Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Press Releases
HSE Press Release E055:02 - 21 March 2002
New Health and Safety Executive (HSE) research on lanyard degradation highlights the importance for all those involved in working at height to carry out appropriate pre-use checks and inspections of their fall arrest equipment.
The research project investigated the causes and effects of degradation of man-made textiles used in lanyards. It found that a significant loss of webbing strength in lanyards can occur in a variety of ways, particularly by the ingress of dirt, minor physical damage and ultra violet (UV) light exposure. The project was motivated by two fatalities; one at Edenderry power station in the Irish Republic in December 1999, resulting from the failure of an energy-absorbing lanyard; and another during work on an overhead tower in Flixton, Greater Manchester, caused by the failure of a work positioning belt in January 2000.
An energy-absorbing lanyard is a line for connecting a full body harness to an anchorage point with an inbuilt device that reduces the impact of a fall.
Martin Holden, a principal specialist Inspector with HSE's Technology Division, said:
"The research shows the vital importance of pre-use checks and regular documented inspections of fall arrest equipment. A one millimetre deep nick or cut in the edge of a webbing lanyard can result in between five to 39 per cent loss of strength. Ingress of dirt and UV can also cause damage to the fibres of the webbing, resulting in a similar loss of strength."
"Lanyards are widely used in many industrial sectors and employers must have formal procedures in place to detect damage and defects early. If they don't they can expect enforcement action by HSE Inspectors. We recommend pre-use checks and detailed inspections at least every six months, or if used frequently or in arduous environments, every three months. Workers should check their lanyards regularly before use and know what to look for, but if in doubt they should contact the manufacturer/supplier. Lanyards should be treated with care, not dragged on the ground or allowed to get dirty and must never be wrapped around sharp or angled surfaces."
An HSE Information Sheet containing guidance based on the research is due to be published in April. Until then copies of Operational Circular 282/29 'Inspection of energy absorbing lanyards made from webbing or rope', issued to HSE inspectors, can be obtained free of charge by telephoning 0161 952 8404. The research report will be published by HSE later in the year.
1. The requirement to have formal procedures in place to inspect lanyards comes from Regulation 7 of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (PPE Regs) which states:
"(1) Every employer shall ensure that any personal protective equipment provided to his employees is maintained (including replaced or cleaned as appropriate) in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.
(2) Every self-employed person shall ensure that any personal protective equipment provided to him is maintained (including replaced or cleaned as appropriate) in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair."
2. Regulation 11 of the PPE Regs states:
"Every employee who has been provided with personal protective equipment by virtue of regulation 4(1) shall forthwith report to his employer any loss of or obvious defect in that personal protective equipment."
3. Falls from height continue to be the most common kind of accident associated with fatal injuries to workers, (in 2000/1 25 per cent of accidents involved falls from height). It is a priority programme of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC). HSE has set up a Falls from Height Group within its Technology Division to provide technical, professional and engineering expertise in health and safety matters to HSE and industry at a national level. Martin Holden is part of this group.
4. The background and preliminary investigation work which led to this research is contained in Specialist Inspector Report Number 59, 'Issues surrounding the failure of an energy absorbing lanyard'. It can be downloaded free of charge from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/sir59.pdf (size 1485.4K ), or hard copies can be obtained from HSE Books (price £20.00)
5. Other defects and damage which have the potential to result in the degradation and/or weakening of lanyards are:
6. A copy of HSE's Operational Circular 282/29 'Inspection of energy absorbing lanyards made from webbing', which is based on the research project, is attached below
Call HSE's InfoLine, tel: 0845 345 0055, visit http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact, or write to: HSE Information Services, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly, CF83 3GG.
| Health and Safety Executive | Operational Circular | |||
| OC 282/29 | ||||
| Review Date | 19/10/2011 | Open Government Status | Partially Open | |
| Version No & Date | 1: 19/10/2001 | Author Unit/Section | FOD Safety Unit | |
To
AFQ and RI Inspectors (Bands 0-4)
Specialist Group Inspectors (Con, Mech - Bands 0-3)
HID Inspectors (Bands 0-4)
NSD Inspectors (Bands 0-3)
This OC advises inspectors on appropriate action with regard to inspection regimes for energy-absorbing lanyards, used as part of personal protective equipment for protection against falls from height, where they are made from webbing and rope. It does not cover non-energy-absorbing lanyards or other equipment such as harnesses attached to the lanyard and anchor points, although many of the principles can be applied to non-energy-absorbing lanyards and safety harnesses used as protection against falls from height. It does not cover other provision and use requirements.
1. An energy-absorbing lanyard (hereafter referred to as a lanyard) is a line for connecting a full body harness to an anchorage point with an inbuilt device that reduces the impact of a fall.
2. There is a wide range of possible causes of degradation of synthetic fibres used in webbing and rope lanyards (including abuse, general wear and tear, edge/surface damage, ultraviolet light, dirt, grit, chemicals).
3. BS EN 365:1993 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height. General requirements for instructions for use and for marking (under revision) gives general requirements for periodic inspection, instructions for use and marking of PPE against falls from a height. To counter the causes of degradation described in para 2, the British Standard states that components should be examined 'at least twelve monthly'. This is sometimes taken to be 'annually', although manufacturers of textile products usually recommend inspection more frequently than this.
4 Recent research by Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) involving synthetic fibre webbing and rope lanyards has confirmed the range of causes of degradation and highlighted that there is no well-defined boundary (eg usable life) separating those lanyards which are safe and those which are not. Therefore lanyards need to be subject to an effective inspection regime, to maintain their safety for use as protection against falls. The paragraphs below give recommendations for the frequency and type of inspection which may be needed.
5. The inspection regime recommended in this OC has been discussed with representatives of manufacturers, suppliers, installers and major users via British Standards Institution Technical Committee PH/5 (Industrial safety belts and harnesses) and the Personal Safety Manufacturers Association Height and Access Committee.
6. Dutyholders should establish a regime for the inspection of lanyards which should include:
Dutyholders should also consult manufacturer's instructions.
7. It is essential that the person carrying out any inspection is sufficiently independent and impartial to allow them to make objective decisions, and has appropriate and genuine authority to discard defective lanyards. This does not mean that competent persons must necessarily be employed from an external company, although many manufacturers and/or suppliers offer inspection services and training in the inspection of their products.
8. Dutyholders may wish to provide additional lanyards to use as replacements in the event that defective lanyards have to be taken out of use.
9. Special consideration may need to be given to lanyards which are on hire, to ensure that they are subject to detailed inspections (and interim inspections if appropriate) within the period specified in the regime. Hirers should be informed of any use or damage which may affect the safety of the equipment (eg use with chemicals).
10. Lanyards should be subject to:
to identify defects or damage affecting safety.
11. These should be carried out each time before the lanyard is used. These checks are essential and may be best done by the person who will use the equipment. The person doing the checks must be competent to do them.
12. Pre-use checks should be tactile and visual. The whole lanyard should be subject to the check, by passing it slowly through the hands (eg to detect softening or hardening of fibres, ingress of contaminants). A visual check should be undertaken in good light and will normally take a few minutes.
13. These are more-formal in-depth inspections which are carried out periodically at minimum intervals specified in the dutyholder's inspection regime. The inspection regime should be drawn up by a competent person. Detailed inspections should be recorded. It is recommended that there is a detailed inspection at least every 6 months. For frequently-used lanyards it is suggested that this is increased to at least every 3 months, particularly when used in arduous environments (eg demolition, steel erection, scaffolding, steel skeletal masts/towers with edges and protrusions).
14. These are also in-depth inspections and may be appropriate in addition to pre-use checks and detailed inspections. Interim inspections may be needed between detailed inspections because the dutyholder's risk assessment has identified a risk that could result in significant deterioration, affecting the safety of the lanyard before the next detailed inspection is due. The need for and frequency of interim inspections will depend on use. Examples of situations where interim inspections may be appropriate include:
Interim inspections should be recorded.
16. Any lanyard that has been used to arrest a fall should never be reused. It should be withdrawn from service immediately and destroyed.
17. All lanyards should be indelibly and permanently marked (BS EN 365:1993). They should be uniquely identifiable so that they can be easily associated with their respective inspection documentation.
18. Lanyards should be withdrawn from use and passed to a competent person for a detailed inspection to decide whether they should continue to be used or destroyed if:
19. In cases where there is doubt about the frequency of inspections specified in an inspection regime, inspectors should consult specialist group (SG) construction specialist inspectors.
><1 Exemption 4 - "Law enforcement and legal proceedings"
Date first issued: 19 October 2001 (220/FOD/1042/2001)