Fall Arrest System / Full Body Safety Harness FAS / FBH

Injuries related to elevated stand use could be significantly reduced or eliminated by properly using a Fall Arrest System and Full Body Safety Harness.

WARNING: Serious injury or death could occur if you fail to properly use a Fall Arrest System and Full Body Safety Harness. Hunt from the ground if you do not have a Fall Arrest System and Full Body Safety Harness!

WARNING: In years past, single strap waist belts or chest harnesses were marketed and packaged with tree stands or as a stand alone item. Research has shown these items are very dangerous and should no longer be used as a fall restraint device. If you, or someone you know, has a single strap belt or chest harness, it should be destroyed and replaced with a Fall Arrest System and Full Body Safety Harness.

WARNING: Read and understand manufacture's warning and instructions.

WARNING: Practice installing and using tree stands and full body safety harness at ground level, before you go hunting. Inspect tree stands and full body safety harness before each use.

NEVER HURRY WHILE USING A TREESTAND!

Read and understand the manufacturer's warnings and instructions. Become familiar with proper use and adjustment of the Fall Arrest System and Full Body Safety Harness. Carefully inspect your Fall Arrest System and Full Body Safety Harness before each use and check the expiration date printed on the label. Follow the manufacturer's replacement recommendations on the label if the Fall Arrest System or Full Body Safety Harness is damaged, expired, or stressed as a result of a fall from a treestand while being worn.

A Fall Arrest System and Full Body Safety Harness should be properly worn and attached to the tree from the moment you leave the ground until you are safely back down.

Always adjust the length of the tether between you and the tree so there is no slack (snug) when sitting. Fasten the tether to the tree at or above your head. This minimizes your risk of injury and allows a faster recovery if you experience a fall. Never allow the tether strap to get under your chin or around your neck.

Having a safe, successful hunt includes prior scouting before the hunting season to select appropriate trees for your stand sites.

Never select a dead, leaning, diseased, or loose-barked tree or utility pole for a stand site. Always use a tree that is straight and healthy.

If someone has fallen from a tree stand and a neck or back injury is suspected, keep the victim still and get medical help before moving them.

The number of hunters using treestands continues to increase every year. Today a majority of deer hunters in the southeastern United States hunt from an elevated position. As the number of hunters using treestands increases, so do treestand accidents.

Using a treestand offers many advantages to hunters:

• Visibility is increased so hunters can see game at a greater distance
• Human scent is dispersed and less detectable by animals
• Hunters can move with less risk of being seen
• Firing from an elevated position can reduce the distance a bullet travels before safely hitting the ground

Hunting from an elevated position also includes certain risks and can cause serious injury or death if individuals do not follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding the use of treestands, a full body safety harness, and fall arrest systems. Current research of reported incidents involving treestands indicates that an overwhelming majority of the victims - 82% - were NOT using a fall restraint system.