prEN 341
(Main)Personal fall protection equipment - Descender devices for rescue
Personal fall protection equipment - Descender devices for rescue
This document specifies requirements, test methods, marking and manufacturer’s instructions and information for descender devices fitted with a built-in speed-regulating system, which include descent lines (hereinafter referred to as lines). These descender devices are intended to be used in a rescue system to provide protection against falling from a height when accessing/leaving positions at a height.
This document does not specify requirements for descender devices that are used for descending in mountaineering, rope access or work positioning systems.
Persönliche Absturzschutzausrüstung - Abseilgeräte zum Retten
Dieses Dokument legt Anforderungen, Prüfverfahren, Kennzeichnungen und Herstelleranweisungen und Informationen für Abseilgeräte mit eingebautem Geschwindigkeitssteuerungssystem fest, was Abseiltragmittel (im weiteren Verlauf Tragmittel genannt) beinhaltet. Diese Abseilgeräte sind zur Verwendung in Rettungssystemen als Schutz gegen Sturz aus der Höhe beim Zugang zu oder dem Verlassen von hohen Lagen vorgesehen. In diesem Dokument sind keine Anforderungen an Abseilgeräte vorgesehen, die zum Abseilen beim Bergsteigen, seilunterstütztem Zugang oder Arbeitsplatzpositionierungssystemen verwendet werden.
Équipement de protection individuelle contre les chutes - Descendeurs pour sauvetage
Osebna varovalna oprema za zaščito pred padci z višine - Naprave za spuščanje ob reševanju
General Information
Relations
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-april-2025
Osebna varovalna oprema za zaščito pred padci z višine - Naprave za spuščanje
ob reševanju
Personal fall protection equipment - Descender devices for rescue
Persönliche Absturzschutzausrüstung - Abseilgeräte zum Retten
Équipement de protection individuelle contre les chutes - Descendeurs pour sauvetage
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 341
ICS:
13.340.60 Zaščita pred padci in zdrsi Protection against falling and
slipping
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
January 2025
ICS 13.340.99 Will supersede EN 341:2011
English Version
Personal fall protection equipment - Descender devices for
rescue
Persönliche Absturzschutzausrüstung - Abseilgeräte
zum Retten
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 160.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.
Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 341:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
European foreword . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Requirements . 7
4.1 General. 7
4.1.1 Classes . 7
4.1.2 Minimum rated load . 7
4.1.3 Maximum rated load . 7
4.2 Design, materials and construction . 7
4.2.1 General. 7
4.2.2 Lines . 8
4.3 Dynamic strength . 9
4.4 Function . 9
4.4.1 Overview of requirements and applicable conditioning . 9
4.4.2 Classes A, B and C . 10
4.4.3 Class D . 11
4.5 Descent energy. 12
4.6 Static strength . 12
4.7 Corrosion resistance . 12
4.8 Additional requirements for manually-operated descender devices (type 2) . 12
4.8.1 Operating force . 12
4.8.2 Blocking force. 12
4.9 Additional requirements for descender devices, class D . 12
4.10 Marking and manufacturer’s instructions and information . 13
5 Test methods . 13
5.1 Examination of design . 13
5.2 Dynamic strength test . 13
5.3 Function tests . 15
5.3.1 Conditioning . 15
5.3.2 Test procedure . 16
5.4 Descent energy test . 20
5.4.1 Type 1 . 20
5.4.2 Type 2 . 20
5.5 Static strength test . 23
5.5.1 Descender device . 23
5.5.2 Termination and end stop . 24
5.6 Operating force test . 25
5.7 Blocking force test . 25
5.8 Line integrity test . 26
5.9 Corrosion resistance test . 26
6 Marking . 27
7 Manufacturer’s instructions and information . 28
Annex A (informative) Significant technical changes between this document and EN 341:2011
................................................................................................................................................................... 29
Annex B (informative) Background and rationale about the changes between this document
and EN 341:2011 . 31
Annex ZA (informative) Relationship between this European Standard and the essential
requirements of Regulation (EU) 2016/425 aimed to be covered . 33
Bibliography . 35
European foreword
This document (prEN 341:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 160 Protection
against falls from height including working belts”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede EN 341:2011.
A list of technical changes between this edition and EN 341:2011 is given in Annex A. Background and
rationale about the changes between this edition and EN 341:2011 is given in Annex B.
This document has been prepared under a standardization request addressed to CEN by the European
Commission. The Standing Committee of the EFTA States subsequently approves these requests for its
Member States.
For the relationship with EU Legislation, see informative Annex ZA, which is an integral part of this
document.
1 Scope
This document specifies requirements, test methods, marking and manufacturer’s instructions and
information for descender devices fitted with a built-in speed-regulating system, which include descent
lines (hereinafter referred to as lines). These descender devices are intended to be used in a rescue
system to provide protection against falling from a height when accessing/leaving positions at a height.
This document does not specify requirements for descender devices that are used for descending in
mountaineering, rope access or work positioning systems.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 363:2018, Personal fall protection equipment — Personal fall protection systems
EN 364:1992, Personal protective equipment against falls from a height — Test methods
EN 365:2004, Personal protective equipment against falls from a height — General requirements for
instructions for use, maintenance, periodic examination, repair, marking and packaging
EN 1496:2017, Personal fall protection equipment — Rescue lifting devices
EN 1891:1998, Personal protective equipment for the prevention of falls from a height — Low stretch
kernmantel ropes
EN 12385-1:2002+A1:2008, Steel wire ropes — Safety — Part 1: General requirements
EN ISO 9227:2022, Corrosion tests in artificial atmospheres — Salt spray tests (ISO 9227:2022)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions of EN 363:2018 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1
descender device
automatic (type 1) or manually-operated (type 2) device, including a line, by which persons can, at a
limited velocity, rescue themselves, themselves and others or solely others from a higher to a lower
position in such a way that a free fall is prevented
Note 1 to entry: In this document the term “device” is used to refer to the descender device without the line.
Note 2 to entry: The device can be designed for a line made from e.g. wire rope, textile rope, or webbing.
As impacted by EN 364:1992/AC:1993
As impacted by EN 365:2004/AC:2006
As impacted by EN ISO 9227:2022/A1:2024
3.1.1
automatic descender device (type 1)
descender device with a built-in speed-regulating system that does not require an intervention by the
user once the descent has commenced
3.1.2
manually-operated descender device (type 2)
descender device with a built-in speed-regulating system that requires an intervention by the user
3.1.3
built-in speed-regulating system
integral braking system of the descender device used to control the velocity of the descent for type 1 and
to stop the descent with hands-off for type 2
3.1.4
descent control element
integral element of the manually-operated descender device, used to control the built-in speed regulating
system
Note 1 to
...
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