Personal Fall-Arrest Systems (PFAS)
Lanyards
A lanyard is a specially designed flexible line that has a snap hook at each end. One snap hook connects to the body harness and the other connects to an anchorage or a lifeline.
Lanyards must have a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds. They come in a variety of designs, including self-retracting types that make moving easier and shock-absorbing types that reduce fall-arrest forces. Don't combine lanyards to increase length or knot them to make them shorter.
Deceleration Devices
Deceleration devices protect workers from the impact of a fall and include shock-absorbing lanyards, self-retracting lifelines or lanyards, and rope grabs.
Shock-Absorbing Lanyard
A shock absorber reduces the impact on a worker during fall arrest by extending up to 3.5 feet to absorb the arrest force.
OSHA rules limit the arrest force to 1,800 pounds but a shock-absorbing lanyard can reduce the force even more - to about 900 pounds.
Because a shock-absorbing lanyard extends up to 3.5 feet, it's critical that the lanyard stops the worker before the next lower level.
Determining Total Fall Distance
Allow about 20 vertical feet between the worker's anchorage point and the level below the working surface. Always estimate the total distance of a possible fall before using a shock-absorbing lanyard.
Example: Lanyard length (6 feet) + deceleration distance (3.5 feet) + worker's height (6 feet) + safety margin (3 feet) = 18.5 vertical feet from anchorage to lower level.
Never use a shock-absorbing lanyard if the shock absorber is even partially extended or if the lanyard has arrested a fall.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
5-6. How many feet does a shock-absorbing lanyard extend a fall?
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