At Height Works we field quite a few questions about lanyards when we help our customers update personal safety equipment that needs to be replaced, or if they are installing a new fall protection system and need to buy new harnesses and lanyards to work safely with their new system. It’s because of these questions, we thought it might be helpful to share some basic information about lanyards.
A shock absorbing lanyard is a staple of any personal fall arrest system. Shock absorbing lanyards are designed to be energy absorbing and are used as part of a fall arrest system to connect a work-at-height employees’ harness to an anchor. In the event of a fall a shock absorbing lanyard is designed to limit the arresting forces on a work-at-height employees’ body to 900 lbs. or less.
There are a variety of shock absorbing lanyards available on the market today for work-at-height employees. Depending on the work being performed and the type of fall protection system in use should determine what type of shock absorbing lanyard, harness, and connections are chosen for use which make up their entire personal fall arrest equipment.
In addition to a variety of configurations available on the market today, lanyards are available in almost any length up to 6' and with nearly any hook combination. Below are three shock absorbing lanyards and there use that we carry at Height Works.
1. Tracpac Shock-Absorbing Lanyard by Tractel
The Tracpac Shock-Absorbing Lanyard is primarily used in heavy use and/or high abrasion applications. This lanyard is available in 3 ft., 4 ft., and 6 ft. lengths in either a one arm or two arm configurations with either a 3/4 in. or 2 ¼ in. self-locking snap hook.
The Tracpac one arm 6 ft. shock-absorbing lanyard with ¾ in. self-locking snap hook is currently available on www.heightworks.ca. This lanyard configuration is one of the most common lanyards used for fall protection for a variety of work-at-height scenarios.
Note: while the most popular version of the 12 various configurations of this lanyard is currently available through the Height Works webstore all other configuration options are easily accessible for order.
2. Phoenix One Arm Shock-Absorbing Lanyard by Tractel
Single leg lanyards like the Phoenix One Arm are used where only on anchor point available and/or required like elevating work platforms, boom lifts, scissor lifts, or some roofing applications. These are applications where the user doesn’t need to transfer between anchor points because they are working in a relatively localized area.
This Phoenix lanyard is available in 6 ft. lengths with either a 3/4 in. or 2 ¼ in. self-locking snap hook and is also available in 30” lengths for use with nylon rope fall arrestors and/or rope grabs. CSA now requires the length of a lanyard used with rope grabs to be 30” and that the lanyard be integral (permanently connected) to the rope grab.
The Phoenix One Arm Shock-Absorbing Lanyard with a ¾ in. self-locking snap hook is currently available on www.heightworks.ca. This type of lanyard configuration is commonly used for many work-at-height scenarios.
3. Phoenix Two Arms Shock-Absorbing Lanyard by Tractel
Double leg lanyards like the Phoenix Two Arm Shock-Absorbing Lanyard is used when a worker needs to transition vertically or horizontally while remaining 100% tied off. The legs are used to leap-frog one another so that one is always connected while climbing on lattice tower structures or scaffolding.
This Phoenix lanyard configuration is only available in 6 ft. length with a 2 ¼ in. self-locking snap hook and can be found on www.heightworks.ca
4. Grillon Adjustable Lanyard for Work Positioning
Work positioning lanyards are for holding the workers full body weight (fully or partially) to help free the workers hands for work tasks. These must be used in conjunction with a secondary fall arrest system, typically a lanyard or vertical lifeline connected to an anchorage.
The Grillon adjustable lanyard is used to make work positioning systems, to complement a fall-arrest system. Its length can be very easily and precisely adjusted as necessary for comfortable position at the workstation. Depending on the configuration, it can be used in a single or double mode. Grillon is available in seven lengths: 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15 and 20 m.
Currently the Grillon adjustable lanyard for work positioning is available in a 2 m. on www.heightworks.ca.
Looking for more information about lanyards? Don't hesitate to contact Height Works today to discuss your work-at-height needs.