What type of lanyard to use for fall protection

Learn about fall protection safety ropes

The danger of falling is very rich and varied, making it difficult to prevent. Every situation is different, and employers need to work with employees to ensure that the correct solution is adopted.

Although the answer to the question can be like a guardrail, many times, employers are faced with the challenge of finding employees to "abduct". Throughout the process, it is important that they not only determine what the anchor point is, but also what type of lanyard to use. There are many factors at play in determining this, at least one of which is the fall distance. However, if you do not understand the available options, you cannot select the appropriate device.

Each category can be further subdivided, but there are basically three types of lanyards: shock-absorbing lanyards, self-shrinking lanyards (or SRL) and positioning lanyards. For the convenience of this article, we assume that you have correctly connected the lanyard (no matter what type). For example, if your anchor is on the foot instead of the D-ring or higher, the fall distance will be greater than the distance listed here, and your body will be subjected to excessive effects.

Shock-absorbing lanyard
These types seem to be the most popular types, mainly because they are easy to use and are obvious whether or not they have been deployed. They are usually 6 feet long and have an expansion bag at one end, or you may see a "bungee" style (however, please note that these are not the fact that they are bungee-they are not elastic and do not make people bounce). It is difficult to determine whether a rubber band lanyard has been deployed in the fall. The expansion pack (which may be a tear stitch or glue) will expand to another 3.5 feet while reducing the descent speed. The same goes for the "bungee" style. The starting point of the lanyard is 6 feet, and it may be 9.5 feet when unfolded.
There are several important things to consider when deciding on shock-absorbing lanyards. First, what is your fall distance? The link above points to an article that shows you that you need at least 18.5 'of clearance to use one of them. If not, you need to consider other options. Secondly, why stop falling after falling, instead of stopping falling first?
This leads us to the next choice ...

SRL (automatic tightening lanyard)
To be fair, the SRL will also stop falling after the fall, but the fall contact distance is short, resulting in a maximum fall distance (for Type A SRL) of 24 inches. This is significantly different from 3.5 feet plus the slack length of your shock-absorbing lanyard. One of the characteristics of SRL is that it should not be relaxed, because when the tension is released, the lanyard will retract into the housing. In recent years, SRLs have shrunk in size, reduced weight, and are easier to manage than some predecessors. In most fall protection situations, this is a good choice.

Positioning lanyard
These lanyards provide the least flexibility. Their length is fixed and designed to keep you in place, not to prevent falls. You will often see them when assembling reinforcement for cast-in-place concrete walls. For some people, these are the only lanyards that should be used in boom lifts. Many people will argue that if the force applied to the boom when the shock-absorbing lanyard or SRL is worn in a fall situation may cause overturning, a fixed-length fixed lanyard is the only solution. Despite these arguments (whether or not established), OSHA does not prohibit the use of any type of lanyard in boom lifts, as long as it can prevent you from hitting the height below. However, if you think this is a problem, consider positioning the lanyard.

Other considerations
Even if you determine the type of lanyard to use, your decision will not stop there. Lanyards are made of various materials, not just for fun. Many lanyards are nylon webbing, while others are Kevlar or wire rope. why?

If you are going to perform some kind of high temperature operation (for example, welding, torch cutting, burning), you will want your lanyard to be made of materials that will not touch the slag.
Are you walking the steel structure on top of the new building? Well, the only anchor point may be on your feet. You'd better use an extended free-fall lanyard, which is manufactured to allow 12 'free-fall, instead of the standard 6', while keeping the body strength below the allowable level.