years. That was some time ago – the era of body belts. Yikes! In 1996 RTC was purchased by Sellstrom Manufacturing, who has been manufacturing safety equipment for over 80 years.

My name is Anne Jahnke. I’ve been working for RTC since 1996 when I graduated from Iowa State (go Cyclones!) in Mechanical Engineering. My job is to design custom lifelines or other engineered systems for our customers, answer those tricky questions about fall protection, and occasionally I even get out of the office to do a training class or site visits. I’ve often said that when I grow up I want to be a high school math teacher and write problems on a black board all day, but really I get opportunities to teach and solve problems in this job every day. I also get to talk on the phone with wonderful people all over the country. I get to learn about their jobs. I get field trips. High school teacher will have to wait.

I’ll try to include helpful and interesting topics as I go along and would love to hear your comments or suggestions. If you ever need an answer to an immediate question we have great customer service people at 800-323-7402.