Tens of thousands of fall-from-height accidents take place at construction sites every year. These types of accidents range from minor to fatal, causing a significant financial burden to enterprises, personal and family traumatic experiences, high medical costs, as well as hard compensation claim settlements. It makes sense then, that some sort of effective personal protective equipment (PPE) be devised to stop these types of accidents from happening. This article aims to explain how PPE can be used to minimize personal injury and the costs implied. The main contribution of this study is that the prototypes made with dynamic ropes and terminals knotted—without an energy absorber—could safely retain falls. Results show that standards EN 354 and EN 364 need to incorporate dynamic test requirements, for the reason that a high loading rate significantly reduces the resistance in static tests that manufacturing companies claim they have. Surprisingly, more than 90 percent of work at heights use PPE without any absorber. Finally, this study calls for the need to accurately determine the dynamic response of PPE in order to further advance in improvements of these fall arrest systems with no energy absorber.

Energy-absorbing lanyards (EAL) are part of fall arrest systems (FAS), their main mission is to dissipate the energy generated during the fall, ensuring that the arresting force does not cause injury to the user. For the design of FAS as set out in the American standard Z359.6 and the Canadian Z259.16 it is essential to know the deployment force or average arrest force (Fa). Fa is necessary to estimate the elongation that the absorber will suffer during the fall and therefore essential data to calculate the clearance distance. There is a lack of useful experimental data for the design of this personal protective equipment (PPE). This work provides empirical data required for the design of FAS with EAL in accordance with EN 355. This paper covers different types of EAL that are marketed internationally; different empirical data, average and maximum forces, required for improving safety design are researched. Six manufacturers, 10 models, and 2 samples of each model were selected, with total of 20 tests being performed. Dynamic performance tests were carried out, the free fall of a person was simulated using a 100 kg steel ballast from the maximum height allowed by the equipment, obtaining the maximum arrest force (Fm), average deployment force (Fa), and, by calculating the balance of forces, the maximum and average acceleration suffered by the ballast during its arrest. In light of the results, relevant conclusions for user safety are obtained. It is feasible to raise the safety requirements established by the different standards. The Fm can be established below 6 kN in the EAL, and the Fa can be estimated at 87.5% of the Fm. The categorization of the force–time curve in fall arrest with EAL has been obtained. Two EAL purchased on the market exceed the Fm permitted, therefore it is recommended to increase the quality controls of EAL.

Los sistemas anticaída se establecen en UNE-EN-363 para evitar o retener caídas de personas sin que las fuerzas de retención causen daños relevantes. Constituyen el último recurso para prevención de caídas tras considerar otras medidas. Este artículo analiza las variables que afectan al comportamiento del sistema: altura de caída, longitud de cuerda de retención, rigidez y amortiguamiento del material de retención, y peso del operario. A tal fin, el fenómeno ha sido simulado con modelos dinámicos de elementos finitos mediante una cuerda elástica y un lastre rígido. Ello permite obtener valores verosímiles de las máximas fuerzas sobre el accidentado y el sistema durante el impacto. Los resultados demuestran el papel fundamental de la proporción entre altura de caída y longitud de cuerda (factor de caída), más determinante que la propia altura de caída. Las elevadas fuerzas máximas obtenidas indican la necesidad de incluir en el modelo absorbedores de energía elastoplásticos, en futuras investigaciones, con el fin de disminuir el impacto a valores razonables.

Accidents due to falls from height are one of the main causes of death in workplaces. Fall arrest systems (FAS) are designed to arrest the fall safely without injuring the accident victim. Their main mission is to restrain the body so as to prevent it from hitting the ground, generating forces and accelerations in the arrest process that are not harmful. A lack of empirical evidence and scant technical information provided by manufacturers regarding minimum clearance distance (MCD) below anchorage makes it necessary to study the safety distances required in the use of Energy Absorber Lanyards (EAL). This paper aims to determine the MCD below anchorage to arrest a fall using an EAL without hitting the ground. The real deformation of EAL when stopping a fall is studied. Ten EAL models distributed internationally by six manufacturers were chosen. Dynamic behavior tests were performed on the samples. Using image processing the total elongation of the equipment (elastic plus plastic) is obtained. The main conclusions are that maximum plastic elongation could be reduced by 29%. The method described in EN 355: 2002 underestimates elongation by up to 70% for some equipment 20% of EAL’s exceed the maximum arrest force (Fm) allowed in EN 355. The MCD data provided by manufacturers is not reliable. The data provided by manufacturers are incomplete. It is recommended that quality control for EAL’s be strengthened to ensure that products launched onto the market meet the requirement of EN355. The findings of this study recommended increasing MCD distance longer than that calculated according to EN355, at less than 1 m.

Height falls in construction work cause fatal or serious accidents every year. Safety devices used to avoid this are supposed to stop the falling...

Scientific research is sometimes subjected to go through field study in places that are difficult to access. Where man has not managed to reach through traditional techniques, work at height systems offer new possibilities, provide safety in exploration and represent an excellent tool that allows a new insight of spaces object of scientific research. For more than 20 years, the Ukhupacha team has been studying, analyzing and selecting the teams, techniques and rope progression systems that best adapt to archaeological works in vertical environments. The projects studied are developed in Pre-Columbian cultures of the Andean mountain range, the high Amazon jungle and its surroundings. As a result, a new working methodology called Vertical Archaeology has been developed. It prioritizes user’s safety by means of ropes when accessing archaeological research areas. The recommended and safest systems, techniques and personal protective equipment (PPE) are presented for each of the phases in which it is proposed to divide archaeological investigations: exploration, training and expedition. Using rope access techniques has allowed the safe study of new artistic and heritage aspects in ancient civilizations, as well as the approach of the scientific community to places that until now had remained hidden.