'Neil Robertson' Rescue stretcher
Object No. 2005/207/1
A lightweight carrying device modelled on Japanese bamboo litters, the Neil Robertson rescue stretcher was developed in the early 1900s by John Neil Robertson. Used for lifting an injured person vertically, the stretcher is made from stout canvas reinforced with bamboo slats. The canvas is wrapped around the patient and secured with strong canvas straps. A lifting rope is attached to a ring above the patient's head, while a guideline is tied near the ankles and used to stop the stretcher swaying as it is hoisted up. This style of stretcher was specifically designed for use on ships, where casualties might have to be lifted from engine-room spaces, holds and other compartments with access hatches too small for ordinary stretchers. The original name of the Neil Robertson stretcher was 'Hammock for hoisting wounded men from stokeholds and for use in ships whose ash hoists are 2 ft. 6 in. diameter'. Since those times the Neil Robertson stretcher has also been used in factories and mines and for other emergency rescue situations. It is still possible to buy this type of stretcher although the slats are now more likely to be made of wood. The example in the Powerhouse collection was amongst several items of obsolete first aid and rescue equipment donated by the electricity generation company Delta Electricity. It would have been used - or at least been on stand-by - at the company's Munmorah Power Station or the associated coal mine on the Central Coast of New South Wales. Industrial sites and mines are extremely dangerous work places. Throughout the 20th century to the present there has been a drive, especially in developed countries like Australia, to improve workplace safety. Measures taken to reduce injuries and deaths have included safer industrial equipment, safer work practices, staff training, and the ready availability of accident and emergency equipment. References: Frontier Medical (NZ) Limited - Emergency and rescue stretchers www.frontmed.co.nz/emergency_stretchers.asp (accessed 13/07/2005) Integrated Publishing - Neil Robertson stretcher www.tpub.com/content/advancement/12018/css/12018_490.htm (accessed 13/07/2005) Bell Stretchers - The Neil Robertson stretcher www.rescuestretchers.co.uk/nrs.htm (accessed 13/07/2005)
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Summary
Object Statement
Rescue stretcher, 'Neil Robertson stretcher', canvas / bamboo / rope / metal, used at Munmorah Power Station, Doyalson, New South Wales, Australia, maker and place unknown, c. 1965-1995
Physical Description
Rescue stretcher, 'Neil Robertson stretcher', canvas / bamboo / metal alloys, used at Munmorah Power Station, Doyalson, New South Wales, Australia, maker and place unknown, c. 1965-1995 A rescue stretcher made from white canvas reinforced with bamboo slats and adjustable canvas straps. The canvas straps are secured with metal buckles and there is a metal ring attached to lengths of ropes at both ends.
DIMENSIONS
Width
400 mm
Depth
60 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
There are no maker's marks on the stretcher. Date of manufacture is not known; however it was presumably between around 1967, when Munmorah Power Station was opened, and 1999, when the collection of obsolete first aid equipment from Munmorah was given to the Powerhouse Museum. The Neil Robertson rescue stretcher is designed to support and carry an injured person in circumstances where the person has to be lifted vertically.
HISTORY
Notes
The stretcher in the Powerhouse collection was amongst several items of obsolete first aid and rescue equipment donated by the electricity generation company Delta Electricity. It would have been used - or at least been on stand-by - at the company's Munmorah Power Station or the associated coal mine on the Central Coast of New South Wales. The design of the stretcher is called 'Neil Robertson stretcher' as it was developed in the 1900s by John Neil Robertson.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Delta Electricity, 2005
Acquisition Date
27 September 2005
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
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