In construction the risk of falling during work at heights can be very high. During scaffolding assembly and disassembly phases the operator must protect himself by means of appropriate personal protection equipment against the risk of falling from above. Scaffolding assembly and disassembly operations and construction in general often have treading surfaces at limited heights with respect to the ground or any levels below, therefore they imply problems of reduced clearance distances which, in the event of a fall, could cause contact between the operator and the ground or the obstacles below before the fall arrest system arrests the fall correctly. CAMP Safety offers two solutions to solve the problem of limited clearance distance.

A – Lanyards equipped with the new Shock Absorber Limited (ref.3029) are designed for use on lower levels of scaffolding (<4 m) where normal absorbers do not guarantee absolute safety. For these lower-level applications, we recommend the use of two lanyards for additional safety.

A1 – Climb to the top of the first level and attach the lanyard to the structure of the second level, In this case the fall factor is close to zero so the extension of the absorber in the event of a fall will also be zero.

A2 – Climb to the second level and attach the lanyard to the internal side of the floor using an anchor webbing. The limited extension of the absorber (max 70 cm) will stop any falls before the user hits the ground.

A3 – Once the second level is constructed, a temporary lifeline can be fixed on the third floor to allow workers to move more freely during work. At this height, the danger of a ground fall is no longer a concern if the worker remains attached to the properly installed temporary lifeline. Be sure to consider the flexion of the lifeline (max 70 cm).

B – Cobra 2 is a retractable fall arrester certified EN 360 for use under working conditions with fall factor 2 too. In these situations Cobra 2, during a fall, retracts the lanyard to within the mechanism thus decreasing considerably the fall height and hence the free vertical space needed (fig.B1).

The use of a normal lanyard with an energy absorber would need a far greater free height and consequently would not allow safe work at limited heights (fig.B2). The 2 m length of the device (assembled with a connector art.2017 fastened with a quick link art.0934) and the retracting function allow optimum user mobility, while still offering a high safety standard. allow workers to move more freely during work. At this height, the danger of a ground fall is no longer a concern if the worker remains attached to the properly installed temporary lifeline. Be sure to consider the flexion of the lifeline (max 70 cm).