Safety in the use of Harnesses &

Hazard Sheet 23 Temporary Lifelines

Safety in the use of Harnesses & Temporary Lifelines

Introduction
Working at height represents a high hazard and suitable control measures are required in accordance with the hierarchy of controls. This
includes avoiding or eliminating the hazard wherever possible. In cases where this is not practicable then the selection of the safety control
needs consist of the provision of fixed platforms, suspended access equipment and the use of lifelines and harnesses.
This hazard sheet is intended to provide guidance on the use of harnesses and both horizontal and vertical lifelines.

Purpose
Experience suggests that the approach on some ABB sites to the use of horizontal lifelines can sometimes be rather casual using rope that
has no defined breaking strain, often old and in general use, and the method of securing it. In addition the setting up of the horizontal lifeline
system is often carried out be persons who are not competent and also that the system has not been checked prior to use. The purpose of
this hazard guide is to provide guidance on some of the key factors that need to be considered when using such systems on ABB sites.

Horizontal Lifeline System

General configuration
Horizontal temporary lifelines need to be set up correctly having given proper consideration to the key factors. They include:
„ position of the anchor point relative to the position of the operator;
„ fall clearance
„ swing factor
Fig 1 illustrates a typical configuration where the max angle between the lanyard and the vertical should not exceed 30°. Wherever it is
practicable the operator should work directly under or alongside the lifeline to avoid the hazard of a swing fall.

HLL
Deflection
System Height
Above Working
Surface

Lanyard Length

Total Fall Clearance

Required 1.05m Lanyard
Deployment
Fall-Clearance From
Working Surface To 0.3m Harness Stretch
Next Lower Level

1.0m Worker
Height 1.5m To Worker's
D-Ring

0.9m Safety
Factor

Fig 1 - General Configuration of Horizontal Lifeline

The lifeline shall be 15.9 mm polyester with a tensile strength of 77.8kN minimum tensile strength and must be attached independently of
the working surface and be placed at or above the back D-ring on the harness.
The maximum free fall distance should be restricted to 1.8m
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Anchor points
Anchor points shall be capable of supporting 22kN. Lanyards should never be wrapped around rough or sharp anchor points. A cross arm
strap should be used.
System should have a minimum capacity of 140kg for one worker and maximum capacity for two workers of 140kg each with two O-rings
and in line shock absorber.

Fig2 - Anchor Point Arrangements

A Tensioner Used to adjust the length of the rope, indicate proper tension and maintain tension rated
at 22.2 kN.
B In Line Shock Absorber Designed to limit forces to 11.2kN which provides a safety factor of 2:1 for 22.2kN
C Cross arm straps Used to secure lifeline to anchorage point. &6mm wide heavy duty polyester with 22.2kN
breaking strain.
D Snaphook Self-locking snaphook used to connect the ends of the lifeline to an approved anchorage
connector. Typically zinc plated forged alloy steel proof tested to 16kN
E Lifeline 15.9 mm polyester rope used to span between two anchorage connectors
F O-ring Used to connect worker’s shock absorbing lanyard or self retracting lifeline to horizontal
lifeline. Typically zinc plated 60X50mm diameter forged alloy steel with minimum strength
of 22.2kN.
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Ensure that the anchor point is at a height that limits the free fall distance to 1.8m or less. The anchor point must also be compatible with the
snaphook or carabiner.

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Installation
The horizontal lifeline system must be erected and checked by a competent person.
Before installation carefully inspect all component parts to ensure that no components are missing or damaged. Ensure that cross arm strap
is wrapped as many times as possible to prevent slippage. The D-ring should pass completely through the loop.
Snaphooks or carabiners should be secured on each end of the lifeline and that there is no loading on the keeper. Remove slack in the
system by the pulling the rope through and by applying tensioner. Shock absorbers can elongate by up to 1m.

Fall clearance-1 worker Fall clearance- 2 workers Fall clearance-1/2 workers with
self retracting lanyards
Span length Length of lanyard Length of lanyard Clearance Clearance
1 worker 2 workers
0.9m 1.8m 0.9m 1.8m
0-10 5.72m 6.62 5.72 6.62 5.72 5.72
11-20 5.9 6.8 5.92 6.62 5.9 5.92
21-20 6.07 6.98 6.2 7.10 6.07 6.2
31-40 6.25 7.15 6.5 7.4 6.25 6.47
41-50 6.42 7.32 6.77 7.67 6.42 6.77
51-60 6.62 7.75 7.07 7.97 6.62 7.07

Table 1 - General Guidance on Fall Clearance Heights.

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Fig 3 - Set up of Horizontal Lifeline

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Fig 4 - Lifeline in use with Retractable Lanyard

VERTICAL LIFELINES
The same basic principles apply in respect of vertical lifelines.
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Fig 5 - Vertical lifeline

An important factor is to ensure that the lifeline is properly assembled with a carabiner and that it is properly secured to a suitable anchor
point.

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Personal Fall Arrest Equipment-10 key things to remember

Fig 6 - Harness

1 Harness: The attachment ring should be in the back and near the shoulders. Hardware, except rivets, must be capable of with-
standing a tensile loading 22.2kN without cracking, breaking, or taking a permanent deformation.
2 Lanyard: The lanyard must be rope or shock-absorbing web lanyard, not to exceed six feet in length. The lanyard and all of its
components in a fall arrest system must have a minimum tensile strength of 22.2kN. Locking type snap hooks should be used to
connect the lanyard to the harness.
3 The lanyard may be self-retractable that allows freedom of movement but protects the worker should a fall occur. The webbing
moves with the worker, reeling out when the person moves away, and retracting when the worker moves closer. See fig 4. If the
worker falls, the reel locks, restricting the fall distance to two feet or less. The lanyard may be connected with proper connectors to
a vertical or horizontal lifeline.
4 A shock-absorbing lanyard will substantially reduce the force created during a fall. The maximum lanyard elongation when resisting
a fall must not exceed 1.06m in length.
5 Lifeline: The lifeline can be horizontal or vertical and must have a minimum tensile strength of 22.2kN. Vertical lifelines may only
support one worker at a time.
6 Rope Grabs: A person may be connected to a lifeline by means of a rope grab or by a rope grab and lanyard combination. The
lanyard must be less than six feet long to restrict the overall fall to six feet or less. The lifeline size must be stamped on the rope
grab, and only that size and type of line used.
7 Anchorage: The strength of any fall protection system is dependent on a secure attachment point. The attachment point must be
capable of supporting a least 22.2kN per employee attached to the line, or designed with a safety factor of 2:1.
8 Rigging: Anchor points should be as high as possible, but never lower than the connection point on the harness. Workers must be
tied off in a manner that ensures no lower level or other surfaces are struck during a fall.
9 Training and Inspection: All persons using a fall protection system must be trained on the safe use of the system including: Proper
fit, wear, inspection, limitations, and care of the system. Fall protection systems must be inspected prior to each day’s use and
inspected at intervals as established by the manufacturer.
10 Rescue: An emergency rescue procedure must be established prior to using any fall arrest system, including self-rescue, outside
services, and in-house rescue. The procedure should outline equipment to be used for rescue, notification procedures, emergency
phone numbers, and responsible personnel.
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TRAINING & INSTRUCTION
It is important that only certain competent nominated or authorised persons are allowed to install lifeline equipment. All such assembles
must be inspected and checked prior to use.
In addition all users shall be given suitable training and instruction in how to inspect their harness prior to use and also how to operate the
lifeline system.
In addition to training the installers and users it is also necessary to provide training in the event that there is an emergency i.e. fall and how
to effect a rescue.

INSPECTION
All parts of the system shall be inspected prior to use and include:
inspection for physical damage, wear and corrosion
check the tensioner for damage, crack, wear corrosion and malfunctioning components.
Inspect lifeline, harnesses and anchorage points for cuts, frays, burns etc
RECORDS
Each part of the lifeline system shall be subject to a regular inspection and a suitable record kept. Each part of the system including the
lanyards and harnesses shall have an ID number
REFERENCE
EN 365-Personal Protective equipment against falls from height –General requirements for instructions for use, maintenance, periodic
examination, repair, marking and packaging refers.
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