Optimization on Personal Fall Arrest Systems. Experimental Dynamic Studies on Lanyard Prototypes

Juan Carlos Pomares, Elena Ángela Carrión, Antonio González and Pedro Ignacio Saez
Additional contact information
Juan Carlos Pomares: Civil Engineering Department, University of Alicante, P.O. Box 99 E-03080 Alicante, Spain
Elena Ángela Carrión: Building & Urban Development Department, University of Alicante, P.O. Box 99, E-03080 Alicante, Spain
Antonio González: Civil Engineering Department, University of Alicante, P.O. Box 99 E-03080 Alicante, Spain
Pedro Ignacio Saez: Civil Engineering Department, University of Alicante, P.O. Box 99 E-03080 Alicante, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: personal protective equipment; fall arrest systems; dynamic performance test; lanyard; low stretch kernmantle and dynamic rope; webbing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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