Head and Neck Restraints

john_rissberger

john_rissberger

John Rissberger
Page 4

from the SCCA Fastrack January 2010 issue

MOTION:

To mandate the use of Head and Neck Restraints certified by SFI or FIA in Club Racing as of 1/1/12. (Creighton/Allen)

PASSED, Opposed: Sauce, Lybarger, Langlotz, Gordy and Introne. Abstention: Noble

Here we go again with another new rule.

My question is "Can ICSCC make this an optional rule or will a Hans be manditory"????

Your thought ????

John Rissberger
# 10 Camaro Oregon
 
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HANS devices do not have an expiration date. Just have them factory checked if they (you with it) are involved in an incident.

SFI is NOT issuing a 'certification' effective Jan. of 2012. Rather, that is the date when the use of an "approved" H and N restraint when racing will be required in SCCA regional/national events. Don't know if this applys to SCCA Solo, Track Trials or HPDE's.

The 'real' HANS devices are FIA and SFI certified. Others (seems to be some question on the ISAAC) are certified to SFI 38.1 spec. Not sure whether the SFI spec has a date associated with it per device sold.
 
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DefNder models are 'approved'.

The only one of the currently available H&N's that seems to be in question is the ISAAC. But, you don't want that any way.

The ISSAC has mounts that "affix" your helmet to a solid object (such as a bulkhead or mounting bars) in the car. Makes it difficult for E-crews to extract you from the vehicle. If they don't detach it properly, your head stays in the car.. NOT a good deal.

Last thing an E-crew needs to deal with is some unusual head affixator.

NOTE:
ISAAC was apparently one of the early devices and actually helped write the parameters for testing/approval. But somehow they overlooked having the SFI 38.1 in such a way that their device would met the spec. Curious.
 
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As a some what funny aside with regard to SFI and FIA standards. One of our drivers made an inquiry to SFI with regard to our belt standard. SFI became aware that we noted their standard in our rule book and sent Conference a long letter with regard to SFI having a copywright on using any reference to anything SFI. To make a long story short Conference now has to pay $200 per year to have reference to SFI in our rule book. If memory serves me right SFI originally wanted $1400 per year.
 
dick_boggs said:
As a some what funny aside with regard to SFI and FIA standards. One of our drivers made an inquiry to SFI with regard to our belt standard. SFI became aware that we noted their standard in our rule book and sent Conference a long letter with regard to SFI having a copywright on using any reference to anything SFI. To make a long story short Conference now has to pay $200 per year to have reference to SFI in our rule book. If memory serves me right SFI originally wanted $1400 per year.
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This seems backward to me.

Every time I buy a product with the SFI patch on it, a portion of the purchase price goes to SFI.

I think SFI should pay ICSCC for making it part of the rules!!!!

Just my .02

John Rissberger
# 10 Camaro Oregon
 
I think I will send SFI an invoice for each piece of safety equipment I have that says SFI on it. If someone can see if on me when I am wearing it then it is advertising for them and I should receive monetary compensation (a couple of big words I just learned, read it in an Okie translation book - oh crap, another big word).
 
I was directed to this site because someone thought I could help with questions.

The approved SFI head and neck restraints are:

HANS Device - all versions
DefNder
Safety Solutions R3 - all versions
Safety Solutions Hybrid - all versions
Leatt-Brace

The only devices that is both SFI and FIA certified is the HANS Device. I understand some version of the Safety Solutions Hybrid will be FIA approved but not yet.

The developer of the ISAAC Device were not a part of developing the SFI spec and is not a member of SFI. NASCAR provided funding and their independent experts to develop the minimum standards for the specification for SFI. The manufacturers of SFI certified head and neck restraints are members and further develop the spec. For example, they recently changed the maximum force allowed from 3200N to 2500N.

There is no expiration date on SFI certified head and neck restraint. Just like a helmet, if involved in a crash, the racer should inspect any of the devices for signs of damage. If there are signs of damage, the device should be replaced. If no signs of damage, it is up to the racer to determine the usefulness of the device.

The ISAAC device attaches to permanent mounted pieces on the helmet and to the shoulder straps. To release the device from the helmet, the racer or emergency crew pulls a pin at each helmet mount point. ISAAC has another lower priced device but I don't know much about it. Neither are SFI approved.

The cost of the SFI sticker is very minimul. The expense is in the continual development and testing. If anyone has any questions, I will be glad to help. You can reach me at hbennett@hansdevice.com.

Howard Bennett
HANS Performance
 
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kyle_nickels said:
I think I will send SFI an invoice for each piece of safety equipment I have that says SFI on it. If someone can see if on me when I am wearing it then it is advertising for them and I should receive monetary compensation (a couple of big words I just learned, read it in an Okie translation book - oh crap, another big word).
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Didn't know there was a market for advertising for a non-profit organization (SFI)??

Seems there's some confusion between what SFI is, and the role it plays.

Manufacturers would be the entities actually profiting from your purchases, not SFI. SFI is a non-profit organization that develops standards of safety performance of goods, and tests products made by assorted manufacturers to determine if those products meet or exceed those standards. Development of these standards is a cooperative effort involving SFI, manufacturers, representatives of sanctioning bodies and consultants.

SFI gets part of it's funding for the specification and testing programs from manufacturers. SFI also gets some of it funding from full and associate memberships of the racing sanctioning bodies who wish to utilize the developed standards as a baseline of safety performance. (Such as is the case now with ICSCC - we are associate members at $200/yr). This has many benefits, including an effect upon a particular sanctioning body's ability to secure insurance, and at what cost.

Granted, this funding cost is surely passed along to end users since it adds to the overall cost to produce our safety equipment, but SFI doesn't profit from it...it's used to ensure there's a standard that all equipment lives up to, so that we can do what we love to do, with more likelihood of having all our fingers & toes at the end of the day.

The conspiracy and collusion theories can now commence...
 
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Can you say Underwriters' Laboratories? How about NFPA?

To sport their "label" on your product, you'll have to be a member. And beware, in the case of NFPA, if you buy one guideline/standards/code book, they wil also junkmail-nag you until your grandchildren get tired of hearing from them.

Publishing their"brand" in our official regulations in order to operate this business of racing event sanctioning pretty much says, "For all that is liable, we pay homage." We'll make it up in future savings on our insurance premium, eh?
 
I don't know how many of you have seen a DefNder up close, but I just bought one and will
be at PIR (race 4). Check it out at the Pro-7 pits.
 
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