Masonry Magazine October 2007 Page. 23
Changes in Equipment
Important changes in equipment design and testing include:
* Gate strength for all snaphook and carabiner connectors increases to 3,600 pound-feet, a 10-fold increase over current requirements
* Twin-leg lanyards are now tested to resist a 5,000-pound-foot static load at the point of connection between the two legs
* Full-body hamesses with frontal attachment points are now rated for limited fall arrest, up to a two-foot free fall and a 900-pound-foot maximum arest force.
Key changes in fall protection standards
THE CURRENT NATIONAL voluntary consensus standard for personal fall arrest equipment used in general industry is ANSI Z359.1-1992 (R1999), "Minimum Safety Requirements for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and Components." A new series of fall protection standards, released on Aug. 15, 2007, becomes effective on Oct. 15, 2007, when it replaces ANSI Z359.1-1992 (R1999);
* Z359.0-Definitions and Nomenclature Used for Fall Protection and Fall Arrest
* Z359.1-Safety Requirements for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and Components
* Z359.2-Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Managed Fall Protection Program
* Z359.3-Safety Requirements for Positioning and Travel Restraint Systems
* Z359.4-Safety Requirements for Assisted Rescue and Self-Rescue Systems, Subsystems and Components.
Equipment requirements have been expanded (beyond fall arrest) to include work positioning and restraint, with specifications for strength and performance consistent for the series.
Connector gate strength matters
THE FIRST IMPROVEMENT in connector design occurred in the ANSI Z359.1-1992 standard with the requirement for self-closing and self-locking connectors. Current designs of snaphooks on fall protection lanyards greatly reduce the potential for accidental disengagement or "roll-out." However, the gate of the snaphook or carabiner has traditionally been the weakest point in the fall protection system.
In some applications, including tie-off to scaffolds and other structural members, the compatibility of the snaphook with the anchorage connector must be carefully evaluated to ensure that the gate of the snaphook cannot be loaded. This allows pressure on the gate to cause the mechanism to be forced open in a fall. The new standards require snaphooks and carabiners to withstand a static load of 3,600 pound-feet, or twice the maximum loads permitted in a fall arrest system. This ensures that the entire fall protection system has at least a 2:1 factor of safety at each element in the system exposed to potential fall arrest forces.
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