Yates Gear Inc. Webbing Products (including Harnesses) Service Life
A ten-year service life span is the maximum recommendation for all continuous use webbing products. Yates Gear Inc. can
recommend service life span to ten years from the date the item was first
"Put in Service", not from Date of Manufacture. Yates Gear also recommends that Life Safety ropes and webbing products be put into active service within 5 years of its production date.
Yates
Gear Inc. recommends that a harness that is used for their full ten-year life span must be maintained in GOOD condition, and
inspected regularly by a Qualified Inspector. Any harness that has been in service and is in POOR inspection condition should be
removed immediately from service. (Refer to “Yates Inspection Card” for inspection criteria)
This
life span issue has become a larger issue lately as many companies that
in the past have recommended a five-year life span
on webbing products,
have increased it indefinitely or to ten years. Yates Gear Inc. does
not support the concept of an indefinite
lifespan for webbing products.
Laundering and Exposure to Saltwater
Launder with mild soap, remember - if a soap is harmful to your skin then it is harmful to your webbing products!
and cool to lukewarm water. A bathtub or large pail works well to allowcomplete submersion. Place Harnesses,
webbing products or ropes in soapy water and agitate to remove dirt particles. Rinse well in several baths of clean
water. It is extremely important to remove all soap residue. Leftover soap residue will attract dirt like a magnet.
After rinsing, loosely coil your rope and air dry in the shade. Never use cleaners with bleach or bleach substitutes.
Remember- if a soap is harmful to your skin then it is harmful to your webbing products , harneses and ropes! A soap such
as Woolite which is PH neutral works great. If webbing products are exposed to saltwater, soak inappropriately sized,
clean container filled with fresh water for 5 minutes and repeat this two or three times. This is similar to washing scuba
diving equipment. Use of a detergent is not usually necessary after exposure to saltwater unless the harness is dirty or
contaminated in some way. After thorough rinsing, air-dry the webbing product in a 60 to 80 degree area out of direct
sunlight.
Decontamination recommendations regarding Covid-19 exposure to harnesses and related webbing products.
Disinfection in hot water Immerse the product for at least 30 minutes in hot water at a temperature of 58-60° C (136-140 °F)
and then leave it to air dry avoiding direct exposure to the sun or heat sources.!!! Do not use this method for disinfecting
Dyneema® and aramid products (ex. Kevlar® ).
Soap wash
Wash the product for at least 15 minutes in lukewarm water at a temperature of 30-32 ° C (86-90 ° F) with soap (pH 5.5-8.5)
and then leave it to air dry avoiding direct exposure to the sun or heat sources.
Quarantine period
Place the device in a well-ventilated area, avoiding direct exposure to the sun or heat sources, for at least 7 days.!!!
Due to the lack of established and reliable scientific studies, what is reported in the "General Information" attached to
Yates Gear products is to be considered general in nature, but does not guarantee reliable results in the fight
against the SARS-CoV-2 virus
COVID-19 Can be killed with heat treatment chambers designed to kill Bed Bugs.
Yates Gear has been working with Climb Sutra out of Las Vegas to develop
fast, reliable and easy solutions to decontaminate PPE equipment for
the Stage Rigging, Theatrical, Rope Access industries as well as other
industries. After weeks of research and testing we are pleased to have found a safe, reliable system for disinfecting Climbing Sutra stunt harnesses and all Yates Gear full body and seat harnesses. There are two different systems recommend depending on your specific needs. For less volume needs we recommend ThermalStrike Ranger Heating System available on Amazon (or directly from Climbing Sutra). The Ranger uses a patented six-sided heating system to disinfect at temperatures compatible with our harnesses and proven to destroy the coronavirus. We encourage all our customers in the entertainment industry who will be required to disinfect harnesses to purchase one (or several, as required)..
Covid-19 dies at 132 degrees F.
Avoid
exposure of any Yates Harness or webbing products to ACIDS or Acid
Environments. Acids can severely
degrade the Nylon Webbing on
Harnesses, Slings, and straps.
Criteria for shipping harnesses or webbing product to Yates Gear for repair or inspection.
Yates
Gear offers factory repair of any damaged Yates Harnesses including Yates Spec Pak. Yates Gear products(s)
must accompany an RMA#
before being returned to Yates Gear. The RMA# can be obtained by
contacting our Customer
Service department. Yates Gear will not accept any product(s) that is or is contaminated with dirt or any foreign substance.
The product(s) must be cleaned (laundered) and dried before shipping to Yates Gear. If the product(s) are shipped to Yates
Gear contaminated “un-cleaned” condition the product will be returned, at your expense, with no action taken.
