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HSE

Health & Safety
Executive

Specialist Inspector Reports
Number 59

Issues surrounding the failure of an energy absorbing lanyard
David Thomas
MSc, BSc(Eng), AKC, CEng, MICE, MIOSH
HM Specialist Inspector of Health and Safety (Construction)

HSE

Health & Safety
Executive

Specialist Inspector Reports
Number 59

Issues surrounding the failure of an energy absorbing lanyard
David Thomas
MSc, BSc(Eng), AKC, CEng, MICE, MIOSH
HM Specialist Inspector of Health and Safety (Construction)

HSE BOOKS

ã Crown copyright 2001
Applications for reproduction should be made in writing to:
Copyright Unit, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office,
St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich NR3 1BQ
First published 2001
ISBN 0 7176 2247 9
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Messrs. D Riches, P Seddon, C Chapman, H Crawford and the late L Feathers (all of BSI Technical
Committee, PH/5 ‘Industrial Safety Belts and Harnesses’).
Messrs. D Allport, B Lyon, P Blackburn (and P Ward), W Ellis (M Baldwin and B Warren), A Jones
(J Pammenter and N Pammenter), J Anslow, R Weeks (and K Holroyd), S Linnitt (Fall arrest equipment designers, manufacturers, suppliers and distributors).

ii

FOREWORD
Following concerns arising from the failure of an energy absorbing lanyard in Eire, the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE’s) Technology Division (TD) undertook an investigation into the properties, resistance and degradation of man-made fibre lanyards used in energy absorbing lanyards. A number of recommendations were made.
The Report considers the issues surrounding the failure of an energy absorbing lanyard. It gives brief details of the incident in Eire; summarises an HSE test programme; considers