Fall arrest systems safely stop people who are already falling. The U. S. Department of Labor has made it illegal for those working at great heights not to be protected from injuries due to falling. This system is one of the forms of protection that meets their standards.
There are two major types of protection: general and personal fall arrest. The general type would be something like a large net. A personal system is a lifeline. Personal systems stop each worker from falling and save him or her from any serious injuries.
Personal systems must have four main elements. The first is anchorage. An anchor is any strong fixed structure or connector to a structure that the elements of the personal system are attached to. The second thing that must be present is body wear. This means that a complete harness is worn by workers. Next, a connector that attaches the harness and the anchorage is required. An example of this is a lanyard. Last, a deceleration device must be present to reduce the forces at work when an individual falls.
All of these four parts contribute to the proper functioning of the system. Different products are available that can be put together to fulfill each role, but they must meet several standards. The combination of products depends on the environment being worked in and the type of work being done.
Energy absorption is key to arrest a fall properly. Without this absorption, falls will be stopped by applying a large amount of force on the worker and the anchorage. This can damage either or both.
The most common individual system, the vertical lifeline, has an anchor that holds up to five thousand pounds of force per user. It is composed of a rope connected to an anchor. The lifeline rope stretches to increase the fall distance and absorb energy. Other ropes that do not stretch can also limit the distance of a fall, but need another device to absorb this energy.
Another popular system is the horizontal lifeline. These are very practical and allow workers to move about the length of an anchor without needing to disconnect and reattach. Shock absorbers are necessary in this system in addition to the personal protective equipment of the worker.
When shock absorbers are not used, the horizontal life line does not deform enough during falls. This creates forces on the anchor system and may cause failure of anchorage. This is even possible if there are energy absorbers in the workers own equipment as well. For this reason the horizontal system is generally limited to qualified personnel only.
Fall arrest systems are required to by law to be used by individuals working at great heights. They work to prevent injuries that would otherwise be caused. There are two main types of protection: general and personal. General can stop the falls of several people, individual are attached to each worker. Of the individual type there are vertical and horizontal life lines. Vertical is much more effective and therefore horizontal can only be used by highly experienced people as it is a riskier attachment form.
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