Category Archives: Fall Protection Equipment

Protecta Pro Comfort Harness

Harness and Lanyard Service Life

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Do fall protection harnesses and lanyards expire? Do they have to be replaced every 5 years? What is a typical harness and lanyard service life?


ANSI on Harness and Lanyard Service Life

ANSI A10.32-2012 does not specify a 5 year harness and lanyard service life. It states that “fall protection equipment shall be removed from service upon evidence of defects, damage or deterioration; once it has been subjected to impact loading; or upon expiration of the manufacturer’s specified service life, whichever comes first.”

DBI Sala and Miller on Harness and Lanyard Service Life

When it comes to manufacturers, Miller and DBI Sala, for example, are in agreement with each other.

DBI Sala states, “The current DBI/SALA policy on the life of products is totally dependent on the condition of the item and not the age.”

Miller states that they consider the ANSI standard as, “a general guideline that was not to be used in lieu of the inspection and maintenance criteria outlined in the instructions that accompany each unit.”

All require that inspection per the product’s manual is required before each use. If the inspection finds a defect, the product is to be removed from service and destroyed.

All agree that the final decision rests with the end user guided by the product’s manual. There is no such thing as a 5 year service life. However, it is possible that harness and lanyard service life will be much shorter if inspections are done properly.

Here are the Miller and DBI Sala technical bulletins on harness and lanyard service life.

All the pics are linked to products at Major Safety. There you can get additional info, purchase, or contact us with more questions. We are happy to help.

by Corby Amos

Protecta Pro 1340125 Shock Absorbing Lanyard

Shock Absorbing Lanyard Limitations

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There is an all too common situation where a shock absorbing fall protection lanyard does not meet fall protection requirements.

Protecta Pro 1340125 Shock Absorbing Lanyard    Miller T5111 Shock Absorbing Lanyard

Miller Fall Protection puts it like this, “when using a shock absorbing lanyard, it is important to understand how to calculate potential fall distance to avoid contact with a lower level“. A lower level can be the decking of a lower floor, an obstruction below you or even the ground.

Whenever the distance from your anchor point to that lower level is less than 18.5 feet a shock absorbing fall protection lanyard cannot be used. Take a look at Miller’s diagram below to see why.

miller-free-fall-diagram

Miller explains the above diagram as follows:

  1. When using a six foot shock absorbing lanyard and a full-body harness, first add the length of the shock-absorbing lanyard [6 ft.] to the maximum elongation of the shock absorber during deceleration [3-1/2 ft.] to the average height of a worker [6 ft.].
  2. Then, add a safety factor of 3 ft. to allow for the possibility of an improperly fit harness, a taller than average worker and/or a miscalculation of distance. 
  3. The total, 18-1/2 ft., is the suggested safe fall clearance distance, the height at which you must attach to an anchorage to minimize the risk of contact with a lower level.

This means that if a shock absorbing lanyard is used below 18.5 feet, the “lower level” will be struck in the event of a fall. This problem is easily solved.

Shock Absorbing Lanyard Alternatives

A shorter shock absorbing lanyard will provide a few more feet of leeway (like the below 3′ lanyard). However, it also greatly limits the room a worker has to operate. In most cases, a shorter lanyard will not be possible.

Gemtor 3 Foot Shock Absorbing Lanyard

The best way to solve this problem is to use a self retracting lifeline. Most self retracting lifelines decelerate much sooner than a shock absorbing lanyard’s 3.5′ deceleration. This reduces potential fall distance.

Unlike a shock absorbing lanyard, a self retracting lifeline contains no slack. Depending on where the SRL is mounted, this factor can also reduce potential fall distance.

Please note, however, that the potential fall distance will still need to be calculated when using a self retracting lifeline.

DBI Sala Self Retracting Lifeline    miller-scorpion-fall-limiter

Downloads:

All the pics are linked to products at Major Safety. There you can get additional info, purchase, or contact us with more questions. We are happy to help.

by Corby Amos

DBI Sala Self Retracting Lifeline

Self Retracting Lifeline and Winch Inspection

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How often do self retracting lifelines and rescue winches need to be inspected and recertified? Knowing the difference between an inspection and a recertification will help answer this question.

Miller Manhandler Tripod Rescue Winch    DBI Sala Self Retracting Lifeline

Inspection – Rescue Winch and Self Retracting Lifeline

The inspection is to be done by the company who purchased the winch or lifeline. There are two kinds of inspections.

The first is the inspection required before each use of the winch or lifeline. This inspection is done by the end user – the person or persons actually using the device.

The second is an inspection required anywhere from monthly to annually, depending on the manufacturer. This inspection is to be done by the company’s designated competent person – not the end user. What is a competent person? See Here – OSHA competent person.

Typically these inspections involve a check of the braking mechanism, the cable, the device housing, labels, load indicator, and hardware like the snap hook. The device’s instruction manual will give details on what to inspect and how to inspect it.

If the inspection of the rescue winch or self retracting lifeline reveals any problems (details for these would be in the manual) the device is to be taken out of service. Recertification will be required before the device can be put back into service.

Recertification – Rescue Winch and Self Retracting Lifeline

If the end user inspection or the competent person inspection find any “part of the system that appears to be damaged”, or find inconsistencies as outlined in the rescue winch or self retracting lifeline instruction manual, the device must be sent back to the factory for recertification.

If the device is involved in a braking or rescue incident, it will also need to be sent back to the factory for recertification (see device’s instruction manual for details).

The recertification process is facilitated by a distributor and performed by the factory. The distributor will obtain an RMA from the factory and provide that information to the customer. The price of the recertification depends entirely on the manufacturer, the item and the problem.

Below are some helpful examples of the above requirements from Miller and DBI Sala:

All the pics are linked to products at Major Safety. There you can get additional info, purchase, or contact us with more questions. We are happy to help.

by Corby Amos