Work Health and Safety (Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces) Code of Practice 2015
APPENDIX A — TERMS USED IN FALL CONTROL APPENDIX A — TERMS USED IN FALL CONTROL MEASURES
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APPENDIX A – TERMS USED IN FALL CONTROL MEASURES
Anchorage: means a secure point for attaching a lanyard, lifeline or other component of a travel restraint system or fall-arrest system. Anchorages require specific load and impact capacities for their intended use.
Double or triple action device: is a self-closing hook or karabiner with a keeper latch which will automatically close and remain closed until manually opened. These units have a minimum of at least two distinct and deliberate consecutive actions to manually open them.
Free fall: is any fall or part of a fall where the person falling is under the unrestrained influence of gravity over any fall distance, either vertically or on a slope on which it is not possible to walk without the assistance of a handrail or hand line.
Inertia reel: (also known as a self-retracting lanyard or fall-arrest block) is a type 2 or 3 fall-arrest device that arrests a fall by locking onto a line and at the same time allows freedom of movement.
Karabiners: these are metal types of connectors that can be attached to anchorage points.
They come in a variety of sizes, shapes and locking mechanisms to suit various applications.
They should be self-closing and self- or manual-locking and capable of being opened only by
at least two consecutive deliberate manual actions.
Lanyard: an assembly consisting of a line and components which will enable connection between a harness and an anchorage point and will absorb energy in the event of a fall.
Personal energy absorber (or deceleration device): means a device which reduces the deceleration force imposed when a fall is suddenly arrested, and correspondingly reduces the loadings on the anchorage and the person’s body. The energy absorber may either be a separate item or manufactured as part of the lanyard.
Restraint line: is the line securing workers to a point of anchorage and is used to prevent a person from reaching a point from which he or she could fall.
Static line: is a horizontal or substantially horizontal line to which a lanyard may be attached and which is designed to arrest a free fall.
Total fall distance: is the total distance a person is likely to fall during both the free and restrained parts of a fall and includes the maximum dynamic extension of all supporting components.