A  handy guide to the different Davit bases. 

At Pelsue, we are proud to produce Davit systems for every worksite. Each Davit system consists of a Davit arm, elbow, post, and base. It’s that base which allows the Davit to be so adaptable. 

There are two bases available for the Pelsue Davit System: permanent, and portable. The portable base has an additional vehicle hitch-mounted option as well. We want to help make sure you get the right Davit base to fit your workspace and keep your crew safe.  

While the differences between the bases may seem easy enough to grasp (after all, we plainly understand the meaning of permanent and portable), the specific applications for each one are a little more complicated. 

We put together this guide to help you determine which base will work best for you. We’re going to look at each base one-by-one and examine some hypothetical situations for which they’re best suited. 

Permanent Davit System: Made for Fixed, Ever-Present Hazards 

Let’s clarify what we mean when we talk about the Permanent Davit System. 

“Permanent” here refers to the base of the Davit. The center post, arm, and elbow can be stored separately to keep it from getting in the way when not in use.  

The base of the permanent Davit is designed to be placed over areas of ongoing hazards on your job site. How do you determine when your workplace demands fall protection? 

As we outlined in a previous post going over the basics of fall protection, OSHA requires some form of fall protection if the worker is elevated four feet or higher above the surface. A worker weighing 175 pounds builds up enough speed in a four–foot fall to hit the ground with 200,000 pounds of force. 

While guard rails and toe guards help prevent accidents, OSHA requires workers be equipped with a fall protection system when exposed to a fall hazard. Common fall protection systems consist of a harness and connector, in addition to an anchor, which is what the Davit offers—ultimately making the Davit System ideal for any situation.

Say you work in a warehouse, manufacturing plant, or other facility where workers may frequently work in areas that pose a fall risk. This would be an ideal use for a permanent base Davit.

There are a range of base options including plates, mounts, and sleeves that help you adapt the Permanent Davit System to your specific needs. You can mount a floor plate, even in existing or freshly poured concrete or you can choose a wall-mounted option, whether you need that plate to sit against a flat wall or hang on an inside or outside corner. 

If you have more than one hazardous location in your facility, you can install multiple permanent bases at crucial rescue locations and quickly install the rest of the Davit assembly when rescue is needed. 

The advantage of the Permanent Base over a fully-portable system is that you will never  have to set up and secure the portable base before use. Even though the portable base is designed to set up as quickly as possible, mere seconds can make a huge difference and that makes the Permanent Base Davit System the best choice for facilities with known, unchanging hazards. 

Portable Davit System: Versatile, Go-Anywhere Fall Protection 

If the Permanent Base Davit System is perfect for fall protection at your facility or other fixed location, the Portable Davit Fall Protection System is made for basically everywhere else.  

Realistically, you can’t install a Permanent Davit Base everywhere you go (at least not without getting some very weird looks). If your job takes you to multiple worksites, you need a system that  can be set up quickly and it should be a system you can trust to perform in different environments. 

The legs on the portable base are expandable and allow you to level the Davit for uneven surfaces. The whole assembly can collapse down to easily fit in a work truck so it’s always at hand wherever the job takes you.

The Portable Base is very versatile, it may honestly take less time to look at situations where the Portable Davit System is not the optimum choice.

Let’s look at the final Davit base option, the Vehicle Hitch Mount Base – a close cousin to the Portable Davit System with some important differences.  

Vehicle Hitch Mount Davit Systems: Fall Protection for Hard-to-Reach Places 

Falls, injuries, and emergencies can happen anywhere. It doesn’t matter if the location is not exactly easy to access.

If a rescue needs to take place at a worksite and carrying in the portable Davit is impractical or potentially dangerous, the vehicle hitch-mounted system offers the solution. 

With the hitch-mounted system in place, you can take your Davit anywhere you can take your work truck. It’s not a good idea to have a worker carry a portable Davit over rocks or rough terrain. After all, you don’t want to add another injury to what is already an emergency situation. 

As an additional bonus, you can drive right up to the confined space, positioning the Davit exactly where you need it using the unique multi-directional receptacle to perform the rescue. It’s another way you can complete a rescue operation both safely and quickly.  

A Davit For Every Situation 

At Pelsue, it’s our goal to help you stay safe on every job site. That’s why we designed the Davit bases to offer dependable, tested protection wherever it’s needed.

Of course, your work isn’t always so neatly split between fixed locations and field sites. Chances are, you spend time working in both environments. This doesn’t mean you have to buy entirely new Davit assemblies for each situation.

It is possible to get the bases you need separately, so you can equip your team with the right mix of permanent, and portable Davit bases. Of course, if you have employees working in different hazardous locations at the same time, OSHA requires you to provide them the same fall protection.

Whatever your needs may be, Pelsue is committed to helping you protect your workers with solutions for every situation.